"Sir, is Ms. Payne not awake yet?” Dana hesitated for a few seconds before asking cautiously. Normally, the two of them came down together.


    "Don''t mention that heartless little thing." Shanley''s brows were knitted together, a frostyyer covering his handsome face. He sounded both angry and helpless.


    What? Heartless little thing? Mr. Schwartz dared to call Ms. Payne that?!


    "I serve her the best food and drinks every day, and all she does is make me miserable." Shanley picked up an egg and began to slowly peel it, his deep eyes dark as he grumbled.


    What Lue? Some ghost? Was that person as good to her as he was? He didn''t even know what this Lue looked like. Was he younger? More handsome?


    Dana stood frozen, holding a towel, staring at Shanley inplete confusion. Mr. Schwartz sounded like a jilted lover.


    "Dana..." Shanley grew more depressed the more he thought about it. He looked up at Dana, who looked even more confused than he felt, and asked glumly, "Am I very old?"


    “What?” Dana jumped, carefully studying the man''s face. He wasn''t really old. He was only twenty-seven. But...pared to Ms. Payne, there was a nine-year age gap. So maybe he was a little old.


    "Sir, how could you possibly think like that?" Dana was no fool. She beamed. "A young man in his twenties, how is that old? Now, these old bones of mine, that''s what you call old."


    “What if.....” Shanley paused in his egg-peeling, his eyes locking onto Dana''s, his expression grave. "If you were Juniper, and you had two equally wealthy men to choose from—one young, and one a bit older-who would you pick?”


    Dana''s breath caught in her throat. Both wealthy? Well... that made it a bit tricky.


    "Of course I would choose you, sir,” Dana said, recovering quickly and forcing a wide smile onto her wrinkled face. "You are truly good to Ms. Payne, sir. No matter how young or rich someone else is, how could theypare to you?"


    "Besides," Dana continued, seeing Shanley''s mood gradually improve, "with Ms. Payne''s personality, not just any man could catch her ey The way she relies on you can only mean one thing: she likes you."


    "Really?"


    f


    ttered by Dana''s praise, Shanley''s lips curved into a faint smile, the gloom on his face vanishing. She was right. Juniper relied on him, even more than her two brothers. What could it be if not love20 Otherwise, she would have gone to find that ''Lue'' a long time ago.


    Just as Shanley was reassuring himself, Dana''s voice broke in. "Morning, Ms. Payne."


    "Morning, Dana." Juniper came downstairs, rubbing her sore neck.


    "Ms. Payne, is your neck bothering you?" Dana asked with concern.


    "A little." Juniper sat down opposite Shanley, frowning slightly. "Didn''t I sleep on your armst night?"


    "Yes," Shanley replied, cing the peeled egg on Juniper''s te, feeling too guilty to meet her eyes He would never admit that he''d spent the entire night sulking on the


    herealb


    balcony after hearing her calb


    .n


    another man''s name in her sleep.


    “Oh,” Juniper responded lightly, figuring she must have just slept in an awkward position.


    “Juniper.....” Just as Shanley was about to speak while buttering some toast for her, her phone buzzed.


    “Hold on.” Juniper stopped him, picked up her phone, and began tapping out a reply. After she was done, she ced the phone beside her.


    Once again, Shanley saw the WhatsApp contact name: Lue Langley. It was him again!