Shanley preened, clearly waiting for his own praise from Juniper.


    "He can only teach you because you''re smart enough to learn," Juniper said, directing thepliment back to Felton.


    Felton looked at Shanley, his shoulders slumping innocently.


    "What''s wrong?" Juniper asked, sensing the sudden silence as she looked up at Shanley.


    "You''re right," Shanley said, crouching beside her and gently stroking her hair. "The air quality in thisb isn''t great. I''ll have someone move these back to the house so you can look at them properly."


    “Okay.” Juniper had no objections. Confident that the nts could be saved, she pped her hands and stood up, instinctively holding out her hand.


    Shanley had already taken two steps before he realized she wasn''t following. He turned to see her standing there, hand suspended in mid-air, looking straight at him. He let out a soft chuckle, walking back to gently take her hand in his.


    Juniper lowered her head slightly, letting him lead her away like a docile kitten. Habit, she thought, was a terrifying thing.


    ...


    After a long day, Juniper was exhausted. She fell asleep in the car, her head resting on Shanley''s shoulder.


    The persistent buzzing of her phone broke the quiet in the car. Annoyed, Juniper stirred, frowning as she fumbled for the phone to silence it. By a stroke of bad luck, her thumbnded on the sensor, unlocking the screen and opening directly to her messages.


    The sender: Lue.


    Lue: [What''s with the silent treatment?]


    Lue: [Baby girl, are you that scared of me meeting Shanley?]


    Lue: [Don''t worry, it''s not like we''ve only shared a bed for over a decade.]


    Lue: [Reply, reply, reply! Or I''ming over!]


    "Careful," Shanley murmured, adjusting her head as it lolled to the side. As he did,


    his eyes fell on the screen and the barrage of messages.


    Baby girl? Shared a bed for over a decade?


    hithir


    The words hit him like a physical blow. A loud ringing filled his ears. First, Lue was a man. Second, Juniper had shared a bed with him for over a decade. And third... third....


    His mind was in such chags that he


    couldn''t form another thought.


    He looked down at the girl sleeping peacefully in his arms, her arms wrapped around his waist. A


    ovel


    hundred impulses urged him to wake her up and demand an exnation. But then he remembered what right did he have? He wasn''t even her boyfriend just a suitor. Asking about Lue so abruptly might destroy any chance he had.


    What if... what if Juniper liked Lue, too?


    If he stayed silent, maybe she would stay by his side. But if he exposed her secret...


    she would probably leave him in a fury.


    Shanley gritted his teeth, silently turning his gaze away as his arms tightened around her.


    From the front seats, Felton and


    Flint had seen the messages in the rearview mirror. Seeing their boss''s miserable, repressed expression, the two exchanged a look of utter despair. A popr inte meme came to mind: I''m willing to be the side piece. Looking at their boss now...


    Dear God. Was he really about to be the other man for the sake of love? It seemed highly likely!


    Juniper slept groggily for several hours. When she finally woke up, it was five in the afternoon.


    She opened her eyes and instinctively nced at the desk in the room. Usually, Shanley would be home with her on the weekends.