After the main course, Harold had his assistant bring out dessert. There was mango cake, mango juice, and a tter of freshly sliced mango.


    He even knew her favorite fruit. Shanley felt a fire igniting inside him. So this was Harold''s game, currying favor by catering to her every whim.


    "Tsk," Juniper clicked her tongue, ncing disdainfully at the mango-themed spread. She casually picked up a slice and popped it into her mouth before turning


    to Harold. "Did Baldy Fox tell you all my preferences?"


    "Hmm?" Harold blinked, momentarily confused. Her preferences? She liked mangoes too? Another coincidence.


    His favorite leafy green wastro, and his favorite fruit was mango. No wonder he felt such a connection to her; they had so much inmon.


    "I''m d you like it," Harold said with a gentle smile, his voice softening. "Feel free toe over whenever you want. It seems our tastes are quite simr."


    "Dr. Houston, you needn''t trouble yourself," Shanley interjected, his deep eyes turning cold. "Juniper has examsing up, and we need to be very careful with her diet."


    Harold looked up at him, a knowing smile touching his lips. He was certainly protective. Then again, with such a significant age gap, he must have put in a lot of effort to win her over. It was only natural he''d be on guard.


    "It''s really sweet," Juniper said, cing a slice of mango on Shanley''s te.


    Shanley stared at the piece of fruit, his brow furrowing deeply. He detested mangoes. He only ever prepared them for Juniper and never touched them himself.


    "Mr. Schwartz, you don''t like mangoes?" Harold asked, noticing his hesitation.


    "What?" Juniper, who was happily eating, turned to look at him.


    "Of course I do," Shanley said, his expression instantly shifting. He gracefully picked


    up his fork, ate the mango, and even added, "You''re right, it''s very sweet."


    Seeing how much he seemed to enjoy it, and remembering he hadn''t eaten much of the main course, Juniper kindly pushed the entire tter of mangoes in front of him. "Here, the rest is for you."


    Shanley continued to chew, forcing himself to swallow against the growing nausea


    in his stomach. He didn''t even dare to breathe too deeply.


    "Is that enough?" Harold asked, a smirk ying on his lips. "If not, there''s more in the kitchen."


    For the past few days, he had been putting up with his grandmaster''s temper and her older boyfriend''s


    passive aggressive remarks. He


    wouldn''t dare cross Juniper, but he wasn''t going to pass up a chance to get back at her boyfriend.


    "That''s plenty," Shanley ground out, his eyes shooting daggers at Harold as he stuffed another piece of mango into his mouth.


    Minutester, holding his breath, Shanley finished the entire tter. He forced a smile and stood up. "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom. You two carry on."


    "Okay," Juniper nodded, already engrossed in a game on her phone. "Grandmaster..." Harold seized the opportunity. "Is Mr. Schwartz really your boyfriend?"


    Juniper shot him a look but didn''t answer.


    "I see," Harold said with a wry smile. Given his grandmaster''s fiery temper, she would have blown up if she disliked the person or the topic. Her silence was an answer in itself.


    "If you don''t mind me asking, what do you see in him?" Harold asked, his gaze fixed on her, genuinely puzzled. She was about the same age as his younger sister, an age for innocence and romance. His sister was only interested in young, attractive guys and referred to anyone nearly a decade older as a "middle-aged uncle." If he were Juniper''s brother, he''d think the age gap was a bit much. Did her family approve?


    "He''s quiet," Juniper replied coolly, her fingers never stopping their dance across the


    screen.