Quiet? Harold was taken aback, a sense of resignation washing over him. She was clearly telling him to shut up.


    The atmosphere grew awkward. When Shanley didn''t return after a while, Harold got up to check on him. As he rounded the corner to the restroom, he found Shanley leaning against the wall, his face flushed and looking decidedly unwell.


    "You''re allergic to mangoes?" Harold realized instantly. He pushed open the door to an adjacent room and quickly returned with a bottle of anti-allergy medication. "Take this."


    Shanley eyed the bottle warily and didn''t take it.


    "Rx," Harold said, leaning against the wall with azy air. "Juniper treasures you. If anything happened to you, do you think she''d let me off the hook?"


    Treasures him? The words seemed to do the trick. Shanley took the pill and swallowed it. The medicine worked fast, and within five minutes, the allergic reaction subsided.


    "If you''re allergic, why would you eat so many?" Harold asked, perplexed.


    "Juniper gave them to me," Shanley said with a slight smile. The mere mention of her name brought a look of doting affection to his stern face. "I usually carry my medication, but I forgot it today."


    "Here," Harold tossed the bottle to Shanley. "Keep it. You might need it again soon." The implication was clear: he nned to serve mangoes again.


    "Don''t think you can win Juniper over just by catering to her tastes," Shanley said, his voice serious as he toyed with the bottle. "Dr. Houston, she''s not someone you should be coveting."


    "Mr. Schwartz, I think you''ve misunderstood," Harold replied, shaking his head wearily. "I honestly just feel that she''s familiar, as if we''ve met somewhere before. Beyond that, she reminds me of my younger sister."


    "Is that so?" Shanley wasn''t buying it. He had started out wanting to be her brother, too, and look where that had led. He knew that game all too well.


    "Of course," Harold nodded. After a brief pause, he added, "And besides, I''m married."


    "What?" Shanley''s eyes snapped open, his gaze locking onto Harold.


    "And I ampletely devoted to my wife," Harold stated with conviction. "Furthermore..."


    Shanley remained silent, waiting.


    "I''m not interested in younger women," Harold said, raising an eyebrow with a hint of mockery. "Especially not one who''s a decade younger. I couldn''t bring myself to do


    it."


    Shanley''s face stiffened, a flicker of anger in his eyes. He had to hand it to him, the man was sharp-tongued. He''d only ever considered Juniper his equal in that department. Now, it seemed he''d met his match. He made a mental note toin to Juniperter; Harold wouldn''t get off easy.


    After a moment, Shanley recovered, a slow, deliberate smile spreading across his face. "Dr. Houston, instead of worrying about others, perhaps you should focus on your own... disharmonious marital life."


    Harold''s smile vanished. The jab hit its mark, leaving him speechless.


    Shanley''s eyebrow arched in


    triumph. So, he''d guessed right.


    Harold''s file didn''t mention his wife''s


    identity but the look on his face


    when he''d said the word "wife was one of utter misery. An unhappy marriage was the only logical exnation.


    "What are you two talking about?" Juniper appeared just as the tension between them reached its peak. They were ring at each other, ready to trade blows.


    "Nothing," Shanley said, immediately breaking eye contact with Harold. He walked over to Juniper and took her hand. "Your new protégé is having some marital problems. I was just offering him somefort."


    Harold clenched his fists, fighting the urge to punch him. If it weren''t for his grandmaster, he would have. He regretted giving him the allergy medication the should have given him something to make him mute.