Orville listened intently, his eyes darting back and forth.


    "My guess is..." Juniper''s lips curved into azy smile. “She has something that Trent wants."


    Orville stared at her, trying to speak, but found he couldn''t form a single word.


    "And what could that be?" Juniper blinked, then stood up, her hands in her pockets. She looked down at him from her full height.


    "Your will," she said slowly, her voice leisurely but firm. It wasn''t a question; it was a statement. Trent wouldn''t be making a move unless Orville had left a significant inheritance to J.


    Tears welled up in Orville''s eyes. So, she''d hit the nail on the head.


    "The truth is, you''ve known all along that Zorion was framed." Juniper had no patience for his disy of grief, and her every word was a dagger to his heart. "But when it came to a choice between your son and the family''s prosperity, you chose the family."


    "You forced him into an arranged marriage, forced him to leave the woman he loved, and even forced him to dere his own daughter illegitimate to the world..."


    Juniper let out a coldugh.


    "But you didn''t expect Zorion to be a real man. He was willing to give up a fortune for his wife and daughter."


    Orville was forced to listen as she tore open his old wounds, and tears streamed uncontrobly down his face.


    "Now you''re gravely ill, and you''ve had a sudden attack of conscience, so you''ve decided topensate them..."


    Juniper paused for a moment before voicing another suspicion. "I also hear that Trent has been searching everywhere for Master Nocturne to treat you."


    Orville stared at Juniper, wondering what else she could possibly deduce. She was just a teenager, yet she radiated an aura of formidable power. J''s cousin? That shameless Saskia''s family had someone like this?


    Juniper smiled, her voice light. "If you''d sought proper treatment earlier, you could have recovered by now. Dragging it out until now, looking for some miracle doctor, it can only mean you''ve added someone else to your will. They don''t want you to die."


    She paused again, then added slowly, “No, that''s not right. They don''t want you to die yet. Back then, the scandal with Zorion and Ms. Miller was blownpletely out of proportion. I bet your younger son had a big hand in that."


    If she wasn''t mistaken, the will likely stipted that it would take effect immediately upon his death. Trent was getting close t to try and bring her back into the Wilcox fold Only by having her under their control could they get their hands on her inheritance. And that was why they couldn''t let Orville die just yet. What a family of vipers!


    Orville seemed to realize what his monstrous son was plotting, and his face was a mask of despair.


    "Don''t you worry." Having said her piece, Juniper''s gaze returned to him. "I will get justice for J and her mother. And..." Her voice was like steel. "Everything the Wilcox fansily owes them, will on their behalf. So you just lie here and watch how I make the Wilcox family, and those fools in it, pay the price."


    ve back


    “Oh, by the way,” Juniper added as she was about to leave. “I am Master Nocturne. Your illness can, in fact, be cured. But..." A derisive smile yed on her lips. "I have no intention of saving you!"