"Melvin..." Juniper''s expression turned serious. "Are you really interested in J?”


    Melvin fell silent, too ashamed to answer. The memory of how harshly he''d called Shanley a "cradle robber" was now excruciatingly awkward. Shanley was only nine years older than Juniper; he was ten years older than J.


    “Juniper, you''re not going to object, are you?" Melvin asked cautiously, swallowing hard.


    "Not really," Juniper replied.


    From what she''d seen, her brother was a decent guy. If he was sincere about J and she liked him back, it might not be a bad thing. But the problem was—J didn''t seem to have the slightest interest in him.


    "If you want to win her over, you''ll have to try harder," Juniper advised, adding, "School is starting soon, and there will be plenty of handsome guys there, so..."


    The way she trailed off was particrly pointed.


    Melvin hung up, feeling utterly defeated. He needed to get some advice from that old fox Shanley. If he could win over someone as difficult as Juniper, then J should be a walk in the park byparison.


    ...


    At the J-Five Studio, Juniper waspletely absorbed in her work. Wearing protective goggles, she sat under a small deskmp, meticulously polishing a sandalwood bracelet.


    “Boss,” the director said, knocking before entering with a cup of coffee. "You should take a break and have something to eat."


    She had been there for three or four hours without even looking up. Who was this bracelet for? It must be someone important for their boss to be so focused.


    “I''m fine,” Juniper replied curtly, not pausing her work.


    "Ouch-"


    Distracted for a moment, the polishing tool slipped and grazed her finger. A dark bruise immediately formed on the pad of her finger.


    "Boss, are you okay?" the director eximed, quickly handing her a wet wipe. "Let me do it. I have some experience with this."


    "Don''t touch it!" Juniper snapped, pushing the tray away with a stern expression.


    "Yes, boss." The director, startled, quickly retracted his hand.


    Juniper casually pped a bandage on her finger and went back to work. Shanley''s birthday was next week, and she had to finish the bracelet before then. This particr piece of sandalwood was exceptionally rare and required meticulous


    craftsmanship, which naturally took a lot of time.


    On top of that, she had so many other things to deal with: her other brothers illness the Wilcox family the section for the Medical Alliance... She was worried she


    wouldn''t have enough time.


    At six in the evening, Juniper left the studio, rubbing her neck as she walked. After


    just a few steps, she noticed someone tailing her.


    Tsk. Couldn''t they wait?


    Juniper raised a sarcastic eyebrow. This could be interesting. She decided to test the quality of the hitmen they''d hired.


    She started her motorcycle. When she turned left, they followed. When she turned right, they followed. The moment she elerated slightly, the car behind her sped up recklessly. Juniper deliberately mmed on the brakes, her motorcycle leaping over arge puddle.


    With a loud crash, the pursuing car, too focused on her to notice the road, plunged headfirst into the water. Thick smoke billowed from the wreckage as the upants were knocked unconscious.


    Juniper nced at her watch. Not even ten minutes. Seriously? These were supposed to be killers?


    At this level, she might as well just turn herself in. How boring.