At Cloudscape Community, Juniper showered and immediately fell asleep on her bed.


    Shanley opened the door and walked quietly to her side, intending to cover her with a nket. But he stopped short when he saw her injured finger.


    What happened?


    Just as he was wondering, the sleeping girl''s eyes fluttered open.


    "You''re awake?" Shanley gently touched her hair, then stood up to get the first-aid kit. “How did you hurt your hand?"


    “Oh," Juniper said, waving her hand nonchntly. "I was bored this afternoon, so I went to the jewelry studio. I slipped while cutting a piece."


    "Give me your hand." Shanley opened the kit, his handsome face etched with


    concern.


    “It''s just a scratch, don''t worry about it," Juniper said dismissively. "Compared to the time I nearly got my head chopped off, this is nothing."


    “Behave,” Shanley insisted, holding a cotton swab and looking at her intently.


    "...Fine, fine." Unable to refuse, Juniper impatiently ced her hand in his.


    "What do you mean, your head was nearly chopped off?" he asked in a low, husky voice, carefully cleaning the wound.


    "Oh," Juniper said, leaning against the headboard and yawning. "Just an old rival of mine. He couldn''t beat me fair and square, so the piece of trash resorted to dirty tricks and ambushes. He threw a bomb at my house, and itnded right on my bedroom roof..."


    Juniper''s face turned cold, her voiceced with a terrifying venom. "The house copsed, and a shard of ss nearly sliced my neck open."


    It was a huge, sharp piece of ss. If her reflexes had been any slower, her head would have been separated from her body.


    "Let''s not talk about him. It''s bad luck," Juniper said, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. “I''ll deal with him properly when I have the time."


    When the time came, she''d make the leader of Sigma Network kneel before her and whip him to death.


    Shanley said nothing, just watched her quietly, unable to imagine what she had been through. She''d nearly died several times. The more casually she spoke of it, the more his heart ached for her. She was


    young, yet she acted so tough.


    “Juniper,” Shanley said, taking her hand. "I''m here now. I won''t let anyone hurt you ever again."


    Her rival? Once he found out who it was, he would tear them limb from limb.


    "Alright,” Juniper said, meeting his gaze as a warmth spread through her heart.


    ...


    Trent, persistent as ever, asked to meet J again. This time, she agreed.


    "You and your mother have suffered all these years," Trent said gently, pouring her a ss of water. "I''ve already spoken with our grandfather, and he''s agreed to let you both return to the Wilcox family."


    "Return to the


    Wilcox family?" J swirled the water in her ss, a sarcastic smile ying on her lips "Is the Wilcox estate some kind of paradise? And what kind of desperate person do you think I am, that I''d be begging to go back?"


    Trent''s attempt at kindness was met with a cold shoulder. He hadn''t expected J to be so arrogant, and his expression soured Thest time he saw her, she was a timid, weak girl. It seemed Orville''s inheritance had given her a backbone.


    "Trent,” J said, following Juniper''s instructions to the letter, "I never wanted anything to do with the Wilcox family, so it would be best if you all left my mother and me alone. As for the inheritance..."


    She paused for a moment before continuing, "My father poured his heart and soul into the Wilcox family. They owe their current sess to his hard work."