"Beep... beep... beeeeeep—"


    Just as they reached the door, the frantic, tlining tone of the heart monitor echoed through the room.


    "Juniper..." J''s knees felt weak, and she instinctively looked to her cousin. "Is he... going to be okay?"


    As much as she despised the Wilcox family and wanted nothing to do with this so- called grandfather, she had never wished for his death.


    "Of course he''s not okay," Juniper replied, patting J''s head with a cool smile. "He was paralyzed from a stroke. It''s a miracle hested this long on medication. He brought this upon himself."


    Zorion''s actions might have triggered the initial copse, but it was theck of proper care afterward-perhaps an intentional oversight by his younger son, Ezra, who was eager to take over-that had sealed his fate. But Orville had been tough, clinging to life until now.


    "Let''s go home." Juniper gestured with her chin and started walking, hands stuffed in her pockets.


    "Okay." J nced back at the hospital room onest time. Her ties to the Wilcox family were nowpletely severed. She hurried to catch up with Juniper.


    ...


    On their way downstairs, a sharp cramp suddenly shot through Juniper''s stomach, and a fineyer of cold sweat broke out on her forehead.


    "Juniper, are you alright?" J asked, worried by her sudden paleplexion.


    "I''m fine," Juniper shook her head. As she was about to call a cab, her phone rang. "Juniper." Shanley''s gentle voice came through the line. "Is everything taken care of? I''m in the hospital parking garage."


    "Yeah." Juniper didn''t ask how he knew to be there; she just pressed the button for the lower level.


    As the elevator doors opened, she scanned the garage and immediately spotted his car. Shanley, dressed in a ck silk shirt with the top buttons undone, was leaning casually against the door, holding two milkshakes.


    "Juniper, over here." He smiled and waved when he saw her. But his expression quickly shifted to concern. He handed the drinks to Felton and strode toward her.


    "What''s wrong?" Shanley gently supported her waist, his brow furrowing as he took in her pale face. "Are you not feeling well?"


    "A little," Juniper admitted, leaning into his embrace, her cheek resting against his chest.


    "Your stomach?" He noticed her slightly hunched posture and guessed the source of her difort.


    "Mhm," she hummed, turning her slightly flushed face away.


    "I''ve got you." Without another word, Shanley bent down and scooped her into his arms. He then looked at wide-eyed J and said gently, "Let''s get in the car."


    "Right." J nodded obediently and wisely climbed into the front passenger seat.


    In the back, Juniper nestled against Shanley, the cold sweat on her forehead growing more pronounced.


    "Turn up the heat," Shanleymanded Felton, his tone serious as he draped a nket over her.


    "Yes, sir." Felton quickly adjusted the climate control.


    As the car warmed up, Juniper''s pain began to subside.


    "Does this happen often?" Shanley asked softly, his eyes fixed on her.


    "No," Juniper shook her head, her voice weak. "I fell into icy water during the winter once. It caused some issues."


    It was that old bastard, the leader of the Sigma Network. He hadunched a surprise attack on one of Subterra Vanguard''s cargo ships in the dead of winter. She and the ship had plunged into the freezingsea. It happened to be that time of the month, leaving her with this lingering side effect: excruciating cramps with every period. It was normally manageable with preparation, but with everything going on this month, she''d forgotten.


    "Just hold on, we''ll be home soon." Mindful that she was a young woman, Shanley didn''t press for


    details just soothed her with met


    gentle voice. On the way, he discreetly searched his phone for ''how to relieve menstrual cramps.''