Meeting Ebony Fox''s cold, scrutinizing gaze, Jimmie and his brothers guiltily averted their eyes. It was clear their newly found sister was not impressed with the old fox. He was older, his life was a mess, and he''d nearly shot his girlfriend''s sister-it was a trifecta of red gs. The road to winning over his inws was going to be a long one for Shanley.


    "How old are you, Mr. Schwartz?" Realizing she couldn''t count on her brothers, Ebony Fox leaned back, crossed her legs, and fixed Shanley with an icy stare, an intimidating chill emanating from her.


    Juniper nced at her sister, then at Shanley''s strained expression. She considered intervening but thought better of it. Shanley had almost put a bullet in her sister; if she defended him now, it would only make things worse. Better to let Ebony Fox vent her frustration.


    As for Shanley... he was easy enough to sootheter.


    "I just turned twenty-eight," Shanley replied, standing tall. His height,manding presence, and handsome features certainly made him easy on the eyes. But he was... a bit old.


    "Twenty-eight?" Ebony Fox stroked her sister''s hair, a derisive smile ying on her lips. "And you know how old my sister is, don''t you?"


    Shanley pressed his lips together, not daring to speak.


    "That''s a gap of nearly ten years," Ebony Fox said slowly, her cold eyes piercing him like daggers. "Don''t you have any self-awareness about how mismatched you two are?"


    "I think..." Shanley''s lips parted, his deep eyes meeting Ebony Fox''s gaze without flinching before shifting to Juniper. His voice was husky as he replied, "Juniper and I are a perfect match."


    Ebony Fox''s eyes narrowed slightly. She hadn''t expected such a direct answer and found herself feeling a grudging respect for his nerve. He had some backbone, at least.


    She turned to gauge her sister''s reaction, only to find the two of them locked in a tender, meaningful gaze. The look in Juniper''s eyes was anything but that of someone who had been ''sold off''.


    "Could you give me a moment alone with Juniper?" Ebony Fox asked, her voice low.


    "Of course." Shanley nodded, and before leaving, he gently draped his suit jacket over Juniper''s shoulders.


    "Don''t eat anything cold for the next few days, okay?" he murmured.


    "Okay," Juniper replied distractedly, her eyes still on her game.


    Watching their intimate exchange, Ebony Fox frowned. From what she''d seen at the training camp, her sister was a cool-headed individual who didn''t like being tied down She hadn''t


    was surprised to see her being so obedient with Shanley. Then again, Shanley was clearly very attentive to her.


    "Call me if you need anything," Shanley said politely to Ebony Fox before turning to leave the private room.


    "You three get out, too!" Ebony Fox snapped at her three ''useless'' brothers, who had clearly forgotten their sister in the face of personal gain.


    "Hey now—" Jimmie frowned, his lips moving to protest. "Talk to us properly. We are your brothers, after all."


    This temper of hers was even worse than Juniper''s.


    "You''re lucky you''re my brothers," Ebony Fox retorted with a cold sneer, idly toying with her handgun "If there weren''t any blood-ties between us, you''d have been dead a dozen times over for letting this happen to Juniper."


    The three men silently filed out of the room, which instantly fell quiet.


    "Juniper." Ebony Fox turned and gently took Juniper''s hand, her expression serious.


    "Do you have any idea who Shanley is?"


    The CEO of the Schwartz Group was


    known for his vtile nature and ruthless methods, and he had countless enemies How could her sister navigate that world?