Mom?


    The word, both strange and familiar, tugged at Juniper''s heart. Miranda was a wonderful person, the kind of woman who could raise a son as good as Shanley. She liked their family.


    "Alright,” Juniper said, a faint smile gracing her lips as she epted the checks. Refusing it would only hurt Miranda''s feelings. She would just have to find something special to give her in returnter.


    On the way back, Juniper rested her head against Shanley''s chest, her mind filled with images of Miranda and Hayden.


    "Was Miranda''s marriage never publicly announced?" she asked.


    "No," Shanley confirmed with a small smile. "My mother came from a well-to-do family in Era City, but they fell on hard times, so she had to enter the entertainment industry to make a living. She met my father by chance, and it was love at first sight. Their rtionship grew, and they decided to get married."


    "By then, my mother already had a bit of a name for herself. If she had announced her marriage, the Schwartz family name would have made her famous overnight. But she''s a very independent woman and didn''t want her work to be judged through that lens. So, she kept the marriage a secret and transitioned into directing. Her career flourished, and she won numerous awards, both at home and abroad."


    "There was another reason, too..." Shanley lowered his head, his eyes meeting Juniper''s. He smirked. "Why do you think I was dragged into thepany to work like a dog when I was just a teenager?"


    Juniper blinked, waiting for his answer.


    "Because my father''s work was in a sensitive government sector. It was ssified, so his identity couldn''t be public."


    And that was why, to this day, no one knew who the matriarch of the Schwartz family was.


    "Oh," Juniper murmured, finally understanding.


    "But his assignment is over now, so he won''t have to go back for a long time," Shanley said, squeezing her hand. “We''ll be able to go public with everything gradually."


    "That''s nice," Juniper replied casually. The moment the words left her mouth, she felt a sharp pinch on her side.


    "What was that for?" she grumbled, ring at the culprit.


    "What about us?" Shanley leaned in, the tip of his nose brushing against hers. His eyes were mesmerizing, his voice a captivating whisper. "My dear Juniper, when will you make our rtionship official


    "Ahem." Caught off guard, Juniper coughed. "We''ll see," she said, deliberately


    evasive. "Once you pass your probationary period."


    "Probationary period?" Shanley chuckled in surprise. "And what happens if I don''t pass, hmm?"


    "Then I''ll find a new boyfriend,"


    Juniper teased, her longshes


    brushing against his cheek as she


    raised an eyebrow. "So you''d better


    be on your best behavior, Mag


    Schwartz. You need to earn this."


    “Heh.” Seeing her heartless grin, Shanley shook his head with a helpless smile. He gently stroked her hair. "Alright. I''ll be on my best behavior. I''ll do whatever it takes to earn that title."


    Juniper gave him a long, deep look, a flicker ofplex emotion quickly vanishing from her eyes. It wasn''t that she didn''t want to make things official. It was just that... too many dangerous people were after her, powerful figures connected to powerful organizations. Especially that old bastard, the leader of the Sigma Network. She had to deal with them first!