There was Juniper, sitting on the medical bed, with the leader of their arch-nemesis, Sigma Network, nestled in her arms.


    "Hold on." Margaret rubbed her eyes, muttering incredulously, "I must be seeing things."


    She thought she saw Specter and the leader of Sigma Network embracing. It was horrifying.


    She closed her eyes, opened them, and then widened them again.


    "What the hell!" Margaret''s mind went nk as a gasp escaped her. "You bastard, where do you think you''re putting your hands?"


    "Get away from Specter!" Michael, thoroughly spooked, roared.


    The others immediately raised their guns, aiming them squarely at Shanley.


    "Juniper..." Shanley coughed twice, looking at the array of ck muzzles and menacing faces. "They want to kill me," he said pitifully.


    "I know," Juniper replied calmly, massaging her temples. "Killing you would be perfectly normal, wouldn''t it?"


    Shanley''s mouth twitched, his feigned fragility almost shattering. "Juniper, my wound hurts a little."


    "You''re not dying," Juniper stated coolly, pulling his hand away without a hint of sympathy. "The pain is self-inflicted. You deserve it."


    With that, she stood up to face the five furious masters.


    "Kiddo, is this guy really the leader of Sigma Network?" Catherine asked tentatively. "Yes," Juniper nodded. She hesitated for a few seconds, trying to exin, "But—" "Then what are you waiting for? Get over here!" Catherine grabbed Juniper''s arm and pulled her to her side, while the other masters kept their guns trained on Shanley.


    "That old fox from Sigma Network is finally in our hands!" Michael was ecstatic, a grin nearly splitting his face. "Specter gets to decide how he dies."


    "He..." Juniper pressed her lips together, tentatively starting, "He''s actually..."


    "He dared to touch you," Catherine seethed. "Let''s start by crippling his hands."


    "I''ll do it!" Richard volunteered eagerly, chambering a round and advancing toward Shanley.


    Shanley remained calm, unrmed, his gaze fixed weakly on Juniper.


    "Richard!" Seeing that Richard was serious, Juniper immediately stepped forward, shielding Shanley with her body.


    The other masters were utterly bewildered. What was wrong with Specter? Was she actually protecting the leader of Sigma Network?


    Catherine frowned deeply, her confused gaze shifting back and forth between Juniper and Shanley.


    And then...she seemed to notice something incredible. The way the leader of Sigma Network was looking at Specter wasn''t with the hatred of an enemy, but with a gaze full of tenderness and affection.


    If she remembered correctly, Lue had said Juniper had a boyfriends The leader of Sigma Network was from Borealiar and coupled


    her


    recent drastic change in demeanor...


    It was highly likely. The leader of Sigma Network was Specter''s boyfriend! And they


    had only just discovered each other''s identities.


    Good heavens. What kind of soap opera had they walked into?


    "Specter, what is the meaning of this?" Michael demanded, his face grim.


    "He''s my..." Juniper''s lips moved, a hoarse sound escaping her throat, so quiet it was barely audible.


    "He''s your what?" Michael pressed.


    "Hello. I''m Juniper''s boyfriend," Shanley said, forcing himself to sit up despite the pain when he saw Junipers distress Juniper and I have been together for over a year."


    "What?" The five masters eximed in unison, their gazes snapping to Juniper. "Is what he''s saying true? The leader of Sigma Network is your boyfriend?"


    In all their years, they had never heard anything so absurd.


    Juniper was surprised that Shanley had admitted it so readily.


    "Say something!" Michael was so agitated he was trembling from head to toe.