"Juniper, get over here," Shanley said, his expression grim as he instinctively pulled her behind him.


    "Worry about yourself," Juniper shot back, her tone sharp as her gaze fell on his injured chest. "You''re the patient here."


    A smirk yed on Shanley''s lips. He leaned close to her ear and whispered affectionately, "I could take a bullet in both sides and still protect you."


    Felton and Flint stood with guns in hand, their fingers trembling slightly as they turned to see their two leaders whispering sweet nothings to each other. They were in the middle of a gunfight, and they still had time to flirt?


    “Felton, tell our people to move in," Shanley ordered in a low voice.


    "Yes, boss!" Felton immediately dialed a number and yelled, “Bring in the choppers!”


    Choppers? Juniper looked up, her deep eyes narrowing.


    Two secondster, she pulled out her phone and sent a voice message to her Subterra Vanguard team. "The choppers can stand down."


    Her original n was that, regardless of who was exposed, Warren wouldn''t let it go. A fight was inevitable, so they needed to be prepared. She never imagined Shanley had made the exact same arrangement. Since his Sigma Network identity was out, she would let his people handle it.


    "Leader of Sigma Network, you can''t leave just yet. Our Lord would like a word," one of Warren''s men announced, as they found themselvespletely surrounded.


    “Is that so?” Shanley''s lips curled into azy, yful smile. “If Warren knows I''m the leader of Sigma Network, isn''t he worried this grand wee will attract the attention of my organization?"


    Just as he spoke, the deafening roar of helicopters filled the air. A dozen of them hovered overhead.


    “Boss, just say the word. Sigma Network''stest missiles can be dropped anywhere you like,” Flint said, his earlier fear reced by a cocky grin as he toyed with his pistol.


    Shanley ignored Flint, his eyes fixed on Juniper and asked, "Want to see a ssh?"


    Juniper blinked, not quite following.


    "Let''s test one in the sea," Shanley said.


    A momentter, a massive


    explosion erupted on the ocean


    surface not far from Liberty Ind A pir of white water shot into the air, a stangly beautiful sight against the blue sky the entire ind shuddered for a few seconds.


    "Pretty, isn''t it?" Shanley asked, looking down at Juniper.


    "It''s alright," Juniper said, blinking. Then she deliberately pointed to the distant


    castle. "If you aimed it there, would it look like fireworks?"


    Warren''s subordinate felt his brow


    twitch, barely able to believe his


    ears. Bomb the castle The k


    pretty and delicate, but her


    words were terrifyingly wild.


    "Leader of Sigma Network, what do you think you''re doing?” the man stammered,


    his face paling at the sight of the helicopters.


    "What I do next," Shanley said,


    pulling Juniper to sit beside him on a


    bench at the pier and elegantly crossing his long legs, "depends entirely on your Lord."


    The subordinate understood immediately and rushed to report to Warren.


    When the call came, Warren was in the garden helping Celine nt herbs. He looked up at the circling helicopters, his expression turning colder by the second.


    The phone was on speaker. Celine tugged excitedly at his sleeve. “Honey, are there going to be fireworks? I want to see!"


    “I''ll set some off for you tonight," Warren said, stroking her hair. He looked at the subordinate across from him and said tly, "The surveince feed.”