Shanley''s eyes darkened as he watched Coralie approaching them with


    unwarranted enthusiasm. He smoothly pulled Juniper behind him, his protective instincts ring.


    He was starting to suspect that during theirst encounter, this woman hadn''t been looking at him—she had been eyeing his fiancé.


    "Mr. Schwartz. A pleasure to see you."


    Coralie stopped a few feet away, her eyes narrowing slightly in amusement as a faint smirk touched her red lips.


    "Is it?"


    Shanley stared coldly at the beaming woman, noting how her gaze kept drifting toward Juniper. "Because I''m not exactly thrilled to see you."


    If she hadn''t helped save Juniper, she wouldn''t even be breathing the same air as him, let alone wandering around his social circles.


    Coralie''s smile faltered. What a terrible temper, she thought. I have no idea what that sweet girl sees in him.


    "Ms. Payne, I heard you were attending tonight, so I had a slice of cake saved especially for you."


    Coralie held out an elegant little pastry box.


    "She doesn''t eat food from strangers," Shanley snapped, grabbing Juniper''s hand. His tone was icy enough to freeze a raging river.


    Why the hell was this woman acting so overly attentive? Damn it. Did she actually have a thing for Juniper?


    "I want to eat it."


    Juniper''s cool voice broke the tension. She casually reached out and took the box. Shanley was speechless.


    Coralie raised an eyebrow in triumph, gave Juniper a little wave, and then drifted back into the crowd, champagne ss in hand.


    Almost immediately, a swarm of sessful businessmen and elite executives gravitated toward her, eager to please. Coralie smiled seductively, navigating the sharks with practiced ease.


    "I''ve already repaid the debt for Coralie saving you," Shanley saidzily, withdrawing his icy re from the crowd. He looked down at Juniper, who was happily digging into the cake, and his voice softened to a husky warning. "Don''t get too close to her from now on."


    He''d heard rumors that Coralie Quill had a penchant for keeping handsome young boy toys. He wasn''t about to let her be a bad influence on his girl.


    Juniper looked up, her gaze drifting toward Coralie, who wasughing wlessly among the men without ever stepping out of line.


    Was she really smiling? Because from where Juniper was standing, that smile looked hollow. Bitter, even.


    ***


    Juniper hated events like this. She had zero interest in making small talk with Era City''s socialites. Instead she found a quiet secluded Comer on the terrace to eat her


    snacks and enjoy the cool night breeze.


    Suddenly, she spotted a woman in a trench coat standing beneath a blooming locust tree a short distance away.


    The night was hazy. As the dim light from a nearby streemp washed over the woman''s silhouette, a suffocating wave of familiarity hit Juniper.


    "Ebony Fox," Juniper breathed, her mind going nk as she unconsciously called out her fourth sister''s name.


    Hearing the voice, Coralie abruptly spun around.


    When she saw who was standing there, the heavy sorrow etched across her face vanished in an instant, seamlessly reced by her usual nonchnt,zy smile.


    "Ms. Payne."


    Coralie crushed her cigarette, her red lips curving into a gentle grin. "Did I just hear you call me... sister?"


    That single word had sent her spiraling back to her childhood. For a split second, she had almost believed it was her youngest sister calling out to her.


    "I''m sorry. I mistook you for someone else," Juniper said, snapping back to reality as she walked closer.


    Shanley hadn''t been lying that day; Coralie''s back really did look exactly like Ebony Fox''s. She had scolded him for nothing.


    "Hiding from the crowd, too?" Coralie didn''t press the issue, her smile softening.


    "Yeah." Juniper nodded. She walked up, holding out an array of snacks. "Want some?"


    Coralie blinked. Staring at the assortment of junk food in the girl''s hands, she almost burst outughing.


    Juniper had asked ''Want some?''


    with the gravelly seriousness of met


    mob boss offering a set of whiskey, but she was holding out bags of chips. She really was just a Kid.  s?novels


    "Sure, I''ll take some."


    Coralie yed along, plucking a bag of dried mangoes from the pile. Juniper''s pupils shrank slightly, and she pressed her lips together.


    Whatever. I ate two pieces of her cake anyway.


    The two of them sat down on a stone bench beneath the tree, chatting casually.


    "My whole family is dead," Coralie


    blurted out. She had knocked back a


    fair bit of wine, her cheeks flushed a


    deep pink She kicked off her


    designer heels, letting them fall carelessly onto the grass.