Chapter 16 Fever
Juniper rushed back to the hospital.
"Jennifer wanted some yogurt, so I took her down to the convenience store," Ophelia explained in a panic. "I had just paid, and when I turned around, she was gone!"
Juniper managed to stay calm. "Let's check the convenience store's security footage."
The store owner was sympathetic. Without hesitation, he pulled up the video for them to see. On the screen, they spotted a man in a sharp suit abducting Jennifer...
"Juniper, who is that guy? Do you know him? Should we call the cops? Could it be one of Magnus's people?"
Juniper's face drained of color as she shook her head in disbelief. "No, not him... That man is Alexander Beaumont's assistant. It has to be Alexander Beaumont!"
All she could think about was how Alexander Beaumont might find Lyra and use her as leverage against her.
To curry favor with the Clarks, Alexander Beaumont would stoop to kidnapping a six-year-old child!
Juniper dialed Alexander Beaumont's number, her voice shaking with uncontrollable anger, "Alexander Beaumont, what are you planning to do with Jennifer?!"
Alexander was cool and collected on the other end. "Juniper, listen to yourself. I merely sent someone to bring Jennifer over to X City for a visit. After all, I am her grandfather. Is it wrong to want to see my granddaughter?"
"Stop with the charade, Alexander! If you harm Jennifer, I swear I'll haunt you for the rest of your life!"
Jennifer was Juniper's vulnerability. Seizing this child, who was born outside of wedlock, meant having a grip on Juniper's Achilles' heel.
Alexander knew it all too well. "Juniper, come home. It's been six years. Dad still misses you."
Juniper's hand trembled with rage as she clutched her cellphone.
Such a mockery of paternal love disgusted her.
...
After driving for two hours, Ophelia dropped Juniper off at the Beaumont estate.
Standing at the grand entrance of the Beaumont's villa, Juniper felt as though she had stepped into another lifetime.
This place, supposedly her childhood home, offered no warm or cherished memories in her recollection.
Juniper clenched her fists and stepped through the Beaumonts' gate.
She had barely entered the living room when Dashiell Beaumont came bounding down the stairs, "Yo, isn't this my big sis? Long time no see, sis!"
Dashiell Beaumont, the product of Alexander Beaumont's affair with Isolde Whitaker, was just a year younger than Juniper.
It was at this very staircase corner when Juniper was ten that her father, Alexander Beaumont, argued with Lyra Callahan. Alexander had been adamant about bringing Isolde and her son back to the Beaumonts, against Lyra's wishes.
During their heated altercation, Alexander accidentally pushed Lyra down the stairs, resulting in her falling into a coma—eleven years of dormancy until, three years ago, she finally awoke under Juniper's care.
To Alexander Beaumont, Juniper was merely a pawn for alliance and power.
Dashiell, the favored child, was coddled by his parents, who wished him a life of safety and ease.
"I'm not your sister anymore! Where's Alexander Beaumont? Where did he hide Jennifer?" Juniper replied coldly.
Dashiell's expression shifted at the mention of Jennifer.
Regaining his nonchalant demeanor quickly, he said, "Even though she's a little outsider, don't worry. She's still got your blood in her veins, my dad won't do anything to her for real."
"Where is Alexander Beaumont? I need to see him!"
With Jennifer missing, Juniper was on the brink of eruption.
She made a move to storm upstairs in search of him.
Alexander Beaumont descended the solid wood staircase, his brow furrowed in a scolding tone, "You're making a racket the moment you come back! What about manners? What a spectacle!"
Juniper sneered, "Kidnap your own granddaughter? Look who's talking!"
"You!" Alexander Beaumont's face turned a shade darker with anger.
Dashiell Beaumont tried to mediate, "Sis, how could Dad possibly kidnap Jennifer? She's six already, and you haven't brought her home for a visit. Dad just missed you guys, that's all."
"It's been six years since I was cast out of the Beaumonts, and I cut ties with the family then. What kind of family bond are you trying to claim now?"
Alexander Beaumont looked down at her with a patronizing air, "Blood ties can't be severed just because you say so. Why don't you ask the courts in X City if a father-daughter relationship can just be nullified?"
Juniper tugged at the corner of her lips, scoffing, "The X City courts? They dance to your tune! Dashiell Beaumont committed manslaughter, yet you had Magnus take the fall. Alexander, twisting the truth is your forte! Why bother asking me?"
With a slap, Alexander Beaumont's hand landed harshly on Juniper's cheek.
"Ungrateful child!"
A trickle of blood ran from the corner of Juniper's mouth. She didn't cry, but her eyes blazed crimson as she glared at Alexander and gritted her teeth, "I want to see Jennifer!"
"First, you will apologize to the Clarks."
Alexander Beaumont grabbed her sleeve, but she shook it off.
Juniper stood her ground, obstinate and immovable as if possessed, "I'm not going anywhere until I see Jennifer!"
Alexander Beaumont was growing impatient, "The Clarks have specifically set up a dinner in your honor. It's rude to be late."
"Is Mr. Alexander deaf? I said I want to see Jennifer. I'm not going anywhere until I do!"
Juniper's eyes were bloodshot with a chilling gaze.
If even a few more seconds passed, it seemed her patience would completely fray, and in her extremity, it seemed she might grab a knife and lash out.
Dashiell Beaumont, sensing something was off, spoke with a hint of fear in his voice, "Dad, maybe sis should check on the kid first?"
Alexander Beaumont, frustrated and disappointed, waved his hand as if to surrender, “Make it quick, we don’t want the Clarks waiting too long!”
"Sis, I'll take you to her. Jennifer's in the attic room."
Hearing 'attic,' Juniper brushed past Dashiell and bolted to the third floor.
Alexander gave Dashiell a meaningful look, and he immediately followed suit.
In the dim, stifling attic, a weak voice of a little girl could be heard...
"Mommy... Mommy... save me..."
Thud! Thud!
Jennifer was inside, banging on the door for help!
Juniper lost it and yelled at Dashiell, “Open the door now!”
The moment the attic door swung open, Jennifer's small frame collapsed into Juniper's arms.
"Jennifer! Jennifer, what’s wrong?"
Jennifer's face was deathly pale, her normally creamy forehead slick with sweat.
Her tiny mouth hung open as she struggled to breathe, on the verge of passing out.
"Mommy, Jennifer is so scared. It's so dark in there..."
Juniper, who had been holding back her emotions, finally broke down. She hysterically lashed out at Dashiell, “Why did you lock her in here! Have you lost your minds! To treat a child this way!”
Startled by Juniper's outburst, Dashiell stammered, "Sis, you can't blame us entirely. She has been screaming and hollering the whole way here, kicking and biting me and dad. If we hadn't locked her up, she would've run away!"
Hearing the commotion upstairs, Alexander Beaumont came up and scolded, “The one to blame is her for being so disobedient! That's the price she pays! Juniper, don't waste your time on this wild brat, the Clarks are still waiting!”
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