Chapter 208 Jealousy
Jenny was acting coy with Juniper for a while.
In the video, Ronald greeted Jenny, "Hi, Jenny."
"Hello, Sir."Then she turned to Juniper," Mom, are you at work?"
Juniper nodded and said, "Yes, I just started at a new company today. Ronald is showing me around. Jenny, I'll hang up now and call you back tonight, okay?"
"Alright! Mom, I'll be waiting for you!" Jenny smile.
Jenny thought, 'When Mom calls tonight, I'll ask Dad if he wants to say a few words to Mom.'
"Okay, I'll call you around eight."Juniper said.
After hanging up the video call, Jenny dashed to the study.
Magnus was busy with paperwork at his desk. Jenny twisted the door handle, cracked it open just enough to peek through, and stood there hesitantly.
Magnus, hearing the commotion, didn't even glance her way. "What are you sneaking around for?"
Jenny puffed up her cheeks. "I'm not sneaking around."
She lingered by the door, clearly wanting to say something but holding back.
Magnus, with a hint of irritation, said, "Come in and speak up."
Jenny slowly walked in, scrutinizing Magnus's expression. "Dad, please don't get mad, okay?"
"What is it?"
"Promise me you won't get angry. I just wanted to give you a heads-up!"
Magnus' patience wore thin. "If you don't tell me soon, go back to your homework."
Jenny hastened, "I'll tell you! But you have to promise not to get angry!"
She tilted her head up, earnestly pleading.
Magnus, losing his patience, responded curtly, "If you don't say it now, I don't want to hear it anymore."
"...I just had a video call with Mom."
When Magnus heard Juniper's name, his hand momentarily paused on the contract.
But he quickly composed himself, his face a mask of indifference. "And?"
Jenny, eyes still fixed on him, said softly, "And... Ronald was there with her."
Given that Juniper had returned to Southern City, it was no surprise that Ronald might be around. It was expected, really.
Yet, Magnus' expression grew colder.
Jenny, standing beside the desk, suggested, "Dad, should we go to Southern City to find Mom?"
"You're not on vacation. What's the rush to go to Southern City?"
Jenny pouted and whispered, "...I could take a leave."
"Skipping school at your age? Where did you pick up such bad habits?"
Jenny frowned. "But what if Ronald takes Mom away? Aren't you worried?"
"I've already separated from your mother amicably. Who she chooses to be with is her choice."
"Are you sure?"
She thought, 'If Dad isn't worried, neither will I be.'
"Leave the grown-up stuff to us. Go do your homework."
Jenny looked at him with wide, hopeful eyes, hesitating before speaking up again, "Dad, if Mom ends up with Ronald, I'd have another stepdad to spoil me. I can see Ronald's a good guy."
Magnus couldn't help but chuckle, "How do you figure he's a good guy?"
Jenny, feeling bold, continued, "I just have a feeling. And Mom's taste is usually spot-on. William was a good guy too, but Mom didn't like him. I'm not sure if she'll like Ronald, though."
Magnus gritted his teeth and dismissed her words outright. "Your instincts aren't reliable."
To him, Ronald was nothing more than a pretentious man.
He played the gentleman in front of Juniper, but Magnus knew better. A man could always sense another man's true intentions. Ronald's gaze towards Juniper was never pure. He was just using his role as a non-biological 'brother' to cling to her like a piece of gum, afraid of rejection.
Jenny fidgeted, her hands wringing together. She murmured, "But Ronald wouldn't just push Mom away."
Magnus was taken aback.
"Dad, think it over yourself!"
Jenny thought, 'I'm still on dad's side, but he isn't making any moves!'
Jenny made her way to the door when Magnus stopped her.
"You mentioned you could accept a stepdad?"
Jenny nodded. "As long as he's good to Mom and treats me well, I can accept him. But don't worry, Dad. I won't leave you. Mom will still love me, and I'll still love you."
Magnus thought, 'Is she implying I should be grateful for her loyalty?'
"Just go," Magnus said curtly.
"Dad, seriously think about what I said! I still think you and Mom are a better match!"
Magnus remained silent.
Jenny might be open to a stepdad, but Magnus couldn't handle the thought of anyone else being with Juniper.
Just imagining another man beside Juniper, other than himself, made him uneasy. His mind felt clouded, and the words on the contract before him blurred.
He struggled to regain his composure, finding it difficult to focus on work.
His agitation was mounting, barely contained.
In frustration, he slammed the folder against the window.
The folder hit the floor, scattering the contract papers everywhere.
Magnus sat at his desk, fingers pressed against his temples, his face set in a frozen scowl. His eyes, cold and filled with unspoken anger, reflected his inner turmoil.
Magnus pulled open the drawer and retrieved a pack of cigarettes.
Next to the cigarettes lay several boxes of agarwood incense, a purchase from Juniper.
His gaze fixated on them.
Juniper had been gone from Royal View for several days now, but Magnus hadn't brought himself to erase any trace of her presence from their home.
On the vanity, her used comb lay with a few strands of her long hair still tangled in it.
Her water glass, half-full, remained where she left it.
Naomi had tried to tidy up that day, but he had snapped, "Don't touch anything."
The sheets, which used to be changed every three days, hadn't been swapped in a week. The bed still carried Juniper's lingering scent.
Magnus obsessively preserved these remnants of her existence, though he knew that, over time, they would inevitably disappear.
By morning, the ashtray was full.
The study was thick with the smell of smoke.
Juniper had always told him to smoke less, but he could only manage it when she was around.
With her gone, his cravings were relentless.
Staring at the smoldering cigarette butt, he extinguished it with a self-destructive press of his fingertip.
The searing pain on his fingers was a stark contrast to the white haze filling his eyes.
As night approached, around nine o'clock, Jenny burst into the room, clutching her phone.
"Dad! Mom's on a video call! Do you want to say something to her?"
He thought, 'What is there to say?
'Should I tell her to stay away from Ronald?
'Or… ask her to come back to Imperial Capital?'
At the moment, he felt he had neither the right nor the position to make such demands.
His voice came out hoarse and defeated. "No."
Jenny, taking the hint, spoke into the phone, "Mom, Dad's busy right now, so he can't talk."
Juniper wasn't naive.
She understood Magnus' reluctance.
"That's okay. We can chat just the two of us. You go back to your room and don't disturb your dad."
"Okay, I'll head back now."
After Jenny left the study, Magnus couldn't stay put. He stubbed out the last cigarette and walked towards Jenny's room.
Inside, Jenny was on a video call with Juniper.
Magnus entered the room.
Jenny saw him and was about to call out.
Magnus made a "quiet" gesture.
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