Chapter 22 Starting the Job
The video was embarrassingly heart-racing.
Juniper's mind went blank!
Instinctively, she reached for the phone!
Magnus, tall with long arms, raised the phone out of her reach, and Juniper found herself inadvertently pulled into his embrace.
His lips curved into a mocking, playful smirk. "Is this also an accident?"
"…"
Juniper's face turned red!
"I didn't mean…"
He interrupted her, his voice cool and stern, "Whether it's intentional or a seductive ploy, did you orchestrate all of this just to entangle me again?"
"…"
"Just as you did back then."
He paused, unearthing the past.
Six years earlier, Juniper had made a bet with her roommate that if she managed to kiss Magnus, she'd be treated to a month of free meals.
Why would Miss Juniper of the wealthy Beaumont family in X City ever engage in such a frivolous wager over a month's worth of meals?
Alexander Beaumont certainly didn't hesitate to spend money on her upbringing.
Once she enrolled at Imperial Capital University, Alexander Beaumont had said he'd provide her with a monthly allowance of two thousand dollars. As the governor of X City, he naturally couldn't make these payments to his daughter Juniper in person.
So, the task fell to Isolde Whitaker.
Her stepmother always found ways to skimp on the allowance, sometimes not transferring a single penny for two months, claiming she had simply forgotten.
Juniper knew all too well that Isolde feared she might outshine her own son with Alexander's grooming, or that Juniper might marry someone powerful enough to seek revenge against her and her son.
That's why when Juniper started dating the humble Magnus, Alexander flew into a rage, but Isolde... she seemed genuinely pleased.
Back then, desperate for her monthly sustenance, Juniper would corner Magnus everywhere—after he left the men's dorm, in the library, in the small garden on complex—until even Magnus's mentor, Andrew, came to recognize her.
How had Andrew teased Magnus again?
He had said, "She's so determined, kid. You might as well accept it!"
To outsiders, it looked like Juniper had resorted to any means necessary to win over Magnus.
Perhaps even Magnus believed she had hounded him relentlessly.
Juniper's lashes fluttered as she mustered a strained smile. "If Mr. Blackwood has seen through me, then what do you propose to do? Does last night's encounter settle our old score from six years ago? Or should Miss Sinclair yield her place as Mr. Blackwood's fiancée to me?"
She said it on purpose.
Because she knew very well that what she was asking was nothing short of fantasy.
Magnus would never agree.
The man chuckled coldly, his eyes locking with hers as he spoke each word deliberately: "Juniper, you think too highly of yourself."
Juniper tugged the corner of her mouth into a wry smile. "If Mr. Blackwood isn't keen on the idea, then let's drop it. You had fun last night though, didn't you?"
Her hand rested on the car door handle, ready to make her exit.
Magnus spoke up again, "You think you can just come and go as you please in my world?"
"And what would Mr. Blackwood prefer?" she inquired.
"David made a deal with me, selling you out. You're no longer his fiancée. However, if you have a change of heart, going back to David isn't off the table."
Of course, she had no desire to return to David; being his fiancée only spelled a worse fate.
But what did Magnus mean by that?
Staying by Magnus's side, she knew she wasn't worthy of the title of fiancée.
Could it be...
Realization dawned on Juniper, her voice laced with self-derision, "Are you suggesting I become your mistress, Mr. Blackwood?"
"What else? Go back to playing the role of a genuine girlfriend like you did six years ago? Do you think you're worthy, Juniper?"
Her heart shattered.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she asked, "And if I don't wish to be with David or Mr. Blackwood?"
Magnus turned his gaze sharply towards her, eyes that seemed to flicker with an ambiguous amusement but felt as though they bared vengeful fangs at her. He said—
"Then you'll repay the debt, 1.5 billion. Can you afford that, Juniper?"
Silence.
She knew David was willing to let her go, and it must've cost Magnus a pretty penny.
But she never imagined it'd be such a massive amount.
She scoffed at herself, "I came at quite the price."
1.5 billion , a figure she could never hope to repay.
"Don't think I spent it out of charity to save you from David's clutches. Keeping you by my side is simply a strategic move against Alexander Beaumont. You must know quite a bit about the things he's been involved with during his long tenure as the governor of X City, right?"
Back in the day, Magnus was framed and thrown in jail, and Alexander Beaumont had used Juniper as a pawn.
Alexander Beaumont was the puppet master, with Juniper as the loaded gun aimed straight for Magnus's heart.
No one was getting off easy.
“Alexander Beaumont might be the worst, but he's still my flesh and blood. How could Mr. Blackwood think that I would betray my own father for him?"
Magnus chuckled as if he’d heard a great joke. "Right now, you belong to me. Do you really think you have a choice?"
"If I help Mr. Blackwood take down Alexander Beaumont, does that wipe clean the slate of grievances from six years ago?"
She just wanted to atone and take grab her mother and Jennifer, and get as far away from all this as possible... She feared being consumed by the fire herself, which was tolerable, but if it touched her mother and Jennifer, she would lose her mind.
"That'd be letting you off too easy."
"..."
"Juniper, you want to start over, lead a new life? With that William?
"I hope Mr. Blackwood can start anew as well."
The man's lips curled into a cold smile, his tone light yet chilling, "Unfortunately, stop dreaming of a new life. You belong to hell."
He couldn't escape; neither could she dare dream of a fresh start.
Whether this game was over depended entirely on him.
And Juniper didn't even have the privilege to quit.
Her face turned pale as she looked at Magnus. There wasn't a hint of warmth about him—cold as a demon straight from hell.
She had managed to crawl out of David's pit, but now, it seemed she'd fallen into an even deeper one.
A dance with the devil.
...
The black Maybach glided smoothly along the highway back to Imperial Capital.
Joseph was driving, with Michael in the passenger seat.
Magnus and Juniper sat in silence in the back.
The atmosphere in the car was heavy and awkward.
Michael broke the silence: "Magnus, I've booked a private room at Janser Restaurant tonight to welcome Patricia home. It’s going to be lively with everyone there. Why don’t you and Juniper join us? I've also invited Robert; it’ll be a good occasion for us all to catch up."
Magnus didn’t respond, leaving it unclear whether he accepted or declined.
Juniper hesitated before speaking up, "Michael, I'll have to pass. I have a part-time job tonight."
Hearing the words 'part-time job,' Magnus scoffed, "Are you truly going to work, or is it just another way to sell yourself?"
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