Chapter 228: Juniper, Say You Love Me
The bartender grabbed Magnus's arm and nudged him, "Yo, Mr. Blackwood? Your phone's blowing up."
Magnus and Robert had been hitting the hard stuff pretty hard, mixing all kinds of booze, and it was hitting them back just as hard. They were both pretty much out of it.
But the phone kept ringing, and the bartender, thinking it might be something important, decided to answer it himself.
One of these drunks was his boss, after all. He couldn't just let them drink themselves into oblivion here.
He needed to get in touch with their families and get them home ASAP.
As soon as the call connected, the bartender said, "Hey, you related to Mr. Blackwood? He and Mr. Brown are wasted at the bar. Can you come get them?"
"What's the address?"
"Night Harbor Bar, second location, on River Street," the bartender replied.
Juniper had just gotten off the plane and was planning to call Magnus to let him know she was in the Imperial Capital and that she'd be at Jenny's parent-teacher conference tomorrow.
Instead, she got a call from the bartender asking her to come pick Magnus up.
She also called Ophelia; there was no way she could handle two drunk guys on her own.
Plus, Robert lived in Mission Hills Villa, and Royal View was in the opposite direction.
Juniper had just arrived at the bar when Ophelia showed up too.
Ophelia, hands on her hips, asked the bartender, "How much did these two drink to get this plastered?"
Magnus and Robert were usually champs when it came to drinking, so it took a lot to get them this wasted.
The bartender said, "75-proof, each had 8 ounces, mixed with a bunch of other stuff. I'd suggest a hospital check-up when they wake up tomorrow."
Juniper, who was allergic to alcohol, only knew that regular hard liquor was around 56-proof. She'd only seen 75-proof alcohol in disinfectants.
She thought the concentration was too strong even for disinfection; drinking it would probably burn a hole in your stomach.
Juniper frowned, "Who'd be responsible if someone died from drinking this high-proof stuff? Aren't you worried about getting into trouble?"
The bartender awkwardly laughed, "I'm just an employee. I didn't invent this drink."
He pointed to Robert, who was slumped over the table, "Mr. Brown is the bar owner. He invented this drink. If anyone dies, you can blame him."
Juniper fell silent.
Ophelia rubbed her forehead, "We can't carry them by ourselves. Let's get some help."
"Alright."
The bartender called for some help, and together they carried the two drunk men to the car.
Ophelia took Robert, while Juniper took Magnus, and they each went their separate ways.
Magnus was tossed into the back seat, and Juniper searched him for the car keys.
After a long search, she couldn't find them.
Juniper pushed him, "Magnus, where are the car keys?"
Magnus seemed really out of it, leaning back in the seat with a frown, grabbing the hand that was searching him, "Who are you?"
Juniper was stunned.
"Get off," Magnus shouted.
Magnus had seen plenty of women who tried to take advantage of his drunken state to grope him.
They just wanted to make up a story, make him take responsibility, force him to marry them, and become Mrs. Blackwood.
He closed his eyes and sneered, "Still here? Wanna be my daughter's stepmom?"
His tone was cold and sharp.
Juniper took a deep breath, thinking, 'Forget it, he's really drunk, no point in arguing.'
"I'm Juniper, your daughter's real mom," Juniper said.
Unexpectedly, he just snorted, "Liar."
Juniper couldn't possibly come looking for him, especially not at this hour.
Right now, Juniper was in Southern City, probably on a sweet date with Ronald, having dinner, watching a movie, doing things they used to do together.
Magnus's handsome face was a bit flushed. Even with his eyes closed, you could see the sarcasm all over his face. "If you're Juniper, I'll down ten shots of Solitude Fire."
Juniper was puzzled, "What's Solitude Fire?"
"75-proof booze."
What a ridiculous name. No wonder Robert came up with it.
The bartender had said he drank 8 ounces of 75-proof alcohol, mixed with a bunch of other stuff.
Juniper asked, "Doesn't your stomach hurt? Just give me the car keys, and I'll take you home."
But Magnus misconstrued her words entirely.
Magnus leaned his left elbow on the car window, rubbing his temples with his long fingers, "I've seen plenty of women like you with bad intentions. Are you gonna get out yourself, or should I throw you out?"
Magnus thought in a daze, 'Take me home? And then what? Use the excuse of taking me home to get into me bed while I'm drunk and then accuse me?'
Juniper held back her temper. Since he didn't believe she was Juniper, she had to switch tactics. "Mr. Blackwood, you got it wrong. I'm the driver Mr. Brown called for you."
Even drunk, Magnus was super cautious.
Juniper had to work hard to convince him she was the driver Robert had called.
"The car keys are in the coat pocket," Magnus finally said.
No wonder she couldn't find them in his pants pocket.
His coat had been taken off at the bar, and she had brought it to the car.
After finding the car keys, she saw how wasted he was and handed him a bottle of water from the car. "Drink some water."
He didn't even open his eyes, just muttered, "Is there something in the water?"
Juniper was stunned.
Why did he always think the worst of people?
Juniper decided to provoke him, "Yeah, there's poison in it. Do you dare to drink it?"
Magnus opened the bottle and took a big gulp.
Juniper laughed, "Weren't you afraid I put something in it?"
Magnus frowned, his voice even more hoarse from the alcohol.
His prominent Adam's apple moved as he said, "A sedative won't kill me, just cause trouble. Poison would be just right."
"Magnus, are you making a dark joke?" Juniper held the car keys, ready to start the car.
Her hand was suddenly grabbed.
"What did you just call me?"
"Magnus," Juniper repeated.
He confirmed, "You're not the driver."
"I'm Juniper."
He still denied it, "No, you're not."
Juniper, usually patient, was now exasperated, "I just want to take you home. It doesn't matter who I am. Whoever you want me to be, I can be. Is that okay?"
He leaned against the car window, half-asleep, mumbling, "I wish you were Juniper, but you can't be Juniper."
Juniper's heart ached slightly, and she responded, "I am."
She really was.
Magnus didn't believe it at all, "Drivers are this dedicated now, even willing to humor people? How much do you want for a tip?"
"A thousand dollars," Juniper smiled.
"Drive then. I'll give it to you when we get home. But for the rest of the ride, you have to be Juniper," Magnus agreed.
"Alright."
She felt helpless. She was Juniper, but she had to pretend to be herself.
The black Maybach rolled down the road.
All the way, Juniper kept glancing at the heavily drunk Magnus in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
"If you feel like throwing up, let me know. I'll stop the car," she said.
Magnus's stomach was indeed on fire, though it wasn't nausea he felt, just pure pain.
When he first got out of prison, he drank even stronger stuff, which landed him in the hospital with a bleeding stomach. It took a long time to recover.
When a person is at their lowest, self-destruction seemed to be the only outlet.
Besides deceiving himself, he wanted to drag others into his delusion, "Juniper, say you love me."
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