Chapter 245 Hold Him Tight
The sky was pitch black now. Sherlock Valley wasn't exactly a tourist hotspot, so there weren't many people around, and the mountain road was pretty much dark.
Everything was cloaked in shadows.
Two guys in black stood on the stone steps, out in the open.
Juniper had tumbled down the slope, hiding in the thick grass and behind a big tree, blending into the darkness.
Her ankle throbbed with sharp pain.
Cold sweat dotted her forehead as she peered through the grass at the men nearby, barely breathing.
One of them called out, "Ms. Beaumont, come out and follow us quietly. We won't hurt you."
"We just want to discuss a very lucrative deal. Now that Magnus is dead, you have no one to back you up. Instead of being at the mercy of others, why not join us with your 40% shares? You'll have endless wealth and glory."
"Come on out. We're here to invite you. Even if you don't come out now, we'll keep an eye on you. You know the Shadow Syndicate can do it. You saw it on the high seas. So, be smart."
Juniper stayed hidden, not daring to make a sound.
Just as she was about to press the emergency button on her phone, she felt a solid chest press against her back. Before she could cry out, a cool hand covered her mouth, and a man's voice whispered in her ear, "It's me, don't be afraid."
She knew that voice and would never forget it.
Juniper's eyes widened as she turned to look at him, her heart racing.
Even in the dark, she could make out his features.
Magnus...
She reached out and gripped his wrist, the one covering her mouth, with surprising strength.
The sensation was real.
It wasn't a dream.
It was Magnus, really Magnus.
He wasn't dead.
Hot tears fell silently, heavy and fast, onto Magnus's hand.
He looked down at her.
Her eyes were red and wet, her face streaked with tears.
At first, he thought she was scared of the two armed men outside, but then he realized that wasn't it.
Juniper stared at him, tears flowing harder, and her grip on his wrist tightened. She held onto him with all her strength, not wanting to let go.
From the foot of the mountain, the sound of police sirens grew louder.
When Magnus had spotted the two men in black, he had immediately called the cops.
Even though the Shadow Syndicate operated in secret in Crestoria, they wouldn't dare to openly confront the authorities.
Hearing the sirens, the two men in black glared at the grass.
"Juniper, you're lucky this time!"
They added, "Those who cross the Shadow Syndicate never end well!"
"Let's go! It'll be trouble when the cops get here!"
The two men in black quickly headed down the mountain, and the black car at the bottom soon sped away.
Magnus let out a small sigh of relief but quickly frowned and said, "Why didn't Robert arrange a bodyguard for you?"
What was that guy thinking?
He knew the Shadow Syndicate had been watching Juniper lately.
Magnus said gently, "For now, don't go out alone, especially to remote places. You have something the Shadow Syndicate wants, and they'll keep an eye on you."
Juniper just looked at Magnus without saying a word.
Magnus spoke more sternly out of concern, "Juniper, did you hear me?"
Suddenly, Juniper lunged at him.
She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
The hug was so sudden that Magnus almost lost his balance.
Juniper, who had been holding back for so long, finally cried out, "Magnus, you're a liar! I may have lied to you and deceived you, but I never used words like life and death to deceive you! Aren't you the one who hates broken promises the most? Why did you lie to me?"
Magnus had been around for thirty years.
He'd only lied twice.
Once was on the high seas when he told Juniper they'd be together for life and death.
The other time was after they broke up, when someone asked if he still loved her, and he said he didn't.
Juniper's eyes were red and wet from crying as she stared at him, asking, "Magnus, you've learned to lie now. If I hadn't run into the Shadow Syndicate today, how long would it have been before I saw you? You bought that cappuccino, didn't you?"
"Juniper..."
She pressed on, "Robert knew you were alive all along, didn't he? Why didn't he tell me?"
Magnus raised his hand and gently wiped her tears with his fingertips.
But she had so many tears. As soon as he wiped them away, more flowed out.
The hot tears burned his fingertips with a touch of pain.
Magnus looked at her, his eyes deep and filled with countless emotions, "Let's get out of here first."
Juniper had twisted her ankle and couldn't walk.
There was still some distance to the foot of the mountain.
Magnus stood up and turned his back to her. Juniper instinctively grabbed his wrist, "Where are you going?"
She sat on the ground, looking up at him with panic in her eyes.
She thought he was going to leave.
Magnus felt a dull pain in his chest. He squatted down, turned his back to her, and said, "How can we get down the mountain if I don't carry you?"
Seeing Juniper not moving, he reached his hands back and gestured, "Come on, get on."
If the Shadow Syndicate people came back, it would be trouble.
They needed to leave quickly.
Juniper wrapped her arms around his neck, and Magnus supported her thighs, lifting her onto his back.
Magnus turned his head slightly and asked, "Holding on tight?"
"Yes."
He carried her and started walking down the mountain.
Juniper climbed a bit higher on his back and looked at his profile, asking, "Am I heavy? Are you tired?"
Juniper didn't know he had been shot twice. Although half a month had passed, he had only just begun to recover from his serious injuries.
But he had survived the explosion on the yacht.
Juniper guessed he must have been injured, "You should put me down. You can help me walk down the mountain."
"Juniper, you're too light. Have you lost weight again?" Magnus asked.
She tightened her arms around his neck and honestly said, "Yes, I haven't had much of an appetite without you, and the company has been really busy, so I haven't eaten much."
Magnus felt a dull pain in his heart, but he only instructed, "You need to eat well from now on."
"Are you hurt? By the way, weren't you wrapped in explosives at the time? How did you escape when the yacht exploded?"
She freed one hand and started to feel around his body, as if checking for injuries.
Magnus sternly stopped her, "Juniper, don't touch around."
"OK."
Juniper obediently withdrew her hand and wrapped it around his neck again.
She lay on his back and finally stared at his face.
He looked a bit haggard, much thinner than before.
"Magnus, haven't you been eating well lately?" She asked.
"Not bad."
What did that mean?
Juniper stubbornly said, "You haven't answered my question."
"I'll explain when we get home. It's a long story," Magnus answered.
"Let's not go back tonight."
He was a bit puzzled and frowned, "Not going back to Royal View?"
"Yeah." Juniper looked at him and whispered in his ear, "It's too late now. It will take at least three hours to get back to the city from here. How about we go to the Sherlock Valley Inn we stayed at last time?"
Seeing his hesitation, she thought he was worried about Jenny being alone at home.
She said, "Jenny is with Robert and Ophelia tonight. She won't be back at Royal View."
A year ago, they had spent a night at the Sherlock Valley Inn, but at that time, their relationship was very strained, unlike now.
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