Chapter 25 Business Stolen
"Tomorrow?"
Juniper was in a bind. She was supposed to report to Sycamore Group Real Estate.
"Seriously, could you...give me a ride? I don't have many friends in the capital, and you're one of the few old ones I have," William pleaded.
William had been a great help for her and Jennifer over the past three years, always there when Jennifer was sick.
Juniper gritted her teeth and agreed, "Alright, I'll take you tomorrow. What time is your flight?"
"Ten in the morning," he replied.
That meant she'd have to report to Sycamore Group Realty a bit later than planned.
After hanging up, Ophelia looked puzzled, "Why is William suddenly being transferred to another hospital?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe it's some kind of resource exchange between hospitals?"
"That doesn't sound right. What hospital would let go of a talented young doctor like that? It's odd... I hope William hasn't crossed someone."
The city's hospitals were large, but none compared to the prestigious Santa Maria Hospital in the capital.
A feeling of dread suddenly crept into Juniper's heart, but she quickly dismissed it, "William is always so kind and generous, there's no way he could've offended anyone."
...
In the white nanny van.
Mary was on her way to a shoot when she received a message.
A million dollars?
Could it be that Juniper had paid her back?
Mary's eyes turned frosty.
That woman had some nerve, figuring out her bank card number and everything!
Her agent noticed her change in expression, "Mary, what's wrong?"
"Sarah, did you find the information on Juniper that I asked for? Who exactly is she?"
"I've got it, but I was worried it might affect your performance, so I didn't tell you. How about we talk after your concert?"
Impatient as always, Mary couldn't wait, "I want to know now!"
"Alright then."
The agent handed over the information collected by a private investigator, "Here's most of what we know about Juniper."
Mary quickly scanned through.
"She was Mr. Blackwood's college sweetheart at Imperial Capital University! No wonder she looked so familiar!"
She had accidentally seen a photo of Juniper in Magnus's wallet before.
At the time, she had just thought Juniper looked familiar, but now she made the connection.
Sarah sighed with a mix of admiration and disbelief, "Six years ago, Juniper managed to get Magnus locked up. The case was all over the news here in X City. After all, Juniper is the governor's daughter."
Mary crumpled the papers in her hand with a scoff, "And after betraying Mr. Blackwood, does she honestly think he'd marry the very woman who put him behind bars?"
"It's out of the question. Blackwood's not the type who lets bygones be bygones, not to mention—"
"What? Spit it out," demanded Mary, her eyes widening.
"Juniper's a single mom now," she whispered. "It's not like Mr. Blackwood would marry someone with that kind of baggage."
A sudden sense of unease came over Mary, "How old is her child?"
"Six... I think."
"Wait, didn't you say she put Mr. Blackwood in jail six years ago?"
Realization dawned on Sarah too, "Oh no, could the child be—?"
Mary's heart skipped a beat, sensing trouble brewing.
"Keep that private investigator on Juniper. I want to be updated with any news, immediately!"
"Got it."
...
The next day, bright and early, Juniper hurried to the airport where William had been waiting in the terminal for some time.
"Juniper, over here!"
She jogged over and handed him the paper bag with cookies, "William, hope I'm not too late. I baked some cookies. It's not much, but it's for your journey. Just a small token, please accept it."
William accepted the bag of cookies with a smile, "I'm just happy you came to see me off. These will definitely taste great. I don't know when I'll be back from the capital. Guess I'll have to go without your baking for a while."
Without overthinking, Juniper replied, "If you ever miss my cooking, just give me a call. I can bake some and mail them to you."
Touched, William embraced her, "Juniper, you are truly the best."
Juniper startled and quickly pushed him away. "William, you've been there for every one of Jennifer's sick days in the past three years, and I am truly grateful. I don't know if I'll see you again, so I wish you fair winds and a joyful heart."
"Juniper, if—I mean, if I were to settle down in S City and could provide a home for you and Jennifer, would you... would you consider bringing Jennifer to live in S City with me?"
Leave the Imperial Capital?
She had dreamt of taking her mother and Jennifer away from this place, but Magnus had forced her to sign an agreement, squashing even the possibility of leaving the city.
"William, I'm not right for you. With my mother's constant care needs and a six-year-old to look after, my life is pretty complicated—it wouldn't be fair to you."
"Since when does love have anything to do with being fair? I care for you, and that's all that matters. Unless you don't care for me?"
Juniper offered a faint smile. "Should I even aim so high given my situation?"
Her phone rang—it was Michael.
"Sorry, I need to take this call."
Juniper turned away and answered the phone: "Hello, Michael?"
"Joseph told me you were supposed to start at the Sycamore Group real estate sales department this morning. He asked me to show you the ropes, but I didn't see you there. Haven't you arrived yet?"
"Sorry, Michael, I got held up this morning. But I'll catch a cab and be there shortly."
"You better hurry; I wouldn't want Magnus to catch wind of this and give you trouble."
The mention of Magnus irked her. "Okay, I'll be as quick as I can. Michael, could you cover for me? I'm afraid Mr. Blackwood might fire me if he gets even the slightest displeasure."
"Sure."
After hanging up, Juniper checked the time.
"William, it's getting late. You should go ahead and check in for your flight to avoid any delays."
"Goodbye, Juniper."
William waved at her.
"Goodbye, William."
He walked a few steps towards the departure lounge, then turned back and swept Juniper into a brisk hug.
"William?"
William's eyes were red as he whispered, "Juniper, you're the first person I've ever felt this way about. I'll come back, wait for me!"
...
In the executive office of Sycamore Group, Magnus finished up an international meeting before Joseph walked in with a cup of coffee.
"Mr. Blackwood, the representative from General Group stopped by earlier, and we still haven't inked the resale contract. Are we really going to sell that prime piece of land south of the city to them at a bargain? Robert found out and cornered me about it, but I played dumb, saying I had no idea."
If Robert knew they were selling that land to the Clarks for $1.5 billion because of Juniper, he would probably go off the deep end.
Magnus frowned slightly, reminding, "We don't need to discuss this with him."
"Yes, sir."
"How is Juniper doing on?"
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