Chapter 31 Entanglement
"Take this moment, for instance. Holding a colleague at knifepoint is a felony, Boris. Put the knife down, and you might have a chance to turn things around. But if you insist on compounding your mistakes, no one will be able to save you."
The edge of the knife in Boris's grip seemed less menacing against Juniper's jugular as Magnus negotiated.
Juniper let out a silent sigh of relief.
"Mr. Boris, let Juniper go, and we can talk things through. Look, Mr. Blackwood is right here. Corporate decisions might be set in stone, but if you're dealing with personal issues, either Mr. Blackwood or I have the resources to help."
Boris's resolve appeared to waver...
Then, suddenly, a ringtone pierced the tense silence.
Boris answered his phone, still pressing the knife to Juniper's throat, "Honey... I've been fired... Please don't divorce me!... You can't take Melissa away from me! How can you be so cold-hearted!"
The call ended abruptly.
Boris's emotions spiraled out of control again!
"No! I can't lose my job! My wife wants to take my daughter and leave me! She wants a divorce! Why are you doing this to me? Why can the company just fire me! The higher-ups are all taking kickbacks! Why pick on me alone?"
Joseph was startled, "Boris! Keep calm!"
"I'll expose all of you to the press, to the media! You're a big corporation; the last thing you want is negative publicity! Imagine the headlines if an employee you fired jumps off the building—that'll tank your stock!"
Magnus furrowed his brow, his voice ice-cold, "If you know that Sycamore Group is a major corporation, you should realize that we can manage media and public opinion. So, making a scene only embarrasses yourself in the end."
"I don't care! My wife wants a divorce! Without my job, I'll never be able to keep my daughter! What's the point of living... If I have to die, I might as well take someone with me!"
Juniper was forcefully dragged into the elevator.
The elevator doors closed slowly...
Her face ashen, Juniper thought she was done for. Miming the words to Magnus, she mouthed, "I'm sorry."
Tears glistened in her eyes—as though she were saying goodbye.
This could very well be the last time she'd apologize to him.
She feared that redemption and apology were no longer within her reach.
A dull pain throbbed in Magnus's heart.
Was this the time for her not to seek his rescue but to offer apologies?
"Mr. Blackwood, what should we do now?"
His fists clenched tighter. He ordered, “Boris wants drama. Gather everyone from the company on the rooftop, humor him, let him make a scene in front of the crowd. We'll stall for time, and once he tires out, we'll save Juniper.”
Boris merely wanted to play the victim for an audience, to cry foul.
He wouldn’t dare to actually leap off the building with Juniper in tow.
"Right, I'm on it!"
...
The wind was strong on the rooftop, tossing Juniper’s hair into disarray.
Boris, holding Juniper, stepped back toward the edge of the rooftop. A slight tilt of his head was enough to see the deep abyss below.
Juniper didn't suffer from acrophobia, but looking down from the twenty-seventh floor still accelerated her heartbeat.
She took a deep breath and tried to appeal to his emotions, "Mr. Boris, I forgot to mention that I have a daughter with a congenital heart defect needing corrective surgery. I'm raising funds for that. I truly understand you; I know how devastated you must be with your wife wanting to take your daughter away. But the only way to win them back is to keep on living.”
Boris looked surprised. He hadn’t expected Juniper, so young, to have a child.
"Is it Joseph’s child? Are you lacking money when you're with Joseph? Doesn't he care about your daughter?"
Juniper gave a wry smile, "Mr. Boris, like I said, there's nothing between Joseph and me, but you don’t believe it. My daughter’s father was my first love in college. We split up due to a mistake I made. Now, as a single mother, I’m raising her by myself. I was so focused on earning my commission yesterday because I need the money for her heart surgery. Think about it, if I really were Joseph's mistress, would I care about a mere few hundred thousand dollars?"
Boris seemed to reluctantly believe her.
Because what Juniper said made sense.
"Even if you're not Joseph’s lover, I have no choice but to take you hostage now! Tough luck for you! A big fuss is my only chance to get compensation for the layoff!"
Juniper swallowed hard, "Mr. Boris, I've been let go before, too. And when that happened, I hit dead ends everywhere I looked. I'm not even from the sales world; I used to work at a TV station. I switched industries because I got blacklisted. All the things you're going through, I've been there! Don't be so downcast. If you're worried you won't find work in real estate, why not make a change? Just like me. Yesterday was my first day in sales."
"I'm not like you! You're young, with time and energy to switch careers, but me? I'm closing in on fifty! Who's going to hire me if I change paths?" Boris grew more and more helpless with his thoughts.
As Magnus reached the rooftop, Boris's desire for drama kicked in, and he pushed Juniper towards the edge of the rooftop!
"Stay back! Come any closer, and we both leap!" he threatened.
Magnus's eyes, deep and steady, glared at him with chilling detachment, his words cutting: "Well, what are you waiting for? Go on, jump with her right now!"
Boris, unnerved by Magnus's cold-hearted response, panicked, "I... I mean it! I will jump!"
"Then jump! What are you waiting for? From this height, the fall would kill you instantly, but if you're unlucky enough to survive, you'll end up a vegetable. Your wife would probably despise you more, having to take care of a vegetable."
Silence fell.
Magnus glanced at Juniper, his voice still devoid of warmth: "I forgot to tell you, the person you've taken is my enemy."
"What?"
"Juniper, six years ago, testified that I was the perpetrator of an accident and personally sent me to prison. I served three years because of Juniper! You'd be doing me a favor by jumping with her."
Boris didn't believe him, "You're lying! If she's really your enemy, why would you keep her employed at Sycamore Group?"
"Keeping her at Sycamore Group is just for my convenience—to humiliate and avenge myself more easily. If you don't believe me, ask her?"
There were no lies in Magnus's confession; it was all true.
"Everything Mr. Blackwood said is true. The reason I was struggling to find a job was because of Mr. Blackwood. Mr. Boris, Mr. Blackwood is our common enemy, taking me down will only make this villain happier!" Juniper played along perfectly with Magnus's narrative.
For a moment, Boris was completely at a loss.
Soon, crowds of corporate colleagues flooded onto the rooftop, spectators all around.
Below, the distant wail of sirens echoed.
Magnus's phone rang; it was Joseph calling.
After the call, Blackwood appeared even more composed.
Holding Juniper back and waving a knife frantically, Boris threatened, "I'm serious; I'll jump, Mr. Blackwood! You owe me a million dollars! Plus, a personal letter of recommendation for a position at another company!"
Magnus sneered, "The audacity of you—after leaking corporate secrets to our rivals. Not taking you to task is leniency enough, let alone compensation—you'll get nothing!"
"You can't be so ruthless, Mr. Blackwood. You are never going to heaven!"
"Then take a leap. You are not going to heaven, either."
Besides, if he's already in hell, what's there to fear about not going to heaven?
Backed into a corner, Boris stumbled...
His foot slipped, and suddenly he plummeted backward!
Screams of terror echoed across the rooftop.
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