Chapter 39 The Gift
Joseph didn't hesitate to carry out the task.
As he walked to the door, the man said with cold pride, "If she gets bullied at the company in the future, don't bother reporting it to me. I don't care."
"Understood!"
Did he really understand, or was he pretending to?
After Joseph left the office, Magnus slammed the contract on the table, no longer able to focus on it.
He felt restless.
He glanced down at the faint grey scar from a cigarette burn on his finger, his brows furrowing.
Lately, those burn scars had been layering one over the other.
Even he was losing count of the times he'd gone soft.
The rooftop of Building 10 in the Sycamore Group complex housed a public café, and a wooden staircase in the corner led to a small terrace.
It was peaceful with few people around.
Juniper bought a coffee and went up to the terrace to catch a breeze.
These past days, the bullying she'd experienced in the sales department was almost unbearable, and she had considered resigning more than once.
But leaving Sycamore Group, she couldn't seem to find another job with commissions as high as in real estate sales.
Closing even a single deal could earn enough to completely cover Jennifer's surgery costs.
Her phone rang; it was a call from the preschool teacher.
"Is this Jennifer's parent?"
"Yes, I'm Jennifer's mother. Can I help you?"
"Tomorrow we're hosting a family day, would you and Jennifer's father be able to attend? It should start around two in the afternoon."
Juniper hesitated before responding, "Teacher, would it be okay if I came alone? Her father... might not be able to make it."
"I understand. Please try to come if you can."
"Alright, thank you, teacher."
After hanging up the phone, Juniper let out a long sigh.
She often contemplated whether she should inform Magnus about Jennifer's existence.
But with the level of resentment Magnus held towards her, she truly feared that he might think she was using Jennifer to guilt-trip him, or worse... that she might try to take Jennifer away, ensuring he would never see her again as a form of punishment.
Leaning against the rooftop parapet, her thoughts in turmoil, she pulled out an older model cell phone and quietly flipped through it.
Magnus had a matching one in black – they had bought them as a couple's set back in the day.
Hers was white.
They had specifically chosen their phone numbers to match.
This phone, however, she hadn't used since then, not even for calls, she just kept paying the bill, fearing the number might get recycled if the account was inactive for too long.
The phone held a treasure trove of sweet memories from their time of passionate love.
Including their text conversations.
Whenever Juniper was upset, she used to text Magnus.
No matter how busy he was, Magnus always replied.
Looking through the texting history, Juniper cracked a smile.
"What are you smiling at?"
A familiar male voice sounded behind her.
Juniper quickly stuffed the old phone into her pocket and turned around to greet Michael, "Oh, nothing much. Just read a funny joke. Do you often come up here for some air?"
"I thought the guys from Sales had been giving you a hard time; nearly had me believing you were cornered somewhere on the verge of tears thinking about quitting. Seeing you laugh tells me you've got a solid backbone."
Juniper gave a wry smile, "I did think about quitting. My resilience isn't as strong as you think, Mr. Michael."
"If anyone crosses the line with you, come tell me. I'll handle it."
Juniper shook her head. "It's not a good idea. At the office, it's better if I pretend I don't know Mr. Michael. If the sales team gets wind of my private connection with him, they'll start talking. It won't bother me much, but it could tarnish Mr. Michael's reputation."
"Do you think it'll harm my reputation, or are you worried that Magnus will find out I'm helping you?"
Juniper was candid. "Both. He despises me, and you're his closest brother. If you help me, he might take out his anger on you because of me. Mr. Michael, I'm not worth the trouble for you."
Michael replied with empathy, "It's just us here. You don't have to be so formal with me; honestly, I'd prefer if you just called me Michael. 'Mr. Michael' makes it seem so distant."
Juniper didn't say a word, but she offered a helpless smile.
She always thought it was wise to keep her distance from people close to Magnus.
"Juniper, you shouldn't beat yourself up. Six years ago, when you betrayed Magnus, we all later understood it was because of your mother. Faced with the choice between family and true love, I might not have done any better than you did. You can't blame yourself."
"I guess that's the only way I can console myself, to ease the guilt. But Magnus spent three years in hell because of me, nearly died, and that guilt is real. It's fair for him to hate me. If the roles were reversed back then, I probably would have hated him just as much."
Back then, Magnus was only 23, full of promise and had won several high-profile cases under his mentor.
He was pursuing dual PhDs in Law and Finance.
In either field, he was destined to be one of the exceptional few.
But now, due to that dark chapter in his past, he could never return to the courtroom as a defense attorney to fight for justice for his clients.
Magnus had said that his biological father died because of a conspiracy, orchestrated by powerful, untouchable forces; he studied law to personally bring the perpetrator to justice.
And he pursued finance simply to earn enough money and gain enough status to provide her with a comfortable life.
So, Juniper had always believed that Magnus preferred being a lawyer.
Now, he'd lost the ability to defend his father's honor in court, a right she had stripped away from him.
How could he not hate her?
She knew his dream was to become a prominent lawyer…
Now, Magnus could only watch as Robert took the stand, caught up in the legal battle.
Ophelia mentioned that every time Robert appeared in court, Magnus could be found seated among the spectators, his presence unwavering.
Perhaps in Robert, he saw the shattered fragments of his own once-broken dreams.
Juniper dared not hope that one day Magnus would forgive her. She had destroyed his dreams, severed the boundless potential of his youth - the most precious thing a young person could possess.
"Juniper, six years have passed. You're still young. Living in guilt will destroy you," a friend reminded her, concern lacing their voice.
Tears glossing the corners of her eyes, Juniper whispered, "If my life is ruined, and it brings Magnus some peace, then perhaps it's fair. An eye for an eye. After all, I did ruin his life once."
"Now he has the Sycamore Group, reaching the pinnacle of success. Maybe what he has now is even better than the future he had originally planned for himself. Juniper, you may have wronged Magnus once, but you have to live for yourself," the friend insisted.
"Mr. Michael, thank you for your comforting words."
Michael handed her a tissue.
She accepted it, dabbing at her warm, moist eyes.
Behind the glass doors of the rooftop, Magnus stood with a darkened countenance. Realizing she had faced such tribulations in the sales department without seeking his help must mean she found a better supporter.
Michael, with his soft heart and gullible nature, indeed seemed a good choice.
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