Chapter 418 Jealousy (1)
The phone had been ringing for what felt like forever, but no one picked up.
Jenny's tiny hands clutched the oversized phone, pressing it to her ear, then pulling it away to frown at the screen. Her little brows knitted together as she muttered, "Daddy, why won't you answer?"
Juniper's gaze froze for a beat.
Could it be that after she left him behind and returned to Southern City, he was sulking? But if anyone had the right to be angry, it was her — Magnus had been the one hiding things.
Christopher's dark, ocean-deep eyes swept over Juniper, catching the flicker of something off in her expression.
He smiled faintly. "Had a fight with Magnus?"
"No," Juniper replied quickly.
She didn't dare say more. She couldn't risk Christopher finding out about the necklace, or worse, discovering that it had been Ava who brought her to the Beaumont family. She could forgive Magnus for keeping secrets. But Christopher?
If Ava really had been the one to take Quinn from the Abbotts all those years ago, would Christopher still accept Magnus as he did now?
To Juniper, Ava was Ava and Magnus was Magnus. But to Christopher, the person who stole Quinn from the Abbotts was the same person who had indirectly caused the death of his wife, Bella.
Christopher had never remarried, even after all these years — a testament to how deeply he had loved Bella.
Juniper kept her tone light, only circling around the subject. "Dad, back then, when I was taken… did you ever have a guess who it might have been?"
Christopher thought for a moment before answering. "When I was doing business in Southern City, the bigger the business grew, the more enemies I made. That was the kind of time when partners could also be rivals, and grudges ran deep. It's hard to pinpoint who exactly would have done it.
"There was one company though — Vertex Holdings Group. About twenty years ago, they were big in construction materials and fierce competitors to Windsor Group. Then the media exposed that their products contained carcinogens. Not long after, they collapsed. The founder vanished without a trace."
The name Vertex Holdings Group rang faintly in Juniper's mind.
"Do you think Vertex Holdings Group could be connected to StellarWorks Inc.? Last time Karen and I went to Skyville, we caught a StellarWorks plant in the factory. If it was just normal business competition, that Real Estate deal wouldn't be enough for them to hate Windsor Group this much."
"I've looked into StellarWorks," Christopher said, his voice low. "Their real controlling entity is hidden. Nothing much shows up domestically. If the people who took you were tied to Vertex Holdings Group, and Vertex Holdings Group has ties to StellarWorks, then this isn't over. You all need to be careful in the business arena."
Juniper nodded.
She knew StellarWorks was backed by a company called Streamline Media, which in turn might be linked to the Shadow Syndicate. If Vertex Holdings Group and StellarWorks were connected, did that mean the Shadow Syndicate had been playing their game of proxy attacks on home soil all along?
In Imperial Capital, as soon as Ava went missing, Magnus had dispatched people to search every major transportation hub.
At the care facility, the nurse's eyes were wide. "Mr. Blackwood, not long after your fiancée left this morning, someone who looked exactly like you came to see Ms. Clark. We both thought it was you. He said he wanted to take her outside for some fresh air, to talk alone, so I didn't follow. How was I supposed to know…"
She trailed off, still shaken. She glanced at the man before her, struggling to decide which one was the real Magnus. Or — and the thought chilled her — was Magnus like Ava, suffering from some kind of mental illness? Was this like those TV shows where someone has a second personality? Could it be that his other self had taken Ava, and the man standing here had no idea?
Her imagination spun into a storm of dark scenarios.
Magnus's expression didn't flicker. "Don't speak of this to anyone."
"O-okay."
The moment he stepped out of the facility, his satellite phone lit up with a secure incoming call — an internal number from Bureau 719.
He slid into the car and answered. Sophie's voice came through, "We've checked land, air, and sea. Nothing. Ava should still be in Imperial Capital."
Three hours of searching, and not a single trace. That could only mean one thing.
Magnus's eyes narrowed. "From now on, if you find anything, don't use the internal line to contact me."
Sophie hesitated. "Boss… you mean—"
"There's a mole," he said flatly. "High up."
If the Shadow Syndicate had planted someone inside 719 for years, what would be the point of taking Ava? She couldn't hold leverage over him. Juniper would have been the smarter target — unless they feared the chain reaction her abduction would cause.
After all, the Avelonia base massacre had already left the Syndicate badly wounded.
So was this move with Ava just a provocation?
8 p.m., Southern City International Convention Center.
Juniper arrived in an evening gown, her arm looped through Ronald's.
A few business acquaintances came over to greet him. "No wonder you turned down my offer to introduce you to someone, Mr. Abbott. Your girlfriend's gorgeous."
Juniper's identity wasn't public yet. The misunderstanding was inevitable.
Ronald smiled easily. "Mr. Campbell, you're mistaken. She's my sister. She's been with the Group for a while now — you'll probably cross paths on some projects."
Juniper, poised and cordial, pulled a card from her clutch and handed it over. "Mr. Campbell, nice to meet you. Let's exchange cards."
"Of course," Douglas Campbell said, accepting it. "Always good to stay connected."
Before they could say more, Karen appeared with a glass of champagne.
Her eyes swept the space around Juniper, left and right. "Where's the man?"
Juniper gave a helpless smile. "We're not joined at the hip."
Why did everyone feel the need to ask about Magnus the moment they saw her?
Karen arched a brow. "This is new."
"What is?"
"The clinginess. When you went to Skyville, he practically shadowed you. And now he's not here for New Year's in Southern City?"
Juniper shrugged. "We'll come together after we get the marriage certificate. No need to give my father to dislike him."
Karen snorted. "Fair enough. No-license boyfriends are every dad's nightmare. Too bad you're not with Ronald — your dad would have no complaints. Better to keep it in the family than let some stranger swoop in."
Ronald cut in quickly, "Hey, watch it!"
Juniper didn't mind, smiling instead. "So, have you found your little wolf pup of an assistant yet?"
Karen let out a dramatic sigh. "Since you left, I've interviewed a dozen assistants, and still haven't found one who's sharp and capable."
Juniper's lips curved. "Do you want someone capable, or… capable?"
Karen's eyes gleamed with mock seriousness. "I want someone super capable."
Juniper laughed, clinking her glass against Karen's. "Then here's to you getting exactly that."
Karen tilted her head back to sip her champagne — and then froze. Across the room, in the shifting light, she caught sight of a man's broad back. Something about him felt uncomfortably familiar.
Her pulse kicked. That bastard. Which rich woman had he come in with this time?
"I see someone I know. Be right back."
She excused herself and strode off, heels clicking fast against the floor.
She called out as she closed in. "Well, do you have any idea how hard you've been to track down? You still haven't finished the job from last December, and you think you can just vanish?"
The man turned just as she was about to come around in front of him, champagne glass in hand.
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