Chapter 59 She Found a Father!
Juniper arrived home.
Jennifer dashed out of the bedroom, with curiosity in her voice, "Mom, who was that driving the incredible car that dropped you off?"
Juniper paused in the entryway, removing her shoes. "You saw that?"
"Yeah! I was playing games, then I stood by the window waiting for you, and I saw you getting out of that car! Was it him?"
After washing her hands, Juniper scooped her up and teased with a smile, "Since when did Jennifer become such a busybody?"
"I'm just concerned about Mom's love life!"
Juniper looked into Jennifer's adorable face and suddenly confessed, "Yes, it was the man you like who brought me home."
Jennifer's eyes widened in disbelief, "Really? Mom, are you going to date him?"
"Jennifer, would you want... to live with him?"
"Mom, are you going to marry him? Isn't that too fast? I think you should get to know him better. But if you really want to marry him, I'm all for it. I'll go anywhere as long as I'm with you."
Yet what she meant was that he wasn't going to be a part of their lives.
A shadow passed fleetingly across Juniper's face.
"Jennifer, do you want to find your dad?"
"Sure, but wasn’t Dad gone?"
"He's still alive; I just... found out recently."
Juniper decided not to keep it a secret from Jennifer anymore. She would have to know sooner or later.
"Huh?" Jennifer's mouth hung open in shock. "So Mom, are we going to live with that man, or go find Dad?"
Her little brow furrowed as she held her head in her hands, overwhelmed by the dilemma.
"Mom, how can Dad suddenly be alive?"
Juniper, who had been quite upset, was a hair's breadth away from laughing at the question.
Taking Jennifer's hand, she asked, "What if I told you that the man you like is actually your dad, would that make you happy?"
Jennifer was utterly astonished.
Her mouth agape, she reached out and touched Juniper's forehead, "Mom, are you feeling okay, or are you talking nonsense?"
"Mom, are you serious?"
"Really?"
Jennifer asked three times, incredulous.
But Juniper's expression was grave, not at all suggestive of a joke.
"It's true. Are you happy? I've talked to him, and in a few days, he will come to take you home."
Jennifer was overwhelmed, trying to process this news.
"Do I really have a dad now?" the little girl asked, unable to hide her excitement.
"Yes, you do have a dad," Juniper replied, smiling faintly, though her eyes betrayed a touch of sadness.
Jennifer had a dad now, but Juniper was about to lose Jennifer.
That night, too excited to sleep, Jennifer danced around her room in her pink pajamas after her bath.
She then climbed out of bed and dragged a suitcase from the closet.
When Juniper brought in a warm glass of milk, she found Jennifer rummaging through the wardrobe.
"Jennifer, what are you doing?"
Jennifer was tossing clothes into the suitcase, happily busy, "Mom, when is dad coming to get us? I'm getting my clothes packed so we can leave as soon as he arrives!"
Juniper handed her the milk, taking the clothes from her hands.
"Drink your milk first; I'll pack the clothes."
"Mom, don't forget my SpongeBob!"
"Okay."
The large SpongeBob plush toy was a birthday gift from Juniper to Jennifer.
She adored it and cuddled it every night.
Juniper placed SpongeBob into the suitcase.
Jennifer sat on the bed, drinking her milk, a ring of froth around her mouth.
Swinging her legs, she asked, "Mom, when is dad coming to get us?"
"Probably next week."
Juniper said, her back turned as she packed.
Jennifer's clothes had also made their way into the suitcase, and at that moment, Juniper's eyes turned red.
She quietly removed her own clothes from the suitcase and gently instructed, "Jennifer, when you're at your dad's, be good. Don't always lay in bed hugging your tablet and playing games; it's bad for your eyes."
"Mom, what's dad's house like?"
"It's big, a villa with a whole wall of books, a swimming pool, and a lawn."
"Daddy is rich? He doesn't have a bunch of wives, does he? If he does and has lots of kids, Mom, I think we better not go looking for him!"
Hearing Jennifer's blunt innocence, Juniper chuckled.
"No, sweetheart. He only has you."
Magnus had risen from nothing, making himself a paragon of first-generation wealth—an unmatched figure of elegance.
Jennifer clung to Juniper all night, eagerly telling stories about her dad.
Past midnight, the little girl finally fell asleep, nestled in Juniper's embrace, mumbling, "Mom, once we're at Dad's, you won't have to work so hard…"
Juniper covered her mouth to stifle a sob.
So, Jennifer longed to go to her father's just because she thought her mom was struggling too much.
A piercing pain settled in Juniper's heart, accompanied by a numbing twinge.
The sour ache and reluctance clogged her chest, threatening to overflow.
She leaned down, kissed Jennifer's forehead, and gently patted her back until she stood up to pack their suitcase.
Inside the suitcase, there were only Jennifer's belongings.
Juniper tried convincing herself to be joyous that Jennifer would have a better life.
Magnus would surely cherish her like a little princess, showering her with love that was no less than what Juniper could offer.
She pulled out her diary.
On one of its pages, three wishes were written. She put a cross over the second one.
The wish to take Jennifer and her mother away from the Imperial Capital would never come true.
Tears splattered on the diary page, blurring the once crisp words.
That night, Juniper's sleep was robbed by restlessness.
During the time after her accident, Juniper had taken some time off work.
When she returned to her job in the sales department of Sycamore Group, despite buildings one and three being quite far apart, fate had it that she ran into Magnus and Robert in the sprawling campus after lunch.
It seemed they had just finished their meal as well.
Robert said with a smirk, "Well, isn't this a small world? Our campus is huge, yet you still ran into us."
He ended his mockery with a thumbs-up, his tone laced with sarcasm, insinuating that she had manufactured the encounter.
Her lips curled into a subtle smirk as she retorted, "If I was planning an 'accidental' meeting, why would I wait until Mr. Blackwood was alone? After all, he's the only one I intend to 'bump into'. I have no interest in Robert."
"Wow, haven't seen you in a bit, and you've gotten sharp-tongued!"
"Maybe I've always been this sharp. It just went unnoticed by Robert before."
Juniper had nothing left to lose. She had nothing to fear and wasn't long for this world anyway, so she felt free to speak her mind.
Robert gazed at her intently, a sudden recollection of a little girl flashing through his mind.
He abruptly realized the way Juniper confronted people... it was incredibly similar to that kid.
No, it was the child who resembled Juniper!
Looking closer, their eyes... they were astonishingly alike!
Crescent-shaped eyelids with curved corners, eyes large and round!
That little girl, what was she, six or seven?
Holy smokes... it couldn't be...
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