Chapter 61 You Better Not Have Any Extra Thoughts
Magnus provided an objective response, "There's no 'what if' about this. I don't have kids."
"Life is full of unexpected twists and turns..."
The man looked at him with an odd expression, "There's no such possibility. What are you thinking about in your head?"
"Forget it. Your dictionary really doesn't have the word 'if.'"
Robert watched Magnus's retreating figure and sighed.
In fact, he had just been about to tell him the truth.
But then his thoughts turned to Juniper. He considered the likelihood of her trying to use a child to her advantage. A chill settled over Robert's gaze.
After work, Juniper had just left the industrial park and was preparing to walk to the nearby subway entrance.
A white Rolls-Royce swept past her and stopped.
The window rolled down, and the owner honked the horn.
Juniper looked up to see Robert.
"Do you need something from me?"
"Get in the car. I have something to ask you."
Juniper didn't want to get too involved with him, "I have nothing to say to Mr. Robert. I'm in a rush to catch the subway."
She continued walking.
The Cullinan followed her persistently.
A man like Robert, once he set his sight on you, was hard to shake off.
Finally, Juniper got into the car, somewhat irritated, "If Mr. Robert is trying to make things difficult for me, there's really no need to waste effort. I know Mr. Robert doesn't like me, but I'll likely resign soon. Before I leave SY—"
"I'm not concerned whether you resign or not. Your stay at SY isn't up to me to decide and not even up to you; you should understand. It's Magnus who calls the shots on this matter."
Juniper didn't argue, but she didn't agree either.
If she resigned and found a place to hide, would Magnus really be able to drag her back to work?
She was nearly at wit's end. Whether she wanted to work or where she wanted to work was for her to decide.
"Mr. Blackwood said he won't deal with me anymore, nor will he interfere with what I do," she stated.
What she meant was that now she could do whatever she wanted, as long as it didn't involve Magnus directly.
Robert gave a contemptuous chuckle, "Maybe you took a bullet for Magnus in S City, and he let you off out of a momentary soft spot. But Juniper, you've really got some nerve, hiding such a big secret after betraying Magnus. If Magnus finds out, what do you think he'll do to you, skin you alive?"
"You found out?" Juniper was somewhat surprised but not completely taken aback.
She'd long been mentally preparing for the possibility of Robert discovering her secret, so she remained relatively composed when confronted.
Robert got straight to the point, "The child, is it truly Magnus's?"
Juniper had only ever been with one man, and that was Magnus.
If not his, whose else could it be?
Robert's question was clearly a roundabout way of asking if she had been involved with any other men over the years.
With a mocking smirk, she deliberately provoked him, "If not Magnus's, could the child perhaps be Mr. Robert's?"
Robert was visibly agitated, his complexion turning stormy in an instant.
Juniper felt a thrill of victory, "Are you done, Mr. Robert? I'll get out of the car then. This road isn't far from SY. If any colleagues see me getting out of Mr. Robert's car, neither you nor I, even with ten mouths, could explain it away."
"Juniper, don't tell me you're hoping to gain advantage through this child, are you? I warn you, you'd best not entertain such thoughts."
She looked him straight in the eye, defiantly saying, "Even if I did have such thoughts, what of it? What, is Mr. Robert going to skin me alive too?"
She might as well die nonetheless. It didn't matter who did the deed.
Her gaze was ice cold.
For the first time, Robert realized that the docile and soft-spoken Juniper from six years ago, who hid behind Magnus, seemed to be more trouble than he had thought.
Juniper was not toothless. She simply hadn't bared her fangs at Magnus.
It was as if he was seeing Juniper for the first time.
"Whether or not I want to rise through my child, that's my business. Whether I can do it or not that's up to Magnus. As for Mr. Robert, you should focus your attention and energy on Ophelia. Treat her a bit better."
With that, Juniper stepped out of the car.
The car door slammed shut with force.
Watching Juniper's retreating figure, Robert couldn't help but snort in irritation.
Was Juniper schooling him on minding his own business?
His phone started to ring. It was Ophelia.
"Robert, you haven't gone back on your word, have you? I hope you're a man of your word and haven't sold me and Juniper out."
Ophelia tossed and turned, her mind swirling with unease. She feared Robert might betray Magnus in the heat of the moment, which prompted her to make this particular phone call.
Robert sneered, "Your bestie is probably thinking of riding on her child's coattails to glory. If I tell Magnus what's going on, I'd just be fueling the fire."
"How could you say that? Juniper's not that kind of person!"
"I'm not sure what kind of person Juniper is. When she and Magnus were dating, and he had a stomach ulcer, she would brave snowstorms to bring him meals. Anyone would say they were devoted to each other. Yet despite her unwavering loyalty, she turned on him in court without hesitation, slandering Magnus as the one at fault. Juniper's crazier than you think. There's no telling what she might do next. Who can guarantee she isn't planning to advance her position through her child?"
Ophelia stood firmly on Juniper's side, "Even if Juniper wants to rely on the status of her child, what's wrong with that? If Magnus is willing, no one can stop her."
"Are you in love with Juniper or something? You're seeing her through the thickest rose-colored glasses."
Ophelia's mouth twitched slightly:
Juniper arrived home.
"Jennifer, mommy's back! I brought you a chocolate cake. Wanna eat?"
Little Jennifer was in the bedroom, just about to send a text to Magnus, and she heard her mother's voice.
She dropped the tablet and ran out, "Yes! I'm coming!"
Juniper washed her hands and unwrapped the small cake, handing Jennifer a little fork.
Jennifer's big, bright eyes sparkled, "Wow, Mom, what's the occasion? We've got cake!"
Jennifer adored cake and ice cream, but her weak digestive system meant that Juniper rarely allowed her junk food.
But Juniper suspected that Jennifer would soon be taken away by Magnus.
She wanted Jennifer to remember that her mother spoiled and loved her.
"It's not a special occasion. Mommy just feels bad for always working to make money and not having enough time for Jennifer, so I got this little cake as a treat for my sweetheart," Juniper explained, a touch of guilt in her voice.
Jennifer beamed as she scooped a bite and relished the taste.
"Yummy! It's bubble-licious!"
Chattering away, the child scooped another spoonful and offered it to Juniper.
Juniper opened her mouth and ate it.
Over the years, Juniper had often left Jennifer alone at home.
Back when she worked at the television station, her income was decent, and Jennifer was much younger. She had to work to earn money, but it meant that Jennifer was often left without someone to look after her.
At the time, Juniper had hired a nanny to take care of Jennifer. The first babysitter, taking advantage of Juniper's absence, pinched Jennifer, leaving several bruises on her body.
When Juniper found out, she questioned the babysitter about her actions.
The babysitter replied, "The kid is too unruly and needs discipline."
Without saying another word, Juniper slapped the babysitter and forcefully banged her head against the wall.
The babysitter was terrified. She hadn't expected the seemingly gentle and fragile Juniper to be so ferocious.
Juniper hadn't anticipated losing control like that either.
It's often said that motherhood comes with great strength, and Juniper was no exception.
Jennifer was her lifeblood, her absolute limit.
After firing the first babysitter, Juniper hired a second one and installed cameras at home.
Jennifer was very young then and clung to her mother, wrapping her arms around Juniper's legs and crying, "Mommy, don't go to work, stay with Jennifer."
Juniper wanted to be with her.
But what could she do? Without working, she couldn't even afford Jennifer's baby formula, let alone support her own mother waiting in the nursing home.
Over the past six years, Juniper acknowledged she hadn't given Jennifer enough.
Fearing the pain of eventual separation, she softly told her child, "Jennifer, if Mommy isn't by your side one day, you must remember I love you very much, really I do."
Pouting, Jennifer looked up at her, "I know you love me, Mommy, but I don't want you to leave me. I want you to always be with me."
Juniper was at a loss for words.
Looking at her daughter's innocent and adorable face, she truly wanted to promise to always be with her.
But it seemed as though fate always played cruel tricks on people.
The harder one tried to live, the more it seemed to torment someone.
Her life was a mess, but Jennifer couldn't be dragged into it.
That evening, she made a phone call to Joseph.
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