Chapter 62 Promised to Take Her to the Beach
Joseph was somewhat surprised to receive a call from Juniper.
She almost never initiated contact with him.
"Juniper, it's so late, what's the matter?" he asked.
By that time, Jennifer had already fallen asleep.
Juniper stood by the balcony window and said, "Paul, can you please ask Mr. Blackwood about what I discussed with him? What has he decided?"
"What's the issue?" he inquired.
Juniper didn't hide anything and stated forthrightly, "Join me for a visit to Sunny Beach, and I'll reveal a secret that he'll find intriguing."
"Alright, I'll ask for you. I'll give you a call once I have an answer," he promised.
"Thank you," she said.
Juniper turned eighteen the night she celebrated her birthday with Magnus. Together, they blew out candles and indulged in cake, after which she made three silent wishes.
Her first wish was to visit Clearsea with Magnus and watch the sunrise by the sea.
Her second wish was for her mother to wake up from her coma.
And her third wish was to eventually marry Magnus.
Fulfilling the wishes of youth seemed necessary, as it would be a tragedy to die without trying.
Three years earlier, her second wish was granted. Her mother had awakened.
But the third wish seemed impossible.
Joseph mulled over the situation and finally decided to call Magnus directly. It was late at night, and he hesitated to disturb him, but the matter concerned Juniper, and he dared not delay.
The phone rang for a while and was eventually answered.
"Hey, Magnus, Juniper just called me. She asked me to check with you about going to Clearsea. Have you given it any thought?" Joseph asked.
"Tell her I won't go with her," Magnus replied coldly.
"There's a secret involved. You might be interested," Joseph pressed.
That old tactic again.
Magnus massaged his brow ridge, his voice emotionless, "Tell her to forget about it."
After hanging up, Magnus went to shower. The steam from his shower left a mist on the bathroom mirror. He wiped away part of the fog, revealing a knife scar on his left chest—a scar inflicted an inch away from his heart, one that Juniper had taken for him.
Did she really give him agarwood and take a knife for him just to get him to watch the sea with her?
Exiting the bathroom, a cat named Potato rushed over and rubbed against his ankle with a meow, holding something in its mouth.
Magnus frowned slightly, squatting down to pull the item from Potato's grip. It was a photo.
The picture showed Juniper and him having a snowball fight in their neighborhood plaza during a heavy snowfall. In the frame, Juniper held a large snowball against his right cheek while his arms securely wrapped around her, his fingers pinching her face. It was cold that snowy day, but the atmosphere captured was incredibly warm.
He looked at the photo, stroking the cat, "Did you bring this to me as a reminder to throw it away?"
The cat merely responded, "Meow."
That night, Magnus couldn't sleep. Memories of Juniper taking a knife for him replayed in his mind, along with her words—
"Come watch Clearsea with me, and I'll tell you a secret."
Restless, he sat up in bed, pondered for a long moment, and eventually picked up the phone to call Joseph.
In the wee hours of the morning, Joseph was fast asleep when a phone call jolted him awake. Groggily, he answered, "Hello, Magnus?"
"Tell Juniper I'll accompany her to Sunny Beach. She can pick the time. But, she better have a secret to tell me."
The man's voice was dark and stern.
At the end of the conversation, the call was abruptly disconnected.
Joseph, holding onto his phone, took a moment to collect his thoughts before hurriedly sitting up to call Juniper.
"Who's calling you in the middle of the night?" His wife Amanda, awakened by the noise, grumbled.
"My boss."
Amanda frowned, muttering, "Really? Is your boss still having trouble with his girlfriend? How long has this been going on? It's not like I want to criticize, but how clueless can he be? Chasing her for so long, and she still hasn't agreed to date him?"
Joseph sighed in frustration. "These two are something else, fighting and giving each other the silent treatment and making me relay messages!"
"Right? Your boss is as stubborn as steel. Is it so hard to just ask the girl for her number himself? Next time I see your boss, I'll definitely have to teach him a thing or two about flirting. The guy looks good on paper, handsome and all, but it turns out he's as communicative as a mute!"
Joseph thought for a moment and realized Amanda was wrong.
"If only he were mute. He's not mute at all. He's full of sarcasm and backtalk!"
"Then he might as well be a mute for all the good his talking does!"
Juniper had told Joseph that she'd be waiting for Magnus at Sunny Beach this coming Saturday.
She planned to bring Jennifer along, too.
Whether or not Magnus decided to take Jennifer with him, she hoped Jennifer could create a happy memory with both her parents before any such decision was made.
Jennifer was still young, and Juniper didn't want to leave her with any dark memories.
She looked down at Jennifer, already sound asleep, and gently touched her child's head, whispering softly, "You'll see Daddy on Saturday."
Jennifer had always longed for her father.
With the early maturity of children today and their cleverness, questions had started since kindergarten about what her father did and why he never came to pick her up from school.
Since then, Jennifer has been particularly sensitive to the topic.
Several clashes with classmates had occurred because someone had brought up her father.
Once, Jennifer ran home, crying to Juniper.
"Why do they all have daddies, and I don't?" she sobbed.
At the time, Juniper could only embrace her daughter, speechless and helpless, heart aching for her.
But things would be different in the future – she would have a father.
Her father would attend parent-teacher conferences, pick her up from school, and lift her high above his head – she would be as happy as any other child.
The next morning, after preparing breakfast, Juniper went to the bedroom and kissed her little one's face.
"Jennifer, mommy's off to work. Call me if you need anything," she said.
Jennifer nodded with her chin, her eyes still closed, barely awake.
The child was on summer vacation, and Juniper had made sure there were meals ready in the fridge. Whenever Jennifer got hungry, she'd pop the food into the microwave to eat.
Their home was equipped with surveillance cameras, and Juniper periodically checked in on Jennifer throughout the day.
After Juniper left, the little girl lying in her small bed suddenly threw off the covers and grabbed her tablet to send a message to her cool uncle.
Her mom had mentioned that in a few days, her cool uncle would be coming to take them home.
But it was still a few days away, and she had already packed her things, yet he hadn't arrived.
She was getting impatient.
Pressing the voice message button, she said, "Uncle, I miss you! Can I come to visit you?"
As soon as she sent it, she realized she made a mistake.
This wasn't uncle. This was her dad!
She quickly deleted the message.
And sent another voice message—
"Daddy! I miss you! Can I come to visit you?"
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