Chapter 86 Magnus, You're Cleared
At 8 p.m., Magnus sat in his office, not having left. His phone rang. It was a call from the landline at Royal View.
Jennifer was on the other end. "Dad, are you working late? Why aren't you coming home yet?"
Looking at a little sketchbook, Magnus's usually stern eyes softened slightly, "Yeah, I might be home late tonight. Have dinner without me."
"I already ate! Today, Mike made lots of dishes I love! He even made me these little fried twists!"
"Jennifer," Magnus's voice suddenly hesitated.
"What's wrong, Dad?"
"You said before that your name is Jennifer because your mom missed me, right?"
"Yes! Mom told me she loved you a lot! During the years you were away, she missed you more than I did!"
Magnus went silent for several seconds.
He responded in a subdued voice, "Mmm, got it."
After hanging up Jennifer's call, Magnus dialed another number.
On the other end, Robert, upon receiving the call, was not surprised at all and asked directly, "You've got to be kidding me, this late, and you want me to go with you to X City to pick up Juniper?"
"I just don't want Jennifer to be upset."
"Darn, Magnus, you really fell for it. Just a while ago, Ophelia was insistent on calling Jennifer, wanting her to beg you to save Juniper, and I finally managed to calm Ophelia down. And here you are, actually smitten with Juniper!"
"Give me fifteen minutes. Meet me downstairs at the corporate building."
"I'll be damned—"
He couldn't believe he had to accompany him to X City courthouse to pick someone up this late at night!
After hanging up, Robert went to the closet to change his clothes.
Ophelia, who had just finished taking a shower, saw him changing and blurted out, "All dressed up in the middle of the night. Are you going out to flirt?"
"Do I look like I have time to flirt? Magnus has lost his mind, calling me to go to X City with him to bail out your best friend! That slick dog, he's really fallen for Juniper!"
Ophelia's eyes lit up when she heard this, "Holy smokes, then Juniper's definitely got a chance of getting out. What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go!"
Robert looked at her with a bit of disdain, "How come you seem even more anxious than Magnus?"
"Didn't you just say that Juniper is my BFF? Of course, I'm worried that she's in trouble. Forget it, take me with you! I'll change my clothes too!"
Darn it, there must be something about Juniper that gets everyone so charmed and dizzy, circling around her.
In the car.
Robert was driving, Magnus sat in the passenger seat, and Ophelia was in the backseat.
The atmosphere was a bit somber.
Robert broke the silence, "Look at the two of you, living the high life and making me your chauffeur. If my old man knew I was slaving away for someone else, he'd laugh himself to death."
"Let's cut to the chase. If Juniper turns state's witness, will she be detained?"
At this point, Ophelia wasn't in the mood for jokes anymore and got straight to the point.
Robert glanced at Magnus next to him, his tone filled with resignation, "This guy here, it's funny because he studied law as well, even better than I did. And the situation with Juniper isn't even that serious, yet here we are rushing."
Ophelia was surprised, "Not serious? Juniper won't be detained?"
Juniper had decided to recant her testimony, but the matter wasn't serious to begin with. Plus, back then, she was the one coerced, so she didn't even need to hire a defense attorney — she wouldn't get a sentence. Besides, she turned herself in voluntarily, which made her case even lighter. If one were to talk about severity, Alexander was the one truly in hot water now.
Ophelia exhaled in relief upon hearing the news. "Thank goodness. I thought Juniper was gonna end up in serious trouble!"
Robert glanced again at the man in the passenger seat, "Now, Mr. Blackwood, I would expect others to not understand the situation, but you? You must get it, right? So why drag me out in the middle of the night to pick up Juniper? Is it concern, or are you just confused?"
"Right, since Juniper doesn't have to be detained or serve time..."
The man coughed discreetly, his face expressionless as he tossed out, "Jennifer suddenly threw a tantrum, saying she wanted to see Juniper tonight and refused to sleep otherwise. I had no choice."
Robert chuckled, "The one refusing to sleep without seeing Juniper—tell me, is that Jennifer, or is it you?"
The man's brows tightened slightly, "Drive, enough talk."
Ophelia leaned back in the rear seat, sizing up Magnus.
This guy didn't seem as cold as she had imagined, at least not when it came to Juniper. Magnus did show emotion concerning her.
Robert continued, "But back to Juniper, she really went all in this time. Isn't she afraid of Alexander retaliating? He's been dominating X City for years. His roots and connections there are deep. Even if he's been suspended and taken away for investigation, who's to say he won't re-emerge later? At this point, it's just an investigation."
"If Alexander doesn't fall, doesn't that mean Juniper's in trouble later on? Her dad holds grudges. He is not a forgiving man!"
Magnus, who rarely spoke up from the passenger seat, suddenly chimed in.
"I won't let him have another chance to rise."
Last month's trip to Rushmore, Peace County in S City, was specifically to bring back a witness named Anthony.
Anthony had once been a janitor at Chengfan Company, and he had witnessed a tragic event. Benjamin Brown had suffered a heart attack during an argument with Alexander in the office. As he reached for his medication, Alexander kicked the bottle away.
It was deliberate murder.
If this charge was proven, the sentence would either be death or life imprisonment.
Robert recalled something, a sly grin spreading across his lips, "Alexander, that old slicker. When you were locked up, he had someone deliberately try to murder you, probably because he was scared you'd come after him once you got out. Likely, he had you thrown in because he knew who you really were, Benjamin Brown's son, all along."
Ophelia, sitting in the backseat, was completely lost, unable to keep up with their pace.
"Who is Benjamin Brown anyway?"
The car soon pulled up to the courthouse in X City. The summer night breeze was refreshingly cool.
Juniper sat at the courthouse steps, looking utterly dispirited, her gaze hollow. Then, her eyes flickered at the sight of a pair of long, straight legs.
She slowly lifted her head and upon seeing Magnus, the corner of her mouth twitched. "Didn't we agree to never see each other again?"
"I'd have it that way, but Jennifer wanted to see you. I couldn't refuse."
"Magnus, you're clear of all charges now. No, I should call you, just Magnus." She remained seated. He stood over her.
Juniper looked up at him as if she didn't even know him. Was he like Alexander had suggested, someone who approached her on purpose, with an ulterior motive?
"You know everything?"
"So, what Alexander said... It's true? You approached me and made me fall in love with you, all just as a part of your revenge plan?"
"If I had known about my lineage from the start, I wouldn't have let anything develop between us. Juniper, I'm not that kind, but I'm also not that cruel, not cruel enough to use a girl's feelings to seek vengeance."
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