Chapter 628: There Is No "Us"
Juniper's eyes went ice-cold, a smirk playing on her lips as she picked up the call.
"Where the hell are you? Why didn't you come home last night? This is getting out of hand. Get back here now," Aaron barked.
"Why do you even care where I am? What's it to you?" Juniper shot back.
"Do you even hear yourself? I'm your dad! Get your butt back here right now."
"I'm not coming back. I crashed at my boyfriend's place last night, and I'm staying with him."
"Are you nuts? Shacking up with some random dude? How did you end up like this?"
"Me? Saffron stole my boyfriend, and you never said a word to her. You said they were 'truly in love.' But I'm the bad guy for living with my boyfriend? You're such a hypocrite. I'm an adult now. I can make my own choices. I can live with whoever I want, and it's none of your business."
"No way! I'm your father. I can't just watch you mess up your life. Juniper, why can't you see I'm doing this for your own good? Do you think I'd ever hurt you? Turn back before it's too late, or you'll regret it."
"I know exactly what I'm doing. I don't need your advice. I'm not coming home, so stop bugging me," Juniper snapped, hanging up the phone.
"Hello? Hello? Juniper!"
"Did she hang up on you?" Elara asked, secretly pleased as she saw Aaron's face turn red with anger. She pretended to console him, "Honey, Juniper's grown up. You should stop interfering."
"If I don't care about her, she'll ruin herself," Aaron said.
"That's her problem. You can't be blamed. You've done your best. I'm not trying to badmouth her, but she's really ungrateful. You gave her everything, and she treats you like an enemy, living with random guys. How is she a daughter? She's more like an enemy."
"Her mother was a classy lady. If she knew her daughter turned out like this, she'd be rolling in her grave," Elara continued.
"Just stop talking," Aaron said impatiently.
"I know my words are harsh, but what she's doing is even worse. If this gets out, it'll disgrace the whole Cooper family. Where will you hide your face then?" Elara pouted, "I may not be well-educated, but I know how to raise a daughter better than those so-called ladies. Look at Saffron, she's so obedient and even pregnant with Douglas's child. She's the pride of our family."
Aaron shook his head, "What Saffron did by taking Juniper's boyfriend was wrong. I didn't say anything, but she was wrong. No wonder Juniper is angry. They are responsible for this."
"How can you call this stealing? Young people today believe in free love. Douglas fell for Saffron because she's more gentle and considerate. You know how headstrong Juniper is. What man could put up with that?"
Aaron sighed, "Her temper is my fault; I always felt guilty about her mother."
"What do you mean? Blaming me after blaming Saffron? Juniper turned out this way because she doesn't respect herself. And you're pushing the blame on us? We are so wronged," Elara said angrily.
"Alright, stop arguing. I'm really worried about Juniper. Her boyfriend is some guy she met at a bar. He can't be reliable. I need to find a way to bring her home."
"She doesn't wanna stay home. What can you do? Tie her up? She'll just hate you more. Honestly, if she wants to mess up her life, you can't stop her. Better to cut her loose now before she drags the whole Cooper family down."
"That's ridiculous. Juniper's my daughter. How could I cut ties with her? Say that again, and I won't be so nice."
Elara pouted, clearly unhappy.
Around ten that night, Anthony got back to the mansion.
He punched in the electronic door code, but it showed an error.
Anthony frowned and tried again, but still, error. The door wouldn't budge.
"Coming! You're back," Juniper chirped as she opened the door from inside.
"What's up with the password?"
"I didn't like your old one, so I changed it to my birthday, 0120. Easy to remember, right? Now you won't forget my birthday."
"You hacked my code?" Anthony was fuming. What else had she done?
"Don't say it like that. I didn't break your door, just changed the password. No need to get so mad. Here, let me get your shoes. Your old slippers were so cold. I got you new fuzzy powder blue ones. Aren't they cute?"
Anthony's eyes darted around. The once minimalist home was now decked out in pink—pillows, flowers, the works.
"Juniper!" he snapped. Even the calmest person has their limits.
Juniper shrank back, sticking out her tongue, "What's wrong? Don't you like it? I thought it was nice. Your old style was cool, but don't you think it needed a bit of life? Now with all these pink things, doesn't it feel more vibrant and warm?"
"Get rid of all this stuff."
"Why? I just bought it today. It cost thousands of dollars. Besides, this is our home now. I need to add some of my own touches."
"This is my home. There is no 'us'!" Anthony said firmly.
"You're being so heartless. You're my boyfriend, so of course, it's 'us'." Juniper clung to his arm, but Anthony pulled away.
She pouted, "Why are you so heartless? I'm just trying to make your life more comfortable. Didn't you think the house was too cold before?"
"No, I liked it. Stop being so presumptuous. Leave immediately!"
"No way. I've decided to stay with you. Isn't it nice to have someone to keep you company? Humans are social animals, you know."
"I don't need company."
"Alright, let's not argue. I know you didn't come back for dinner, so I didn't cook. But I did heat up some milk. I'll get it for you," Juniper eagerly brought it over, "Why the long face? This is the first time I've tried to please someone."
"I don't need you to please me. I just need you to disappear."
"I'm not leaving. You have to accept me. If you try to accept me, you'll find I'm really not that bad." She chattered like a little bird.
Anthony had a headache, "I don't want to argue with you."
He got up and headed to his room.
"Are you gonna take a shower? Need me to run a bath for you? Or I can give you a massage. I'm really good at it." Juniper followed him up the stairs.
Anthony turned around, "Stop following me!"
Juniper pouted, "Fine, I won't follow you."
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