Chapter 678 His Hesitation Pushed Her Away
Juniper had always been on edge around other women, thanks to a lifetime of cattiness and side-eye. So, when Mira started acting all shady, Juniper's radar went off.
Mira, though, was the queen of cool. She never let her feelings show, always keeping it professional, even when she was grilling someone.
"Just dropping off some papers," Juniper said.
Mira shot back, "Dropping off papers takes a minute. You were in there for an hour."
Juniper wanted to snap that it was none of Mira's business how long she took. They were both secretaries, after all, each with their own stuff to handle.
But feeling a bit guilty and knowing Mira was her senior, she kept it chill. "Mr. Eilish gave me some tasks."
Mira's eyes narrowed. "What tasks?"
Seriously, was this an interrogation?
Juniper frowned. "Those tasks are for me to handle. I don't need to report to you."
"You..." Mira was fuming inside.
It already bugged her that Anthony seemed to favor this newbie over her. But what really got under her skin was that Juniper had changed her shirt. If it was just work, why the wardrobe change? Something fishy was definitely going on.
Mira had seen this kind of thing before at other companies, where sleazy bosses would hit on their secretaries. She'd seen plenty of women come out of the boss's office looking all disheveled. But Anthony? He was supposed to be different, the guy she secretly admired.
Could Anthony be that kind of guy too? Or was Juniper just a master manipulator?
She wanted to believe in Anthony, but the shirt change was throwing her off.
Juniper could feel Mira's hostility ramping up and thought, 'What's her deal? I haven't done anything wrong.'
Mira said, "I've been here longer than you, so you need to report to me."
Juniper wasn't buying it. "Yeah, you've been here longer, and I respect that. But we're on the same level. If I need to report to someone, it's Terry. We should just focus on our own jobs."
"You..."
Mira thought, 'This newbie's got some nerve. I've been here four years, and she's acting all high and mighty. Just because Anthony likes her? There's still Ronnie outside the company. I thought she was good at her job, but now it seems like it's all an act. Is a pretty face really more important than skills? Not buying it.'
Mira didn't want to keep arguing. She took a deep breath and said, "Go downstairs and get the documents."
Juniper asked, "Didn't the meeting already end?"
"We still need other documents."
Juniper wasn't dumb. She could see now that Mira was out to get her. She wasn't about to be pushed around.
"You haven't even opened the box I just brought up," Juniper shot back.
Mira's voice turned icy. "So what? I told you to get them, so get them."
Juniper stood her ground. "We're on the same level. You don't have the authority to boss me around."
Gotta set the record straight from the get-go.
Mira's face twisted in frustration. She finally gritted her teeth and stormed off.
Juniper was all about her work, trying to keep her arm on the down-low. Thanks to Anthony's top-notch bandaging skills, the wound stayed shut and didn't hurt as much. She took his advice to heart, no overtime, just balancing work and rest to heal up right.
After clocking out, she was dreading going home. Home, which should've been her safe haven, was now the last place she wanted to be. She'd only been at the job for a couple of weeks, so payday was still a ways off. The thought of facing Aaron and that nightmare mother-daughter duo made her want to bang her head against a wall.
She needed to get her own place, like, yesterday.
Just as she was about to flag down a cab, a Bentley rolled up, and guess who was in the back seat?
"Mr. Eilish?" Juniper's heart did a little flip. Every time she saw him, it was like her heart was doing cartwheels.
"Get in," Anthony said.
Juniper blinked. "What? Is there some work?"
"I'm giving you a ride home," Anthony explained.
In the past, she would've jumped at the chance. For a split second, she was stoked, but then she remembered he had a girlfriend. She mentally slapped herself. 'Juniper, stay away from guys with girlfriends. You're trying to get over him, remember?'
"No need, Mr. Eilish," she said, trying to sound casual.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
Juniper bit her lip and forced a smile. "Thanks, but my boyfriend's on his way."
Anthony's eyes darkened as he stared at her.
Panicking, Juniper whipped out her phone and called Ronnie, pretending to rush him. "Hey, babe, where are you? I'm at the company entrance."
"Almost there," Ronnie replied.
Right then, Ronnie's flashy red sports car screeched to a stop in front of her, blocking Anthony's Bentley. Ronnie, looking all smug, waved his phone at her. "Hey, babe, I'm here."
Juniper, still holding her phone, gaped at him. 'Oh my God, he actually showed up.'
Anthony's face turned even darker.
Ronnie smirked at Anthony. "Mr. Eilish, what a coincidence. You wouldn't be bothering my girlfriend, would you? It's not cool to mess with someone else's relationship. Back off, or I won't be so nice."
Juniper snapped out of it and quickly jumped into Ronnie's car. "Drive."
She was like a nervous little mouse, but somehow, it was kinda cute.
Every time Ronnie saw her, his mood skyrocketed. He patted her head affectionately. "You're adorable, babe. Did you miss me? 'Cause I missed you like crazy."
"Just drive," Juniper gritted her teeth. She knew he was doing it for Anthony's benefit.
This guy was so annoying, he deserved a smack.
"Let's roll, lovebirds," Ronnie said.
The red sports car roared off, the engine's growl full of attitude.
Anthony's eyes went from cold to pitch black.
He thought, 'Their relationship seems solid. Messing with someone else's relationship is against my morals, and I hate it. But what am I doing? Offering her a ride home, is it just because of her injury?'
Anthony knew it wasn't that simple. He was like a moth to a flame, wanting to get close to her, to be with her.
He'd lost Layla because he came back too late. He blamed fate. But this time, it was Juniper who got tangled up with him first, and his hesitation pushed her to Ronnie.
This time, it was all on him.
Anthony felt even more miserable.
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