Chapter 91

As the man leaned in even closer, Juniper’s face scrunched up, and she prepared to land a punch on his head.
“Click.”
The sound of the seatbelt buckle snapping into place echoed in the quiet car.
“You have to follow the traffic rules, little sister. Always wear your seatbelt,” Shanley said with a grin, straightening up and placing his hands on the steering wheel.
Juniper, still holding her egg tart, took a moment to process what had just happened. Oh. He was just buckling her seatbelt. For a second there, she thought he was about to make a move.
The sports car glided smoothly down the road. Juniper sniffed the air again; there wasn’t a trace of smoke in the car. Had he quit smoking?
“So, where did you run off to today?” Shanley asked, glancing at her.
“I had something to do,” Juniper replied nonchalantly, sipping her milk, her tone deliberately vague.
“Alright.” Since she didn’t want to talk about it, Shanley didn’t press her. As long as she wasn’t hurt, it was fine.
“Salma mentioned you’re falling behind in your studies,” Shanley said, his voice taking on the serious tone of a parent. When Salma had contacted him, she had sent along Juniper’s report card. For three years of middle school, she had scored zero in many of her subjects. Her test papers were blanker than her face.
“There are only three months left. Do you need me to find you a private tutor?”
“No,” Juniper refused flatly. “I can study on my own.”
“On your own?” Shanley raised an eyebrow in doubt.
“You don’t believe me?” Juniper stopped chewing, her starry eyes fixing on him with an unfriendly glint.
Staring at that long list of zeros, Shanley found it incredibly hard to convince himself.
“I believe you,” he said, his words not quite matching his thoughts, as he met her cold gaze. He quickly changed the subject. “Here, finish your food before it gets cold.”
Thirty minutes later, Shanley dropped Juniper off at Moultlands. As she got out of the car, he asked, “Are you free on the 30th? It’s my grandmother’s birthday banquet. I’d like to take you. Since you’re my little sister now, I should introduce you to the family.”
He added with a tempting smile, “There will be lots of good food.”
The 30th? Juniper’s brow furrowed. That was the same day as the old woman’s birthday.
Shanley was wealthy, so his family’s banquet was bound to have amazing food. It was a shame, but she couldn’t break her promise.
“I have plans on the 30th,” she said softly.
“Alright, then,” Shanley said with a slight frown, but he didn’t push. “Get home safe.”
He watched her leave, shaking his head with a helpless smile.
Bringing her home to meet his family? Was that moving too fast?
He felt like the girl had the mindset of a three-year-old; all she seemed to care about was food, completely oblivious to his intentions.
But that was okay. She was eighteen now. If he made his intentions a little more obvious later, perhaps she would understand.
Just then, his phone rang.
“Boss, we have news on Mr. Tate’s sister,” Felton’s voice came through the line.
“Understood,” Shanley replied, his expression instantly turning serious. He ended the call and drove to Jimmie’s villa.
Inside, Jimmie sat on the sofa, poring over the documents Cybernetic Shadows had compiled. They had confirmed that there had been a massive maritime disaster in the South Sea around that time, with many casualties. However, a witness had seen a small girl being rescued by a fishing boat. The boat’s trail had gone cold since then, but they were still searching for leads.
“The alliance estimates they’ll have finished their search within a few days,” Shanley said, leaning back on the sofa. “All the records from that disaster were destroyed, which has made the investigation difficult.”
“A few days?” Jimmie looked up, his face pale but his eyes bloodshot. “Are you sure they can find my sister?”