Chapter 724 Play with all your toys
Juniper stared at the daunting stack of files looming over her desk. She took a long sip of latte before setting the cup on the desk.
“You need to have those entries finalized within the hour,” a voice chirped beside her. It was Chelsea, one of her colleagues, who was leaning against the cubicle wall with a look of feigned sympathy. “The manager was in a foul mood this morning. I heard he caught a lashing from the higher-ups at the company, and he’s looking for someone to blame.”
“Understood,” Juniper replied shortly, her fingers already beginning to fly across the keyboard. “I’ll get it done.”
Chelsea didn’t move. Since the break hadn’t officially ended, she felt no rush to return to her own chair. She lingered, her eyes darting toward Juniper with a sudden glint of curiosity.
“By the way, Juniper,” Chelsea started, her voice dropping to a gossipy stage whisper. “Is it true that you were actually married to Prince Dominick?”
Juniper’s fingers froze over the keys.
During her years of dating Dominick, Juniper had managed to keep her face relatively private, known only to those within the inner circles.
But the moment the royal marriage was announced, her name had been splashed across every headline in the country. There was no hiding from it now.
“Yes,” Juniper replied.
“Was it really that bad?” Chelsea pressed, her eyes wide with pity and fascination. “I mean, you two were together for so long, more than seven years, right? But then you parted ways almost immediately after the wedding. I’m not trying to pry, but I think everyone is just a bit curious how the love between you two evaporated in a month.”
“We simply weren’t compatible in the end,” Juniper answered, her fingers momentarily stilling over the keyboard. She turned her chair slightly to face Chelsea. “Please do not ask me about my past from this moment forward. I don’t appreciate it, and I won’t be discussing it again.”
She was blunt, but it was a necessary boundary. She knew the gossip would likely spread through the department like wildfire by the afternoon coffee break, but she found she cared remarkably little.
Chelsea blinked, taken aback by the sudden frost in Juniper’s tone. “Right. Sorry,” she muttered, finally retreating toward her own desk.
Juniper turned back to her monitor, the flickering blue light reflecting in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she focused on her work, pushing away the memories that she once shared with Dominick.
~~~~~
“You want this one? Then we’ll get it. We’ll buy this car for you, my boy,” Gabriel said, his voice full of indulgence as Noah pointed a finger at a box containing a sleek, battery-operated motorcar.
“Absolutely not. You’ve already bought him enough toys to fill the entire room,” Amelie interrupted. She stepped in, firmly taking the box from Gabriel’s hands and tucking it back onto the high shelf. “He needs to play with the ones he already has.
Noah’s face crumpled instantly, his lower lip jutting out in a dramatic pout before he let out a wail.
“See? He really wants it, Amelie,” Gabriel pointed out, gently patting the boy’s back to soothe him.
“No, he doesn’t. Noah just knows how to throw a tantrum when you’re around because he knows you’re a soft touch,” Amelie pronounced. She wasn’t swaying with his tears.
“Brother Cas gifted him a racing set last week. If we keep giving him every shiny object he points at, we’re going to spoil him before he can even walk.”
She gripped the handle of the shopping trolley and pushed it pointedly down the aisle, not looking back.
Noah’s crying subsided into small, hiccuping gasps as Gabriel leaned in close, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Daddy will order it online later, okay? Don’t cry. Your mother is just worried about the clutter. You’ll get to play with all your toys, I promise.”
Noah blinked, his watery eyes searching Gabriel’s face, then smiling.
Amelie slid her card back into her slim leather wallet after paying the bills.
Despite her polite protests, a persistent store employee insisted on gathering their numerous shopping bags, whisking them toward the idling vehicle waiting at the curb.
“Thank you, I appreciate the help,” Gabriel said smoothly, pressing a generous tip into the man’s hand before stepping into the interior of the car. Noah was still strapped securely to his chest, his tiny head bobbing against Gabriel’s blazer as the engine hummed to life.
Amelie settled into the seat beside them, reaching out to adjust one of Noah’s stray socks. “You can take that carrier off now,” she said softly, her eyes moving from their son to Gabriel’s face. “Give him to me. I’ll hold him for the drive back. You’ve been on your feet in meetings all day, you must be exhausted.”
Gabriel looked down at the top of Noah’s head, the boy already starting to drift off from the movement of the car. He felt the Noah’s head against his heart.
“I’m fine, Amelie,” he murmured, though he began to unclip the side straps to transition the sleeping toddler. “Holding him is actually the least tiring thing I’ve done all day. Besides, Noah is going to sleep. See, he’s yawning.”
His free hand squeezed hers, making her smile in relief.
“Gabriel, did you imagine having such a life? Taking care of a baby?” Amelie asked out of the blue.
“No. But you know that I always wanted a family,” Gabriel replied. “Let me borrow your shoulder for some time. I feel sleepy too, mate.” His head found her shoulder as his eyes shut slowly.
Amelie smiled and looked down at the two most precious people in her life. Shortly, both Gabriel and Noah fell asleep.
As the car reached the mansion, Amelie softly spoke, “Gabriel, we are home.”
He jolted awake, sitting straight. “Let’s get out,” he said and stepped out of the car from his side while holding Noah closely. The servants rushed to the car to take out the shopping bags while Amelie and Gabriel walked in.
The moment they both stopped into the living room, they froze seeing a familiar person on the couch.