Chapter 382

The days that followed were a whirlwind for Juniper. She was swamped at school, with teachers and classmates constantly hounding her to create study guides. Outside of school, she had to deal with “training” Harold.
Sensing that Harold’s intentions might not be pure, Shanley’s work schedule suddenly cleared up. Multi-million dollar deals were postponed without a second thought.
Juniper felt this was a bit much. After all, if they ended up together, his money would be her money. Every dollar he didn’t earn now was a dollar less for her future. She tried to persuade him to focus on his work, but her heartfelt pleas only resulted in Shanley moving his entire office setup into the lab.
Juniper was dumbfounded. What a power move.
Inside the lab, after wrapping up a project, Juniper and Harold headed to the break room. The moment they entered, Shanley, who had been pretending to work, snapped his laptop shut and strode over to Juniper’s side.
Harold sighed in exasperation. “We ran into some issues with the project today,” he said quietly. “Thanks for all your hard work, Grandmaster.”
He gestured towards a small kitchen area. “I had some food prepared. Would you two care to join me for a meal? The spread is quite good.”
Juniper was about to refuse, but then Harold listed the menu: “Braised chicken, sweet and sour fish, crispy ribs, roasted quail
She listened, her eyes widening slightly without her realizing it. That sounded amazing. If they left for Cloudscape Community now, they’d hit rush hour traffic, and it would take at least an hour to get home. If he hadn’t mentioned the food, she might have been able to resist. But now… her stomach was already rumbling.
“Alright,” she agreed without hesitation, her eyes sparkling.
Shanley glanced at the plate of pastries he had brought for her, which she had completely ignored. He didn’t want to stay, but he didn’t dare say no.
In the small dining area, Juniper and Shanley sat on one side of the table, with Harold opposite them. The table was laden with beautifully arranged dishes, a perfect mix of meat and vegetables, all of which happened to be Juniper’s favorites. More than that the dishes were prepared exactly to her liking-no ginger or garlic, and an extra generous helping of cilantro.
Shanley’s jaw tightened, his eyes darkening. This felt familiar. It was the same strategy he had used to win her over: capture her stomach, then her person and finally, he heart. She was immune to money and jewels, but completely defenseless against good food.
Harold had certainly done his homework. And he had the audacity to claim he wasn’t interested in her? That liar!
“It’s all cooked to my taste, so I hope you two don’t find it too disagreeable,” Harold said with a polite smile as he arranged the silverware.
Shanley surveyed the table, picked up a piece of the least conspicuous-looking ribs, and placed it on Juniper’s plate. “If you don’t like it, we’ll go home and eat.”
“Okay,” Juniper mumbled, taking a small bite of the rib. She paused.
“Not good?” Shanley asked, a slight smirk playing on his lips. He had spoiled her palate; she was picky about her food now.
“No,” Juniper shook her head, taking a much larger bite. “It’s delicious.” Shanley’s smile froze. He then served her a piece of each of the other dishes. Juniper ate them all, not just ate them, but devoured them with obvious delight.
Shanley felt a wave of despair wash over him. He seriously suspected there was a traitor in his camp. How else could Harold know Juniper’s preferences with such pinpoint accuracy?
Harold, for his part, was a little
surprised to see all his beloved
cilantro disappear onto her plate. He
hadnexpected uniper to have
such similar tastes in food. What a
coincidence.