Chapter 90

“Psycho,” Juniper spat out coldly before turning on her heel and walking away without a backward glance.
“Master Lunar!” Rachel was completely stunned. This girl’s temper was just as fierce as Jimmie’s.
“Jimmie, you Rachel wanted to scold him but couldn’t bring herself to, knowing how desperately he’d been searching for his sister. “It took me so much effort to get Master Lunar here. Now that you’ve offended her, it’ll be impossible to get her back.”
“Find me a new frame,” Jimmie said, sinking onto the sofa. He ignored Rachel completely, focusing only on wiping the photograph over and over.
“Fine!” Rachel threw her hands on her hips, both furious and helpless. “You’ll regret this!”
With that, she stomped off to find him a new frame. Only when the photo was safe would he return to some semblance of normal.
…
After leaving Era Media, Juniper sat on a planter by the roadside, staring at the single strand of hair she had managed to snatch during the commotion. The memory of Jimmie’s furious face made her own expression darken.
After a few moments of collecting herself, she took out her phone and made a call. “It’s me. I have something for you to handle.”
Soon, a man arrived at the building, bowing his head respectfully. “Boss.”
“A DNA test. What’s the fastest you can get the results?” Juniper asked, handing him the hair.
“Normally, it takes two to three weeks,” the man replied. “But if it’s urgent for you, Boss, I’ll fly back to Australis immediately and use the equipment at our base. The absolute earliest would be three days.”
“Notify me as soon as you have the results.”
“Yes, Boss.” The man carefully secured the sample, bowed once more, and departed.
With that handled, Juniper took a taxi to her studio and worked until ten at night.
As she was about to call for a ride, her WhatsApp chimed.
Shanley: [Hey, little sister. Salma told me you missed your tutoring session this afternoon, so I thought I’d check in.]
Juniper froze for a second. Salma tattled on her to Shanley? Did she really think he’s her brother?
Before she could reply, another message came through.
Shanley: [Salma said your aunt is very busy and also has a high school senior to look after. When we were at the police station last time, she and I exchanged numbers, and I told her to call if anything came up.]
Turns out, the first call was to report on her. Salma had said Juniper was a bright kid but wasn’t applying herself. He seemed to think she was afraid of him, which is why he called him to “educate” her.
Juniper typed back, annoyed: [I had permission to leave!]
The exclamation point was a clear sign of her anger.
Keith had slandered her!
Shanley smiled to himself. [I see. So where are you now?]
Salma had told him she left school but hadn’t gone home yet, and he was a little worried.
Juniper sent him her location. Shanley arrived shortly after, driving his own car this time.
“Get in,” he said, opening the passenger door for her. Once she was settled, he handed her a warm box of egg tarts.
“These are good.” Juniper was starving and wasted no time digging in.
“Lift your arm for a second.” Seeing her nibble away like a little squirrel, Shanley chuckled and leaned closer.
She instinctively leaned back, but he moved forward, closing the distance between them until she could smell the faint, pleasant scent of mint on him, untainted by smoke.
As his handsome face loomed closer, Juniper’s heart began to pound, her cheeks flushing. She even forgot about the egg tart in her hand.
What was he trying to do?