Chapter 999
[ 532 words ]
“While I admit Luella is definitely younger than Shanley, he isn’t as handsome, nor as grounded.”
Juniper coughs, almost choking on a piece of fruit. Then she bursts into laughter, leaning back in her chair.
“What’s so funny?” Celine asks, confused. “Juniper, even though you’re my sister, I have to be straight with you. Between Luella and Shanley, I honestly think Shanley is the better match for you. Take it from me, you can’t be two-timing them.”
“So that’s why you were giving Luella the cold shoulder all afternoon?” Juniper stands up, walking over to Celine and playing with a strand of her hair.
“Take this seriously.” Celine pulls her hair back, a bit annoyed but unable to raise her voice at her. “I’m talking to you about something important.”
“I am being serious,” Juniper says, raising an eyebrow. “Luella is my best friend. We’ve been through life and death together, but there is absolutely nothing else going on.”
“He had his arm around your waist,” Celine points out, clearly displeased. “What normal guy gets that handsy with a female friend?” When Warren is with her, he doesn’t even look at another woman.
“Uh.” Juniper opens her mouth but finds herself momentarily speechless.
It isn’t the right time to reveal that Luella is actually a woman. The fewer people who know, the safer Luella is.
“Well, that’s because he isn’t normal,” Juniper forces a smile, delivering the lie with a straight face.
“Huh?” Celine’s eyes go wide.
“He likes men,” Juniper lies without skipping a beat. “We’re basically just girlfriends.”
“What?!” Celine’s voice pitches up, almost biting her tongue in shock. “Are you saying… Luella isn’t into women? He’s into men?”
“Yep.” Juniper nods, adding, “He even asked Shanley to set him up on a date recently.”
Shanley knows about Luella too?
“I met Luella when I was a teenager,” Juniper glances over at Luella, who is currently busy squishing a dog’s cheeks in the distance. “I was getting harassed by a group street thugs, and Luella suddenly showed up.”
“He saved you?” Celine asks.
“Well, he tried to play the hero.” The memory makes Juniper chuckle. “But they outnumbered him, and they kicked him so hard he went flying.”
“In the end, I had to take down the thugs myself and drag him out of there.”
She had been so curious back then. She asked Luella why she dared to step in alone.
Luella, wiping away tears and sobbing, had stuttered, “Y-you just looked so frail! I couldn’t bear to watch!”
“Weren’t you afraid of getting killed?” Juniper had asked.
“If I die, I die,” Luella had dramatically stared at the sky, radiating melancholy. “Life is meaningless anyway.”
That was when Juniper realized this reckless, dramatic girl had a pretty complicated family background. Eventually, they became best friends Juniper brought her to the
Subterra Vanguard base, where she trained for a few years and picked up some basic self-defense.
“I see…” Hearing the backstory, Celine rubs her nose, feeling incredibly guilty. “I was
so mean to him earlier. How about-“
“How about what?”
“There are plenty of handsome guys on Liberty Island. Should I let him pick a couple of them?” Celine offers
with a warm smile, he can pick as many as he wants, really.”
Juniper struggles to maintain her composure, her lips twitching. “You’re… too kind.”
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