Chapter 2: Fiesty, herself

Juniper stood outside the restaurant, her face pale. She couldn't even comprehend how she ended up there, her mind still echoing Cole's words as she tried to push them out of her head.

"Why? Why are you doing this? I thought you loved me. And now here you are declaring your affection for someone else. Is it because she's pregnant? Don't worry, I can forgive you and accept the baby," 

Juniper pleaded, hoping her words would change his mind. This was the first person she had ever loved so deeply, and her heart was shattering into pieces.

"You really want to know? Fine. I think you already have a rough idea of why I'm doing this," Cole responded, moving closer to Sunny, who had her hands on her tummy and a smile on her face.

"Her identity is unique, and she can help me become the man I've always dreamed of being, part of the elite. She belongs to a first-tier family, and I believe she can connect me with the most powerful families," he explained.

His words cut through Juniper's heart mercilessly. She knew Cole had always been ambitious, longing for a status among the elite.

But she never expected him to choose someone else over her. All her beliefs in his promise not to hurt her were shattered.

"I thought you were different, but now I see that I've been living a lie all this while. But don't worry, if it's power you're after, let's hope that same power doesn't make your life miserable," 

Juniper said with determination, tears still streaming down her face. She didn't say another word, simply stood up, and smirked.

Sunny, with a smug smile playing on her lips, interjected, "Oh, Juniper, darling, you were never enough for James. He needed someone who could give him status and power. And from the looks of things, you don't have that. But I do."

Cole held Sunny's hands, his gaze filled with affection, and looked at Juniper with a curious expression. 

The cold and stubborn look on her face was familiar to him, the same one that had attracted him to her in the first place. But now, it only annoyed him to see it.

"You're right, Sunny. You can give him what he wants, and I can't. After all, I come from a third-tier family. But remember, every second-hand good given by me can never be returned. You want him, you can have him. I no longer need someone so two-faced," 

Juniper declared calmly, picking up her bag and the fallen gift from the floor, and gracefully walking out of the room.

Cole watched her back with a frown, a sense of unease settling in his heart about her reaction.

"Are you okay?" Sunny asked, stroking his arm when she noticed his expression. "I hope you don't regret leaving her. If not, I can call my father to stop the process of giving you that position you desire."

Her words served as a wake-up call for Cole. He took Sunny's hands, filled with love, knowing that someone like Sunny was easy to soothe.

"I would never, in a million years, trade you for anyone else."

Juniper's calm expression crumbled as she stood outside the room. She clutched her chest, her heart aching with pain, and cried bitterly.

 She felt hurt and betrayed by the man she once believed would be by her side for the rest of her life.

"It hurts... so badly," she managed to say between sobs, struggling to hold back the tears that refused to be restrained.

Suddenly, a hand gently touched her shoulder, and a concerned voice broke through her despair, asking, "Miss, are you okay?"

Raising her head, Juniper saw the waiter who had escorted her inside the restaurant. She looked away, grabbed her belongings, and ran out of the restaurant, still consumed by her tears.

"Did I do something wrong?" the waiter wondered, looking down at his hands. He glanced back at the room he had brought her to and let out a sigh.

 "Or..." he trailed off, his unfinished statement hanging in the air as he walked away, shaking his head.

As Juniper stepped out of the elegant restaurant, tears continued to stream down her face, blurring her vision and clouding her thoughts. 

The dimly lit interior of the restaurant faded behind her, and the reality of the night surrounded her in its starkness. 

Her footsteps echoed against the cold pavement as she hurried toward the parking lot located just below the restaurant.

Her car, a sanctuary that promised solace and escape, awaited her patiently at the edge of the parking lot.

 But her emotional turmoil kept her oblivious to her surroundings, narrowing her focus and numbing her senses.

Approaching the edge of the parking lot, Juniper's gaze remained fixed solely on her car, her sanctuary.

 In her final desperate sprint toward the vehicle, a car suddenly zoomed past her, its headlights illuminating her trembling form for a fleeting moment.

The screeching sound of braking tires filled the air, a symphony of panic that temporarily cut through her despair. 

Time seemed to slow down as the passing car narrowly missed her, the rush of wind brushing against her face and sending strands of hair flying.

Her heart skipped a beat, and the gravity of the near-miss sank in, momentarily overshadowing her anguish. 

Reality snapped back into focus as she stumbled, finding her balance just inches away from the path of danger. 

Shallow gasps filled her lungs, and she clung to the car door for support, her hands still trembling.

Fueled by anger and adrenaline, Juniper gritted her teeth and stormed toward the car that had nearly hit her. She banged on the door with great force, unleashing her fury.

"Are you blind or something? Can't you watch where you're going? If you can't drive a car, then don't even bother getting into one!"

Juniper received no immediate response, and just as she was about to bang on the car window again, it finally opened. 

What greeted her was a face that seemed godlike, exuding an imposing aura. For a moment, she was taken aback, and her expression turned ugly.

"You think just because you own a Lamborghini, you can go around killing people?" Juniper retorted, looking at him with a disdainful snort.

Without giving the man a chance to explain himself, she spoke up once more, her anger fueling her words.

"What else can I expect from a man? You're all weak beings. I wish there were no men in this world. Seeing you only makes it worse."

With that, Juniper stormed off, fumbling in anger for her keys, and zoomed away in her car. 

Asher, the man who had been rebuked by her, stood there quietly, watching her car until it disappeared from sight. 

Unbeknownst to Juniper, Asher wore a small smile on his face, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

"Feisty," he murmured to himself, his voice laced with intrigue.