Chloe didn't want to believe a word Juniper had said, but for some reason, it continued to bother her. Though she knew her father and what heinous things he was capable of, she refused to believe he had a hand in Audrey's death. Tears streamed down her face as she sped towards the Bellerose Mansion. She never realized how much Audrey meant to her until now she was gone forever. She still couldn't believe she was never going to see her again. Why was everyone close to her experiencing such misfortune except the person she desperately wished it for? Why wasn't Juniper the one dead instead of Audrey? Or was her hunch correct after all? Was Juniper the mastermind behind all these bad things happening to them? Who was she coming for next? HER?!!! Subconsciously, Chloe's sorrow gave way to a cold-gripping terror to manifest. She never thought there would come a time she'd feel so terrified by Juniper, but from the latest turn of events, she was starting to realize that
Juniper was beyond relieved when she finally made it to the Royal Palace. It was nearly a fatal attempt trying to get passed the reporters, protesters, and very angry fans, who swarmed the major roads leading to the palace. In fact, it was a miracle she'd made it out in one piece— Though she couldn't say the same for her car. She still wondered why the public was still hassling her concerning the issue of Audrey's supposed suicide. The media had already revealed to the public that she had nothing to do with it and her charges were dismissed, but why did it seem to aggravate the issue even more? Someone was definitely fanning the flame in her direction, and she didn't need to think twice to guess who it was. Juniper sighed deeply as walked down the corridor to her room. Since she wasn't in the best state of mind, her major aim was to get everything behind her for now, retire to her room, and hope tomorrow turned out better. Socializing with anyone in the palace wa
AT THE QUEEN'S STUDY. . . Before the Queen opened her mouth to speak, Cedric could already tell what the confrontation was all about. "How dare you hold a press conference without consulting me first?" Queen Catherine spat, her anger barely contained. "Do you have the slightest idea what you've done? Have you seen the headlines? Do you know what the people are saying about you now?" Cedric let out a frustrated sigh, trying to keep his annoyance in check. "Mother, I just want to be with the woman I love and find happiness with her. Can't you just grant me this one wish?" The Queen's voice her voice rose in disdain and disbelief. "What's gotten into you, Cedric? Have you lost all sense of reason? How can being with. . . with that woman possibly bring you happiness?" Cedric was beyond frustrated. He felt as if he was talking to a wall. Nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, would ever change her mind about her disagreement with Juniper, but he was done trying to convince her.
Camille stood in the lobby of Pool Stadium, waiting for Damien as he wrapped up a conversation with his coach. She was beyond proud that he successfully bagged another gold medal in today's competition. At this rate, he was one step closer to joining the National Team. Her face illuminated with rampant joy at the prospect. Damien would be extremely happy when that moment arrived. She knew more than anyone how much he'd worked and trained for this, and he deserved every ounce of success that came his way. Engrossed in her thoughts, Camille had no idea when Damien came to stand behind her. "Hey, gorgeous," he whispered tenderly into her ears. Startled, she spun around to face him. But before she could utter a word, he swiftly scooped her up, lifting her off the ground, and began striding towards a quieter, more secluded corridor. Mortified, Camille struggled in his arms, her head swiveled from side to side to check if anyone was watching them. "Hey, put me down," she hissed at h
The soft sound of their moans mingled together, echoing throughout the house, amplifying their passionate intimacy. Camille was left breathless as Damien ate meticulously at her lips. First the upper lip, then he took the lower lip, sucking and nibbling until they were left heated and swollen. And when she thought it couldn't get any better, the kiss deepened. He drove his fingers into her hair, pulling her head closer as his tongue slid through her parted lips. His hot tongue met hers, tasting the indistinct flavor of coffee she'd probably had earlier. It dwelled there for a while, tasting her until there was nothing left but raw desire before it made its way to the ridged roof of her mouth, giving rise to more and more pleasure. Just as she also began to explore his mouth with reckless abandon, he felt a sudden, fierce heat envelope through his body, surging down towards his groin. He ached over with the need to caress those fluffy twins pressing alluringly agains
Damien froze in the spot he stood as a plethora of questions bombarded his mind. Why was his parent here? Why did they choose today of all days to come to his house? What was he going to do? He shook his head, snapping out of his daze state. First off, he had to wake Camille. Fortunately, when he returned to the bedroom, Camille was already half awake. She stretched beneath the duvet, resembling a cute, little kitten, and flashed him a subtle smile as her eyes partially fluttered open. Her dark waves were disheveled, scattered across the cloudy pillow, yet she looked alluring— so alluring it took all the life force he possessed to resist the urge to join her in bed and proceed to make mad love to her. "Who's at the door?" Camille asked groggily. "Uh. . ." Damien gave a nervous laugh, accompanied by a wavering gaze. "My parents." Camille nodded slowly, pulling the duvet to her chin, and settled back into bed. "Hmm. Okay!" She murmured, surprisingly unbothered
A short while later, they were all seated around the kitchen table, enjoying the meal Damien's parents had brought. Gabriel appeared to be taking the news of their relationship a tad better than his wife, Alice, who couldn't hide her disapproval. She never missed the opportunity to cast nasty glances at Camille and make subtle, biting comments. Damien, however, seemed completely unfazed by his mother's behavior, all his attention was focused on the woman sitting beside him. A sweet smile lit up Damien's face as he placed a bite-sized slice of charred lamb on Camille's plate. "You have to try this, it's so delish," he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Returning his smile, Camille picked up the meat with her fork and savored the bite, blissfully unaware of the daggers Alice was shooting at her from across the table. The older woman cleared her throat emphatical, striving to gain their attention. When she succeeded, she spoke to Camille with a tone tin
"Sorry, I couldn't call sooner," Damien's voice chimed through from the other end. "Did you get home safe?" Camille couldn't stop herself from grinning widely whenever she heard his voice— or stop her body from moving. I mean, how could she keep still when the entire zoo was parading in her belly? She beamed, slowly pacing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window as she interchangeably swapped the position of her phone from ear to ear. "Of course, I did. Thankfully, in one piece." "You're not changing your mind about us just because my mom disapproves, right?" He said, his voice laced with worry. "Let me apologize in her stead. She can be inconsiderate sometimes but she's totally harmless, believe me." "It's okay. I understand," she said with a smile. "And I'm never changing my mind about us. I didn't muster the courage to pour out my feelings before them only to relent afterward." A brief, silent fell at the other end of the line and Camille could bet her kidn
[THREE YEARS LATER!!!] "Hi, love, sorry I had an emergency meeting with the board of directors," Juniper spoke rapidly into her phone as she alighted her car and made for the mansion. "I just got home. I'll get the boys and meet you there in a bit. Sorry. Love you. Muah!" She disconnected the line right before her husband delved into nagging mode. Nothing was as terrifying as listening to him bite her head off. As soon as Juniper walked into the mansion, her ears were greeted with the familiar screaming and giggling. She found Nanny Inés in the foyer, clutching a couple of little fur jackets, and trying to catch her breath. She needed not to ask the older woman to know what she'd been going through. After sharing a brief laughter, Juniper flashed her an apologetic smile, taking the jackets from her. "In what direction did they go?!" Without delay, Inés pointed out the direction, leading to the laundry room, and Juniper followed. "Hector! Étienne! Mommy's
"Are you certain this is what you want, Your Highness?" Gabriel Christophe asked for the third time that day. Cedric understood how the Prime Minister felt, he wanted to be sure his decision was a spur-of-the-moment. And it wasn't. His mind was made up. Even as he waited hours in the Council Chamber for the Prime Minister's arrival, nothing could change his mind. "I'm certain, Mr. Prime Minister," Cedric replied, his tone calm and firm. "The Royal Family has caused more harm than good to the people of Forêt-bleue in recent years. I feel mortified to face my people knowing what my family has done. This is the only way to make things straight." He paused for a breath. "We must abolish the monarchy before the day of my coronation." "Very well, Your Highness," Gabriel said with a nod. "I'll propose this to the parliament. It would be difficult to convince them of your decision, but I'll do everything in my power to ensure they agree to it. If it's the last thing I do
Commotion ensued as Jerome burst into the room, leading a team of heavily armed forces. The royal guards were swiftly overwhelmed, surrounded, and held at gunpoint before they could even react. "Drop your weapons and put your hands on your heads," Jerome commanded in a stern voice. Queen Catherine was startled and beyond flummoxed. She couldn't comprehend what was going on. As the police disarmed the queen's aides, she slowly backed away, her eyes wavered nervously, but she managed to maintain a stern, authoritative tone. "What is the meaning of this? How dare you barge into the. . ." She trailed off the moment she sighted her son amongst the cops. He stood in a spot—unmoving—watching her. Without a doubt, she could tell he was livid. His expression spoke volumes of that fact. Regardless, she tried to act clueless. To play the victim. "C—Cedric! What— what is going on here?" She flattered anxiously. "Are you part of this? How could you bring the authorit
Pigheadedly, Juniper made her way to the location. According to the blueprint, the entrance to the underground meth lab was situated in an old, dilapidated barn. And with the GPS on her phone, it wasn't too difficult to find. Noticing a group of Royal Guards patrolling the area, she hid behind a shrub. When she realized the coast was clear, she ventured stealthily into the barn. The situation inside the barn was far worse than the exterior. She wouldn't be surprised if a tarantula popped out from nowhere and attacked her. It took quite a long while of thorough searching before she found a door underneath a wooden, worn-out shelf of some sort. As she pushed the shelf aside, she noticed there was a padlock on the door. Just as she swatted to inspect the lock, a guard suddenly burst through the barn door, flashing a torch. "Who's there?!" He barked. "Show yourself." Juniper had no time for this. Rising to her feet, she secretly pulled a tranq gun from her w
[ Dear Juniper and Jerome, First of all, I want to apologize for what I'm about to do. I know you want what's best for me but I know this is the only way to put an end to Antoine for good. Thank you for seeing the good in me. But I've done terrible things that are beyond your imagination and I don't think I deserve a second chance. I have no right to request this from you, but please look after my son. And if possible, don't bother telling him about his father. I never deserved to create such a sweet soul in the first place. I'm glad my sister had people like you around her. People who she could put her life on the line for and people who would do the same for her. And I'm glad I got to meet her people, even for a short while, before I join her. I'm sorry and thank you for everything.ADRIEN. ] Juniper and Jerome heaved a deep sigh after reading the handwritten letter Adrien had mailed to Camille's house. Yesterday, when the news of the Prison Bus Explos
It was already three weeks since Camille's death, but Damien was still lost in the darkness of depression. His arrival at the National Team Training Center was already a week overdue but he couldn't care less. In fact, that was the very least on his mind. All that was on his mind was the memories of that unfortunate day. He couldn't bring himself to do anything. LITERALLY. He lay all curled up on his bed, drenching his pillows with uncontrollable tears and mumbling incoherent words to the image of Camille his mind had conjured up. "I have to find a way to let you go, or else how can I forget about you, Camille? Hmm? I still. . . I still can't believe you're no longer here. Everyone says I should forget your death and move on with my life, but how can I do that? When I see you everywhere." He sniffled. "This morning, I saw you in our driveway. I knew. . . I knew it wasn't you. I knew it was only a fantasy. Just another illusion I've created in my head. Still, my hear
Antoine shouted so loud that it was a miracle Juniper's eardrums were left intact. He dropped to the ground like a bag of hammers, clutching his bleeding knee as he writhed in agony. Now it was Juniper's turn to laugh. "Yeah, you're right," she returned, her voice dripping with sweet sarcasm. "I'm not a murderer and I can't kill you. But I can very much disable you." BANG! Juniper shot him again at his other kneecap. "That's for my father," she spat indignantly, disregarding his howling of pain. BANG! She shot one of his shins. "That's for Vivienne." BANG! She shot the other one. "That's for Camille." BANG! She buried the last bullet in his injured shoulder. "And that's for everyone else you've hurt!" At that moment, her ears picked up the soft sob of sirens in the distance. The police were on their way. Juniper stooped, about ninety degrees, baring her pearly teeth at the suffering man. "You're going to rot in jail, Antoine Clermont," she whispered
Juniper sat in her car, her fingers drumming a rhythmic beat on the steering wheel as she waited, all pumped up. She'd spent the past week recuperating and training for this day— The day Antoine would be brought to his knees A couple of days ago, Adrien had informed her that Antoine had headed to his hideout, and their window to capture him was narrowing. Juniper had pushed hard to join the operation, and after some convincing, Adrien had finally relented. No way was she missing this for anything. Suddenly, the rear door of her car swung open and Adrien hopped into the back seat. "Let's go!" He said promptly. "Now!" Juniper glanced at him from the rearview mirror and shook her head. No salutations, no small talk— Adrien was always straight to the point like the gloomy, ice cube he was. Moments like this reminded Juniper of her beginning moments with Camille before she eventually got to know the warm version hiding behind that ice wall. This behavior might
Even though Juniper was well aware of who stood behind her, she remained still, trying not to provoke him. And then she felt the pressure of the gun no more, just as quickly as it had come against her head. Suddenly, Adrien appeared before her, his gun pointing at her face. "Relax," he said benignly. "I mean you no harm." Unfazed, Juniper looked him dead straight in the eyes. "Well. . . from where I stand, that's hard to believe." Adrien heaved a deep sigh and lowered his gun. "I'm not here to make trouble," he returned evenly. "I'm here to ask for your help. I need to find Antoine." The next hour, Juniper and Adrien sat opposite each other at the kitchen table, each with a plate of pasta and tomato sauce in front of them, though neither had made much progress in eating. Juniper wasn't in the best of her mood but she'd had insisted on whipping up a simple dinner for them, despite Adrien's initial reluctance. "You do know the police are already handling An