Time seemed to fly by real quickly when people were at their happiest because before Juniper could blink, weeks had breezed past her like the wind. . . and Chloe was back home. All this while she'd tried to brush aside her secret trysts with Cedric due to Chloe's absence, but now that she was back, she couldn't help but feel the guilt stabbing violently at her conscience. To make matters worse, Chloe had been all sweet on her arrival, gifting her exquisite accessories that she'd picked up on her way back. And to make her feel even more guilty, Chloe had invited her to join the "Girl's Night Party" at the Bellerose family beach house to unwind. Juniper had been expecting a grand and extravagant bash, but it turned out to be an intimate and cozy gathering, filled with good food, refreshing drinks, great music, and juicy gossip shared among close friends. Chloe had invited a few of her friends and so did Audrey. In no time, the place was almost teeming with stunning
The air was thick with tension as Juniper's foot hovered above the next step, her heart pounding in anxiety. Slowly, she turned to face him, her voice barely above a whisper. "What did you just say?" Dylan dealt her an intense look of aggression, his grey eyes shooting icicles through her. Without any words, he stormed towards her and snatched her wrist in a death grip, forcefully tugging her away from the porch. Instinctively, Juniper placed a protective hand over her bump as she struggled to be set free. "Dylan! Let me go, Dylan! You're hurting me!" She cried as he pulled her towards the annex building. Turning a deaf ear to her pleas, Dylan yanked the door of the annex building open, hauled her in with him, and slammed it shut behind him. Immediately as he flicked the light switch on, Juniper slung her hand free from his savage hold, shrieking furiously. "What the hell is your problem, Dylan?!" Dylan had an awful glower on his face as his nostrils flared i
Dylan had been unrest for the past couple of days, unable to shake off the confrontation with Juniper. He was used to effortlessly charming and winning over any woman he wanted. Why was it so difficult to sway her? He couldn't deny nor ignore the fact that he was attracted to Juniper. For some reason, she reminded him so much of Vivienne, from their physical features to their mannerism. But, what seemed to set Juniper apart from her sister was her underlying fiery spirit and tenacity when she got mad, which he found irresistibly intriguing. Things had been going so well between them that he got the feeling she was just as into him as he was into her. But then, she'd begun to distance herself from me. AGAIN! Was it because she'd found someone else? Was that someone else the Crown Prince? The private investigator he had hired to keep tabs on her had sent him some damning photos of Juniper walking into a restaurant with the Crown Prince. But that was all he had to go
Ever since Cedric went back to being the busy Crown Prince of Forêt-Bleue, Juniper had been finding it difficult to cope without him around. She'd barely been able to see him or speak to him over the phone more than once a day. And she really needed someone to rely on, especially with the recent happenings in her life. WELL, I GUESS I'M ON MY OWN FOR NOW. As she stepped into the foyer, Audrey came dashing towards her, panting heavily. "Oh, my God, Juni. Thank God, you're home," she exclaimed, her every move screaming urgency. "I really need your assistance." Juniper's eyes darted side to side, a little taken aback. "Uh, okay, with what?" Audrey's utterance spilled out in a hurry, each word accompanied by a pant. "It's a package which I desperately need for an audition this evening. Dylan has it. Can you please go to his house and get it for me? PLEASE." Without a second thought, Juniper shook her head slowly in objection. The thought of being in the same proxi
★TRIGGER ALERT!!!★ Juniper moaned softly as she toiled to flutter her eyes open. Her eyes felt heavy and everywhere seemed hazy, but as the fog began to clear off, she noticed that she was in a room— a bedroom to be exact. An extremely strange bedroom. "Where on earth am I?" Her thought screamed as her eyes surveyed the room. She could tell she was on a bed due to the plushy feeling of a mattress against her body. She tried to move but even that proved to be a struggle as her body was just too weak to respond to anything. She tried a fainter approach by shifting her hands but they won't budge either. It felt like something was clenching it in place, preventing them from moving. With great effort, she twisted her head to one corner to inspect her hand situation, and there—around her wrist—were handcuffs, binding her hand to the headboard of the bed. She checked the other side and found her hand in the condition. WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON?
"CONGRATS, JUNIPER! YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR STUDENT LOAN PAYMENT! THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US." Juniper Laurent read the text in her mind's voice over and over again, relishing in the moment, submitting to the fluttering feeling of euphoria surging through her veins. A radiant smile stretched her rosy tinged full lips as she realized that was the last debt she had to settle. Every fiber of her being wanted to leap with joy and let out a triumphant scream, but she retrained herself with what seemed like a century's worth of self-control. Nothing could beat being debt-free. Free from being hounded by loan sharks, free from living under the oppressive weight of their constant threats and demands every waking day of her life. And only those who had walked in her shoes could truly understand how liberated she felt at the moment. What has she not done? She had taken on every job that crossed her path. Waiting tables, bartending, cleaning, tutoring—just name it an
In the blink of an eye, Juniper felt a forceful tug, wrenching her away just in time, a bare fraction of a second between her and a one-way ticket to the great beyond. Even as she and her rescuer tumbled onto the hard pavement, Juniper's eyes remained tightly shut, her entire body trembling with terror. Then, for some inexplicable reason, she began to feel herself relax in the strong embrace of Mr. Mysterious Savior. She couldn't quite determine if it was the enticing fragrance of his cologne or the feeling of security in his arms, as though she was always meant to be there. She couldn't tell. In that moment, the stranger gently shook her, his voice—a rich baritone and deep with concern—breaking through her stupor. "Juniper! Juniper, open your eyes. Are you okay?" WHAT?! HE KNEW HER NAME TOO! Now that was enough to make Juniper flutter her eyes open, her gaze landing on the masked face of her rescuer. Despite the disguise of a face cap and mask, she recogniz
BREAKING NEWS: HEIRESS VIVIENNE BELLEROSE DIES IN A CAR ACCIDENT. The newscaster's voice, deep and sharp, boomed as he began to convey the horrible news to the public. "Good day, everyone. On today's breaking news from Valterre City. . . the heiress of the Bellerose Fragrance, Vivienne Bellerose, has tragically passed away in a car accident. According to sources from the family, Vivienne had embarked on a trip several days ago, with plans to return soon after, but communication with her had abruptly ceased. An intensive search ensued, leading to the horrifying discovery of her car submerged in the Valterre River, having apparently veered off course, skidding down the cantilevered road to Valterre City. Reports allege that the authorities are presently conducting an exhaustive investigation into the circumstances surrounding this devastating incident. . ." Bolting upright in shock, Juniper's eyes grew wide with horror, fixated on the television screen as it displayed an image o