Chapter 141

"The sooner you stop bringing him up, the sooner I can forget him."

Liliana slipped off her sunglasses as she got out of the car, shutting the door firmly behind her. She had gotten good at putting on a brave face, mastering the art of controlling her emotions whenever she saw Cedric.

Besides Juniper, no one ever mentioned his name around her anymore. She just had to get through this, she told herself. This agonizing period of her life would pass.

"The day she actually gets her heart broken, we'll just keep mentioning her ex's name over and over. See how she likes it," Juniper muttered.

A familiar voice cut in. "Here you go." Douglas was standing a few feet away, holding two large popcorns and two milkshakes.

Liliana leaned around Sylvia to see him. "Douglas? What are you doing here?"

"Are you questioning my loyalty?" Juniper pouted, looping her arm through Liliana's. "You two are the closest people I have outside of my parents. Do you have any idea how hard it is to split my weekends between you both? I'm spread thin here."

Douglas chuckled softly. "Are you sure you're the one entertaining us?"

Juniper, knowing she couldn't win a battle of wits with him, turned back to Liliana. "My brother's back for good this time. To make up for neglecting his dear little sister for the past two years, he promised to spend every weekend with me. But I'm not the type to ditch my friends for family, so when I'm with you, he's with you!" She squeezed Liliana's arm and started pulling her toward the theater entrance. "Look, I know my big mouth gets me in trouble, but don't be mad. I'm just worried you'll get swayed by Cedric again."

Juniper dragged her up the steps, stopping in front of Douglas, who handed Liliana a milkshake and one of the popcorns.

"Junie has the tickets," he said with a warm smile. "You two go on in. I'll wait out here."

"You're not coming?" Liliana asked, surprised. "Come on, join us."

"It's okay, I've already seen this one. You guys have fun." He watched them head into the screening room before settling into a chair in the lounge area.

As Liliana entered the theater, she glanced back and saw that Douglas had already opened his laptop and was engrossed in his work.

"Is Douglas that busy?" she asked as Juniper found their seats.

"Insanely," Juniper said, pulling her down. "He's been funding some new venture, and it's managed to tick off very single one of the company old shareholders. It's gotten so bad my dad had to fly back to deal with it." swĥovels

"If he's that busy, he shouldn't be spending his time waiting around at a movie theater." Liliana felt a pang of guilt. It seemed like such a pointless waste of his time.

"That's what I told him! I said he

could just work from home and be on call if needed him, but his protective brother instincts kicked in and he insisted on keeping his promise. Don't worry, he knows how to manage his time. He won't let his work slide." Juniper still couldn't quite figure out when her brother had become so stubbornly dependable.

The movie started, and Liliana let the subject drop.

After the film, they found Douglas waiting for them at the exit, his laptop bag slung over his shoulder.

"I picked out a few restaurants nearby," he said, holding out a tablet displaying the homepages of several local spots. "See if anything looks good."

Juniper glanced at the screen, then turned to Liliana. "You paid last time, so it's my treat. What are you in the mood for?"

"I've got it," Liliana said, selecting a newly opened restaurant she knew Juniper would like. "Last time didn't count."

"Don't be silly. You need to save your money for Hale's treatments," Juniper insisted, handing the tablet back to Douglas. "Let's go with this one."

Douglas slipped the tablet into his bag. "I'll drive you over. You can come back for your car later when you're done."

"Sounds good," Liliana agreed.

She and Juniper got into Douglas's

car, the atmosphere light and cheerful as they chatted on the way to the restaurant, which was located on the top floor of a high-end shopping mall. The place was packed for its grand opening, but Douglas had made a reservation, and a hostess led them straight to a private booth.