Chapter 1054

"Really?!" Hannah was absolutely thrilled. She grabbed Juniper's hand, her eyes filled with affection. "Don't you worry, your parents are going to be perfectly fine."

"Exactly," Miranda chimed in. Knowing the situation was deeply complicated, she added gently, "With Shanley helping, your family will be reunited in no time."

"Thank you, Hannah, Miranda," Juniper nodded obediently, offering a sweet smile.

After dinner, Miranda pulled Juniper into her room to try on a mountain of new clothes and bags she had bought for her. Halfway through, Juniper excused herself to go to the restroom.

Before she could even push the door open upon returning, Shanley grabbed her and yanked her into his bedroom.

Click-

The door shut, and he pinned her against the wall, their bodies pressed flush together.

"Miranda is right next door," Juniper said, lazily meeting his gaze. "She bought me a ton of clothes, and I'm not even done trying them on."

"You can try them on later," Shanley said, threading his fingers through her hair. "When did you find out about your parents?"

"Hmm?" Juniper's lips curved upward into a sweet smile. "The last time we came back from Sanctum Holdings, I noticed the crew was looking at me funny."

"I wasn't trying to keep it from you intentionally. I just wanted to dig up the enemy's background first," Shanley sighed, offering an unprompted apology. "Who knew those punks at Cybernetic Shadows would sell me out so fast?" They really knew who the real boss was.

"I know." Juniper leaned back comfortably against the door, her eyes locking onto his with profound understanding. "You were worried they were coming after me, and you wanted to protect me."

"Yeah." Shanley nodded, surprised she had pieced it all together.

"I'm not mad." Juniper leaned in, resting her chin against his chest and looking up at him. "Shanley, I'm happy. Just knowing my mom and dad might still be alive... I'm really happy."

"We'll find them." Shanley caught her hand, pressing a tender kiss to her knuckles. "This time, you aren't doing it alone. No matter what happens, I'm right here with you."

"Even if it means death?"

"Even if it means death."

Juniper stared at him for a long, silent moment before letting out a soft laugh. "Don't worry. As long as I'm around, won't let you die. Ter people were off-limits to everyone but her.

"I believe you." Shanley smiled, leaning down until his lips hovered near hers. His voice dropped to a husky whisper. "I just had some fruit. Want to taste how sweet it is?"

Juniper wasn't completely innocent. She knew exactly what he was implying. He didn't want to share fruit; he wanted a taste of her.

"You really want some?" she teased.

"I do." Just as he lowered his head to capture her lips, she deftly slipped out of his embrace.

"If you want something sweet, I'll have the staff bring you a plate." Juniper clung to the doorframe, flashing an innocent smile. "I still have clothes to try on. Catch you later!"

Shanley stood frozen in place, pinching the bridge of his nose with a helpless, exasperated laugh. She was going to be the death of him.

Meanwhile, at the Cybernetic Shadows base.

Juniper and Shanley sat on the leather sofa, meticulously reviewing the files the operatives had compiled.

"Miss Payne, take a look at this

photo," an operative said

respectfully: "This was taken sixteen years ago during the shipwreck A bystander took it and uploaded it to an old social media app,

PenguinSphere. We spent a massive amount of time recovering it, which is why the quality is terrible."

"Good work," Juniper said. She studied the grainy image carefully. Among the rescue workers, there was a group of people dressed.

entirely in black, wearing magnet

They looked incredibly suspicious. They were bundled up intentionally avoiding the camera lenses and amidst the chaos, they seemed to be carrying two large bags.

Those bags could very well have held her parents.

"Send the digital copy to my screen," Juniper ordered.

"Right here." The operative quickly handed over a laptop and pointed at a specific

spot on the screen. "Look closely at this area, Miss Payne."