Chapter 1091

Shanley smiled, his deep eyes fixed on her, though he didn't say a word.

Ten minutes later, Juniper's phone rang. It was Luella.

"Hey," Juniper answered, putting her on speaker.

"Juniper, I've got news from Sanctum Holdings," Luella said, her tone all business. "They said they've seen Subterra Vanguard's sincerity, and their boss wants to meet you in person."

"Sure." Juniper didn't hesitate. She thought about it for a split second before adding, "This weekend. I'll pick the place."

"Where?"

"The coffee shop right next to the Schwartz Group building."

"Huh?" Luella paused, then burst into roaring laughter. "Damn, Juniper! That's brutal. Talk about adding insult to injury!"

"By the way, is the old fox around?"

"Mr. Langley, you're laughing too loud. It's giving me a headache," Shanley's cool voice suddenly cut in.

"Uh."

Luella's roaring laughter instantly morphed into a stifled chuckle. Clearly, she was still highly amused. "I'll coordinate with Sanctum Holdings. Wait for my update. Pfft, hahaha..."

The line went dead.

Shanley frowned slightly as he ended the call. Was there a pill out there? Something to make that sissy lose her voice permanently?

"Look..." Juniper rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling a sudden wave of guilt. "I picked the cafe downstairs so I could sit there, drink coffee, and talk trash about you. It'll make Sanctum Holdings trust me more."

It was a classic winner's flex.

Honestly, if she had genuinely blown up the Sigma Network's base in the past, she absolutely would have strutted down to the Schwartz Group building for an iced latte to gloat.

"Right. I'm just a pawn in your game. I get it."

Shanley leaned back, a faint, indifferent smile playing on his lips. He looked like he'd been terribly wronged.

It was a little weird seeing him pout.

"Thanks, okay?" Juniper blinked, sliding closer to him on the couch. "Thank you, Mr. Schwartz."

She'd blown up his base and essentially dragged his name through the mud. And all he got out of it was a measly 'thank you'?

Shanley remained silent. He just stared at her radiant complexion, his dark eyes narrowing slightly.

Knowing she was entirely in the wrong, Juniper deliberated for a moment before taking his face in her hands and planting two sloppy kisses on his lips.

Her kissing technique... What was the difference between this and a puppy

aggressively eating a treat? Shanley honestly couldn't find a single compliment for

it.

"Is that enough?" Juniper exhaled heavily, looking bizarrely proud of herself. "What do you think?"

Shanley smirked helplessly. He

pulled her by the nape of her neck, closing the distance and deepening the kiss properly. "My compensation fees for emotional damages are incredibly high."

Staring into the eyes of the man so close to her, Juniper's gaze darkened. Fine, they'd kiss.

It wasn't like she'd hold back when it came time to trash-talk him later, anyway.

The weekend arrived in a flash.

Her meeting with the people from Sanctum Holdings was set for 2:00 PM. To ensure her real identity remamed hidden Juniper woke up early and applied a heavy,

unapologetically glamorous layer of makeup.

If she stood next to her 'Dr. Nocturne' persona and her raw 'Juniper' self, they'd look

like three entirely different people.

"Ms. Payne, your makeup skills are incredible," Dana said, her eyes shining with admiration. "You look absolutely stunning."

"Why aren't you going in your male disguise?" Shanley stood nearby, his face pulled into a dark scowl.

Who knew what kind of creep was running Sanctum Holdings? What if he got inappropriate ideas? A face this pretty was meant for his eyes only.

"I didn't have time to prep a hyper-realistic mask." Juniper flipped her hair over her shoulder and offered a faint smile. Besides showing up as a woman willower his guard."

Men who ran organizations like Sanctum Holdings were usually arrogant and thought they were the smartest guys in the room. Historically, men like that underestimated women.

If she went as a man, she wouldn't be able to fully suppress her ruthless edge. The moment she sat down, the guy's defenses would skyrocket. Where was the fun in that?