Chapter 1122

How exactly were they going to interrogate him?

Would Shanley cave under the pressure and tell them the truth?!

Juniper pressed her ear flat against the door, straining to catch every sound from inside.

In the room, Shanley was cornered. Jimmie and the others stood in a tight circle around him, staring him down.

"What's going on?" Shanley, still holding a mug of warm milk, felt a slight edge of apprehension. "Juniper is going to wake up soon. I need to go check on her."

Melvin darted to the door, physically blocking his exit.

No escape.

Shanley furrowed his brow, turning back to face the intense glares of her siblings with a sigh.

"If there was something—something important—and you had to lie to her about it, what would you do?" Jimmie asked, his expression dead serious.

Shanley met Jimmie's gaze, a hint of confusion surfacing in his dark eyes. It was rare to see Jimmie look this grave.

"I promised Juniper I'd never lie to her," Shanley said slowly, his voice relaxed but firm. "I don't break my promises."

"Even if it meant putting her life in danger?" Jimmie's Adam's apple bobbed. "Between keeping your promise and keeping her alive, which do you choose?"

Shanley's frown deepened. He stayed silent for a few seconds before finally asking, "What exactly is this about?"

"We think we found our father."

Jimmie paused, then spoke carefully. "The injured man held by Sanctum Holdings... there's a very high chance he's him."

Hearing this, Shanley's eyes darkened, and he rubbed the bridge of his nose awkwardly.

Juniper wanted to keep the truth from her siblings.

Now her siblings wanted to keep the truth from her.

They really were cut from the same cloth.

"If she finds out, she'll do whatever it takes to save him," Harold stepped forward, his voice low. "She grew up without a family and she's suffered enough. Now that we're all together, we can't let her put herself in the crossfire again."

"Shanley, we need you to keep this quiet. Help us rescue our parents and Celine."

"How do you plan to do that?"

Shanley set the milk down, leaning casually against the wall. "Sanctum Holdings is no small operation. His

etidgame is to get his hands on

Juniper for his research."

"He won't stop until he has her."

"We already have a plan," Ebony Fox chimed in. "We tell Sanctum Holdings that I'm Seven."

"Ebony Fox!" Coralie gasped, turning to her in shock. "I thought we agreed I'd be the decoy since Juniper and I are closer in age!"

"I have the combat training. It makes more sense for me to do it," Ebony Fox replied, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"No!" Coralie protested fiercely, her eyes red. "We need you here to protect her in the future."

Out of all of them, Ebony Fox was the best fighter. Coralie felt safest knowing she would be by Juniper's side.

"Coralie..." Ebony's expression tightened, trying to reason with her, but Melvin suddenly cut in.

"I'll go. Sanctum Holdings only knows 'Seven' exists. They might not even know if she's a girl or a guy."

"I think I'm the best fit," Harold argued, refusing to back down. "I'm a doctor. They might spare me for my medical expertise."

"I..." Jimmie started, but immediately

realized the flaw. As a famous public

figure, his age was

well-documented. Plus, the media had covered his family reunione

extensively if sanctum dug into background, they'd easily find out about his younger siblings.

Juniper would still be in danger.

He swallowed his words and changed his approach. "Whatever you need from me,

I'm all in."

"I'll go!"

"No, I'm going!"

"Stop fighting! I'm the best at talking my way out of things. Let me do it!"