Chapter 1123

"Bullshit!" Ebony Fox cut Melvin off. "When things go south, fists matter a hell of a lot more than words!"

"Come on, Ebony Fox, that's just "

The room devolved into total chaos, their voices overlapping and growing louder by the second.

Shanley stood off to the side, massaging his temples. This was giving him a massive headache.

"Listen, Shanley, you know the secret now," Melvin snapped, losing his patience as the other man remained silent. "You're in this whether you like it or not. If you can't keep your mouth shut, we'll just have to deal with you."

"Melvin, what the hell are you saying?" Jimmie shot him a sharp glare. "Shanley knows what's at stake. He'll keep the secret."

"Right, Shanley?"

"No." Shanley shook his head, his tone lazy but resolute. "I promised Juniper I wouldn't hide things from her. I'm not going back on my word."

Jimmie mentally retracted his previous statement. Maybe Melvin was right. Taking Shanley out might be the easier option.

"Are you out of your mind?" Ebony Fox, always the hothead, let her anger flare. "If she dies, you think you're still getting a wife out of this? I swear to God, if you breathe a word of this to her, I will end you!"

"I told you guys he wasn't reliable."

With that, Ebony Fox lunged forward, ready to grab him by the collar. "You want to send my sister to her death? Over my dead body!"

"Ebony Fox, stop." Coralie immediately grabbed her shoulders, practically hanging off her to hold her back. "Just breathe. Let's talk this out."

"When Juniper was three, she was separated from the family and taken in by an old man," Shanley suddenly said, his voice cutting through the tension.

"Later on, he fell terminally ill. To find the medicine to save him, she crossed mountains and rivers, pushing herself until she was covered in bruises and completely battered."

"She found the cure, but by the time she made it back to Eclara City, he was already gone."

"It nearly broke her. For a long time, she wasn't even a functioning person. Just a walking corpse."

"She blamed herself. She thought if she had just been a little faster, she could have saved him. But at the

very least she knew she had done everything in her power. She didn't have to live with the regret ofnot trying."

The siblings fell completely silent, a heavy, suffocating weight pressing on their chests as they listened.

"Keeping this from her might seem like you're protecting her, but have you actually thought about how she'd feel?"

Shanley lifted his gaze, his handsome face turning serious, his voice dropping to a low register. "She isn't nearly as fragile as you all think."

*Click.*

Right as he finished speaking, the door swung open. Everyone froze, staring in shock at the girl standing in the doorway.

"Juniper, you're awake?" Jimmie,

true to his acting chops, recovered

first, pasting Shanley some

on a warm smile. We

were just asking

questions about Sanctum Holdings."

"You could have just asked me."

Her throat felt tight. She walked over, picked up the glass of milk, and took a sip, her

eyes narrowing slightly. "By the way, where were we in the conversation?"

Her siblings watched her nervously, pressing their lips together in sheer panic. They shot desperate glances at Shanley.

Shanley turned his head away, pretending he didn't see a thing.

"Hmm?" Finishing her milk, she set the glass down and swept her gaze across the room. "Let me guess."

The siblings braced themselves.

"You want Shanley to keep a secret

for you?" She leaned over the table, a few stray hairs falling across her

relaxed wit

forehead, giving her a relaxed,

Untouchable aura. Our parents are still alive, and they're being held at

Sanctum Holdings."

Her siblings: "???"

What just happened? The soundproofing in this room was top-tier. There was no

way she heard them from the hallway.

When did Shanley manage to tip her off?!