Chapter 1125

Her siblings exchanged anxious glances, their hearts aching for her.

"It's been a long, stressful day. Get some sleep." Juniper slipped her hand into Shanley's and said softly, "We head back to Eclara City first thing tomorrow morning to execute the plan."

"Alright," they nodded in agreement. Seeing how exhausted she looked, they didn't have the heart to press for details.

They would just have to interrogate her about the plan tomorrow.

The next morning.

Juniper woke up groggy, the space beside her empty.

She scanned the room and spotted Shanley out on the balcony.

He was in his bathrobe, his hair slightly messy but his expression sharp and authoritative as he spoke on the phone.

"Exactly. Just do as I said." He kept his voice low, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Put the word out. I won't be attending any meetings, major or minor, for the foreseeable future."

"The reason? Just say I have pressing personal matters to handle."

It didn't matter what the public speculated. The only thing that mattered was making Sanctum Holdings believe that Specter had successfully issued a hit on him.

"Yeah."

Shanley glanced back, noticing Juniper was awake and watching him silently. He gave a few final instructions and ended the call.

He walked back into the room, handing her a glass of warm water he had prepared earlier.

"Everything is set. We can head back to Eclara City whenever you're ready," he murmured, gently smoothing her hair.

"Did you handle the situation with Subterra Vanguard?" she asked, her voice slightly raspy as she cupped the glass.

"Mhm." Shanley smiled faintly. "The hit order from Subterra has already gone public."

"They actually listen to you," Juniper muttered, rolling her eyes playfully.

She was the boss, after all.

Then again, putting out a hit on herself felt incredibly absurd.

She decided not to argue with him over it.

"Just borrowing your authority," he teased, his lips curving upward as he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bathroom.

He helped her with her toothbrush and washed her face, practically doing everything short of using the toilet for her.

"What are you doing?" Juniper mumbled through a mouthful of toothpaste, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Just want to take care of you while l can." He leaned down and pressed kiss to her cheek. With so much

6tainty ahead, he just wanted to

be as close to her as possible.

"Shanley..." Juniper frowned. She grabbed his tie, pulling him down to her eye level,

her gaze intense. "No matter what happens, we are not getting separated."

"If I die first, I'm taking you down with me. Deal?"

"Heh." He chuckled at her bluntness, his voice rumbling in his chest. "Hearing you say that puts my mind completely at ease."

Though secretly, if he died first, he

could never bear to drag her down with him. She was so young. She deserved to experience all the beautiful things this world ha offer.

Once they were ready, they departed Liberty Island.

Flint was waiting for them at the airport.

"Miss Payne! Boss!" Seeing the two of them, Flint-now sporting a heavily tanned, sunbaked complexion-looked so thrilled he

nearly dropped to his knees.m back!"

It had been absolute torture. The past half-month had been a living nightmare. Not only was the food terrible, but the sun was absolutely brutal. Walking down the street, locals would point at him and call him a foreigner. It was humiliating.

"Let's go," Shanley said, giving him a brief, sweeping glance before looking away indifferently.

"Right away!" Flint instantly opened the car door and slid into the driver's seat. He kept his mouth clamped completely shut.

He wasn't going to say a single reckless word. If they sent him back to Africa, he would literally just die on the spot.

Listening to the silence, Juniper's lips twitched in amusement.

"So, have you decided?" Shanley asked gently as he helped her buckle her

seatbelt. "How exactly should I die?"