Chapter 2 Meeting Again

Inside Floating Life Nightclub.

Magnus had just clocked out and got invited to a private room. The moment he pushed the door open, a party popper exploded right in his face.

Everyone in the room yelled, "Happy Birthday!"

Magnus frowned; it had been ages since he last celebrated his birthday.

Robert Brown strolled over and threw an arm around Magnus's neck. "So, what do you think? Like it?"

Magnus muttered, "Lame."

Robert chuckled, "Oh, come on. I don't buy it. Deep down, you're loving this, aren't you? But you still gotta act all cool."

The group plopped down on the sofa, ready to start drinking when the door swung open again.

Everyone except Michael Johnson was shocked to see Juniper walk in.

Juniper hadn't expected to bump into Magnus here and hesitated at the door.

Lately, she had been abruptly fired from the TV station, and multiple interviews had led nowhere like she was blacklisted from the whole industry.

But her family needed money badly. After a lot of effort, she finally found a part-time gig through Ophelia Perez's help.

Initially, Juniper didn't want to take it, but thinking of her daughter who needed surgery and her sick mother, she couldn't afford to be choosy.

Juniper stood at the door, not daring to move.

Breaking the awkward silence, Michael was the first to speak, "Come in."

Robert quickly nudged Michael. "What are you doing?"

Michael said, "I... invited Juniper."

Hearing this, Robert's eyes widened, and he gave Michael a thumbs-up. "You're something else. You even dare to bring her in front of Magnus. Aren't you scared they'll start a fight?"

Hearing this, Juniper looked up at Magnus. He just sat there quietly drinking, saying nothing.

Juniper gathered her courage and walked to the stage, ready to sing.

Just when everyone thought the situation would blow over, Magnus stood up and walked over to Juniper. "The mayor's daughter of X City, here to make money at a club?"

Juniper forced a smile, thinking, 'Do you really not get why I'm here trying to make money?'

Juniper replied, "Even the president's daughter has to make money when she's broke. Can't find a decent job, so I have to come to places like this."

Magnus suddenly laughed. "Alright, since you're here to make money, why don't we play a game?"

Juniper suddenly had a bad feeling. When Magnus smiled like that, it was never a good sign.

Magnus pulled out a bank card from his pocket. "There's forty thousand dollars in here, no password. If you drink this glass of wine, it's yours."

He casually tossed the card on the table, picked up the glass of wine, and leaned back lazily on the sofa.

Juniper asked, "Mr. Blackwood, can we play something else? I'm allergic to alcohol."

Magnus swirled the wine in his glass. "You're allergic to alcohol? How come I didn't know that?"

Hearing this, Juniper understood his intention. Magnus knew she was allergic to alcohol, and he did it on purpose.

Juniper felt a deep sense of helplessness. She couldn't avoid this glass of wine.

Juniper set aside her violin and approached Magnus, who was lounging with his long legs spread across the sofa and table, blocking her way to reach the wine.

Seeing that Magnus wasn't responding, Juniper cautiously spoke up, "Mr. Blackwood?"

"Yeah?" Magnus's lazy voice drifted to Juniper's ears, like a feather tickling her heart, making her feel all kinds of uneasy.

Juniper asked, "Could you please hand me the glass?"

Magnus didn't budge. "Get it yourself."

Juniper glanced at his long legs, feeling stuck. She turned to look for Michael and Robert, but they had slipped out at some point.

Now, it was just her and Magnus in the room.

After a moment of hesitation, Juniper decided to step over.

Just as she lifted her leg, Magnus raised his own, causing her to end up falling into his arms. Her heart raced as she looked at his face. "Mr. Blackwood..."

She tried to get up, but the awkward position made it tough, so she had to push herself up using the sofa.

However, he suddenly grabbed her hands and pinned them behind her back.

"Magnus!" With her freedom restricted, Juniper couldn't help but become angry.

"Drink the wine, and you'll get the money." Magnus pressed the glass to Juniper's lips, his eyes lingering on her lips.

Juniper hesitated for a moment, then she slowly lifted her head and, with Magnus's force, drank the wine.

The cold liquid slid down her throat, feeling like a sharp, icy burn.

Juniper couldn't handle the intense wine and began coughing uncontrollably, causing the remaining liquid to spill and soak their clothes.

Juniper's clothes were thin today, revealing a hint of black underneath.

Magnus glanced at her wet clothing and frowned.

Noticing her gaze, Juniper cursed inwardly, eager to escape from him. But he held her hands tightly, refusing to let go.

Juniper reminded him, "The wine is finished, Mr. Blackwood. Can you let me go now?"

Magnus stood up, closing the distance between them, so close that Juniper could feel his breath.

Magnus picked up another glass of wine. "You spilled some, so that doesn't count. Drink again."

Juniper was taken aback. "What?"

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Don't you want the money?"

Juniper bit her lower lip hard and pressed her lips to the glass again.

With the experience from the first time, Juniper could barely handle the burning sensation of the strong wine this time.

After finishing the glass, red rashes started appearing on Juniper's body, and her face turned an abnormal shade of red.

Juniper uttered, "I'm done, Mr. Blackwood. Can you give me the money now?"

Magnus stared at Juniper for a while, then forcefully threw her onto the sofa, tossing his stained suit on the floor and disdainfully wiping his hands. "Don't ever show your face around me again. And that ring? Chuck it."

Juniper instinctively covered the ring on her hand, not expecting Magnus to recognize it.

The ring wasn't valuable, but it was the only gift from Magnus she had left.

Juniper mocked, "Mr. Blackwood, do you have the power to dictate what jewelry others wear now?"

Magnus didn't respond, but his face darkened even more. He got up and left the room, leaving Juniper alone.

Hearing the door close, Juniper's tears finally fell.

Overwhelmed by grievance and sadness, Juniper realized that she and Magnus could never go back to how they were.