Chapter 6 Big News about Magnus

The next morning, Ophelia rushed to the hospital upon hearing that Jennifer was ill. In her arms, she carried a bag overflowing with snacks and toys.

"Jennifer, you've lost so much weight!"

"Godmother!"

Since Jennifer's birth, Ophelia had been delighted to become her godmother.

"Come here, give your godmother a kiss! Oh, my poor baby, even your little hands are swollen!"

While Ophelia showered Jennifer with affectionate caresses, the little girl protested, "Godmother! You're too enthusiastic! My face hurts!"

"Sorry, sorry! Look, godmother got you all sorts of treats and toys. Do you like them?"

Juniper chastised, "It's not like she's seriously ill or anything. You'll spoil her rotten."

Ophelia dismissed the concern with a wave, "Kids need to be doted on, right, Jennifer?"

Jennifer's eyes crinkled up in pure joy as she threw Ophelia a wink. "I love you!"

"Love ya more!" Ophelia flashed a heart sign with her fingers.

While Jennifer was busy dressing up her Barbie dolls, Ophelia pulled Juniper out of the hospital room for a serious chat.

"Did you run into Magnus at the nightclub last night?"

Juniper froze, "How did you find out about that?"

"Michael mentioned it. He said you got drunk by Magnus despite your allergy to booze. He told me to check on you when I had a chance. I mean, Magnus really plays rough; he knew you were allergic and still..."

"I'm fine, I took an antihistamine. Besides, that bottle of liquor? Made a cool thirty-five thousand bucks. I came out ahead."

Ophelia frowned at her, "What are you saying? That's crazy talk! If your luck had run out, an alcohol allergy could've killed you, dummy! If I'd known, I wouldn't have introduced you to that moneymaking gig. If you hadn't been moonlighting at that nightclub, you never would've crossed paths with him again!"

Juniper sighed, "What will be, will be. If it wasn't this time, it would have been another, right?"

Ophelia looked at her with a mixture of affection and worry, "What's your plan now? For six years, whenever you're out of his sights, he smashes your career to smithereens, blackballs you from companies in the circle. Just last night, on your first reunion, he nearly got you killed. What if it's even worse next time?"

She shook her head, "I don't even know. I'll just have to deal with whatever comes. I can't afford to fret over it right now."

"And what about Jennifer? Are you planning to keep her existence a secret from Magnus forever?"

Juniper gave a wry smile, "What other choice do I have? Parade her in front of him? He'll think I'm using Jennifer as a moral hostage to make him forgive me. But there's been no chance for us since six years ago. Nobody knows his character better than I do. Anyone can betray him, but not me. If I were to betray him, the fact that he didn't take my life is mercy enough."

Ophelia shivered, "That man... he's terrifying!"

But to Juniper, this was all too familiar, "He's always been this obsessive. When he loves, it's deep in his bones. And when he hates, it’s with no holds barred."

Six years ago, Juniper was working a summer job at a bar when an inebriated patron touched her hand. Magnus, upon hearing this, dragged the man into a dark alley and broke his wrist.

Fearing retaliation against Magnus, Juniper wrapped her arms around his waist, pleading through tears for him to stop. If she hadn't intervened, she wouldn't have been surprised if he had beaten the man to death.

After that incident, Magnus wouldn't allow her to work part-time anymore. He obsessively washed the fingers the drunk had touched until they were raw. Only then would he gently kiss them, treating them like precious treasures.

That night, his possessiveness intensified as he held her down on the bed, covering every inch of her with kisses.

He said to her, “Juniper, don't let anyone touch you but me. I couldn't bear it.”

That was the paradox of Magnus: his love and his hate both knew no bounds.

"I'm scared he'll take Jennifer away from me, to get back at me,” she confessed.

Ophelia gasped, "He's twisted enough to do it!"

In that moment, Ophelia's phone started ringing—it was the editor-in-chief from the newspaper.

"Hello, boss?"

"Where the heck are you?! Magnus's scandal has hit the top of trending on social media! We got scooped again this month!"

His scandal?

Hanging up, Ophelia clicked into Facebook.

Top Trending: "Magnus Engaged!"

"Holy smokes! What the heck!” Ophelia cursed in shock.

Juniper thought there was trouble at Ophelia's office, "What happened?"

Ophelia handed her the phone, "Look at this massive news about Magnus!"

The woman, Mary, was a stranger to Juniper.

But still…

"He's engaged, that's great. I wish him well," she said calmly.

Ophelia's eyes widened, in disbelief, scrutinizing Juniper's face for any hint of sorrow, but she remained composed, without a trace of upset.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Juniper asked.

"You're reacting pretty oddly to this, you know. You used to be head over heels for Magnus, even stood up against your dad for him, and now..."

Juniper cracked a wry smile, "What's a 'normal' reaction supposed to look like? Crying won't bring Magnus back. Besides, his getting engaged means he's ready to move on, and that's good news for me. Maybe if he's happy with his fiancée, he'll forget about getting even with me."

Ophelia managed a tight smirk, "That's one way to look at it, not bad."

Pressured to return to the newsroom, Ophelia left in a hurry.

Juniper walked in from outside the hospital room.

Jennifer asked, "Mom, why are your eyes red?"

"Huh? Just the wind, and the aggressive AC they're pumping here at the hospital. Are you cold, Jennifer?"

Juniper quickly changed the subject.

"Not cold!"

But Juniper was distracted.

While pouring a drink for Jennifer, she shattered a glass.

That night, William was working the graveyard shift.

Juniper asked him to keep an eye on Jennifer and left for her side gig at the Floating Life Nightclub.

In the hospital room, Jennifer grew hungry and rummaged through the big bag her godmother, a journalist, had brought, and found a curled-up magazine which was probably left behind by accident.

With nothing better to do, Jennifer flipped through the magazine.

At six years old, not yet in first grade, she could only recognize a few words that Juniper had taught her.

Some words puzzled her, and she scratched her head.

Yet, the man labeled "Sir" on the cover looked so charming!

Even more so than Mr. Anderson!

Her eyes lit up, and with her pale little finger, she pointed at the man in the magazine, "He'd be perfect for mommy!"

By nine o'clock, Jennifer had nearly worn out the magazine, and her mother still hadn't returned.

Alone in the room and growing bored, she slid out of bed, put on her little yellow duck slippers, and stepped out.

William had said he would be on the second floor and if she needed anything, just to ask a nurse to take her to him.

She was about to approach the nurse's station when she caught sight of a handsome Sir by the window, on the phone.

She looked left and right, almost gasping in shock.

Wasn't that the dashing Sir from the magazine?