Chapter 694

Anthony wasn't feeling it and just said, "Next time. I'm swamped today."

Hera whined, "You run the Eilish Group, so when are you not busy? No matter how slammed you are, you still gotta eat. As a doc, I gotta remind you that skipping meals is a big no-no. If you don't eat three squares a day, you'll mess up your stomach, and that's no joke. Your stomach's already messed up, and if it gets worse, it'll mess with your work. So, eating on time is a win-win for you, the company, and your crew." Hera thought she could totally be a lawyer.

But Anthony wasn't having it. "Some other day."

"Some other day means you're blowing me off, which means you don't wanna be friends. Even if I told you I liked you, you don't have to ditch me, right?" Hera looked kinda hurt. "After all these years, is this how you treat me?"

"I really don't have time today." Anthony thought she was being a bit much. She used to be chill and never acted like this.

When it comes to feelings between a guy and a girl, no matter how tight the friendship was, once someone confesses, it's hard to go back.

He was definitely dodging Hera.

Hera griped, "How long does it take to grab a bite? Not even as long as we've been talking about it. Think of it as a thank you or a celebration for Nora getting better. You can't say no to this dinner."

Anthony was getting a headache from her nagging. He didn't wanna agree but didn't wanna waste more time on this. "I'll go after I finish these contracts."

"Alright, take your time."

Hera walked to the window, pulled up the blinds, and looked out at Juniper with her arms crossed.

Juniper kept her head down, pretending to work, but she was totally daydreaming and looked super stressed.

Hera thought, 'Isn't she with Ronnie? Why does she look like that? She must still have feelings for Anthony. A guy like Anthony is hard to get over. Just like me, I have plenty of good options but I stick around for him, being his friend. I've always been there for Anthony and I deserve his love. And Juniper, who has a boyfriend but still thinks about him, is just too much. I can't let Anthony be with someone like her. Even if it's not me, it can't be Juniper.'

Hera made up her mind.

As if sensing her stare, Juniper turned to look at her. Hera immediately raised her chin, looking all smug like she was Anthony's wife.

She saw a flash of pain in Juniper's eyes and secretly clenched her fingers.

Then, Juniper looked down again.

In the last few minutes, Juniper was almost counting the seconds. Every minute felt like torture. She was super anxious and stressed out.

As soon as it was time to leave, she grabbed her bag and bolted to the elevator.

She just wanted to get out of there.

Her heart sank lower and lower with the elevator, falling into a darker place.

In her mind, Hera's smug face kept popping up. She knew Hera was warning her, and her pride crumbled in front of Hera, making her feel ashamed.

Because she did like Anthony, which was wrong. She felt deeply guilty.

In the packed elevator, people trickled out one by one, and Juniper finally snapped out of her daze just in time to hurry out.

But, of course, she had to bump into Hera and Anthony right as they were stepping out of the elevator.

Hera naturally looped her arm through Anthony's and asked, "Where are we grabbing food?"

Anthony's eyes landed on Juniper, and he didn't shake off Hera's hand. He thought, 'Am I trying to mess with her? Or maybe even get back at her? When did I become so petty? This isn't me at all.'

"Hey babe, you're off work."

Just then, a strong hand landed on Juniper's shoulder.

She flinched and looked up, only to have Ronnie's lips press gently against hers.

Juniper felt like she'd been struck by lightning, her whole body went stiff.

Ronnie actually kissed her. Was he out of his mind?

Juniper was too stunned to react.

In front of a bunch of people, Ronnie kissed her, and it was right in front of Anthony.

Anthony's gaze turned dark and pained.

It felt like a dagger had been shoved deep into his heart.

He had this crazy urge to pull them apart.

They'd been living like a couple at her place, maybe even shacking up. He'd heard it himself. But he never thought about them doing anything intimate, and seeing it now made him furious.

It felt like something precious had been ripped away from him, and his heart ached and felt suffocated.

When Juniper snapped out of it, she quickly pushed Ronnie away and looked at Anthony in a panic.

But Anthony's eyes were ice-cold, like she was a stranger.

Juniper thought, 'I'm so nervous, flustered, afraid he'll get the wrong idea, but his eyes are so indifferent and unfeeling. He doesn't care at all, only I care. I'm just fooling myself again.'

Anthony walked away without a word, and Hera seemed to smirk mockingly at Juniper.

"Sweetheart..." Ronnie reached for Juniper's hand, but she slapped it away.

If it weren't for all the people around, Juniper swore she would've slapped him hard.

Juniper got into the car with a stormy expression.

"What's wrong..." Ronnie started to speak when a gust of wind came, and Juniper's slap was aimed at him.

He quickly caught it. "We can talk. Why hit?"

Juniper snapped, "I hit you because you're a jerk. Who told you to kiss me?"

Ronnie teased, "Isn't it because you're too beautiful and I like you too much that I couldn't help myself?"

He still had the nerve to smile?

Juniper wanted to rip his face off. "Ronnie! I even thought about treating you as a friend, but I didn't expect you to be such a casual person."

"I'm not a casual person. I kissed the woman I like, so how is that casual? Do you know I went to a bar last night and didn't touch any women because of you. My friends laughed at me so much..." Ronnie hadn't even mentioned they wanted to meet her.

Juniper cut him off with a cold laugh, "Not touching other women deserves an award? So for someone like you who thinks with their genitals, partying and womanizing is the norm, and not touching other women becomes a big deal. If someone were to become your wife, it would be truly sad and I pity her!"

Juniper fired off like a machine gun, her words hitting Ronnie and piercing his heart. It actually hurt.