Chapter 696

Juniper suddenly screamed, "Wait, can you get AIDS from kissing?"

The sports car screeched to a halt.

Juniper's head spun. "Are you nuts? Stopping like that?"

But Ronnie's roar drowned her out, "Juniper, what the hell do you think I am?"

"A sex-crazed maniac!"

Ronnie had never wanted to throttle her more.

"I'm not some damn animal."

"You're worse than an animal," Juniper shot back. "At least animals have standards. You don't even care."

"Goddammit!"

'If I wasn't picky, I'd have a line of women waiting for me. I could have a hundred choices in one night. Why would I need to beg her? Does she think I enjoy being treated like crap? I'M a proud guy,' he fumed.

"You really think I have some disease? Are you serious?"

"My suspicion is totally reasonable," Juniper argued. "You're almost thirty, right? You've been with hundreds, maybe thousands of women. What if you got something? Doing this stuff all the time definitely ups the risk."

"Damn it. The women I pick are safe, and I take all the precautions."

Juniper shot back, "You can still get infected from kissing. You think you're safe? You're clueless."

"I haven't kissed anyone but you!"

Juniper sneered, "So you just do it without kissing? You're worse than an animal."

"Are you trying to piss me off? I'm healthy; I get a physical every year."

"Did you get a full blood workup? You should get tested, just in case..."

She sounded like she was enjoying his misery.

Ronnie asked, "You actually want me to be infected, don't you? Heartless. How can you be so cruel?"

"How is that cruel? I'm just giving you a heads-up."

Ronnie continued, "Do you want me to shove my medical report in your face?"

Juniper waved her hand. "Go ahead. Do it. If you don't, you're useless."

She could rile him up with just a few words!

"What? Are you mad? Then I'll get out of the car." Juniper said, reaching for the door.

"You're doing this on purpose," Ronnie grabbed her hand, gritting his teeth. "Fine, I'll show you my medical report tomorrow."

He had never felt so humiliated.

Juniper was just venting, but she didn't expect him to go this far.

"Can we go eat now?"

Juniper pouted, "Drive."

They pulled up to a seafood joint.

Ronnie's face was still stormy.

'Is he still mad about earlier? Did I really go too far?' Juniper thought, but she couldn't bring herself to apologize.

Her eyes suddenly widened.

Not far away, by the window, were Anthony and Hera.

How many times had they run into each other now? What terrible luck!

Juniper turned to leave, but Ronnie saw them first and grabbed her hand, dragging her over.

"What are you doing? Don't start something, Ronnie," Juniper gritted her teeth and whispered. She had just forgiven him, and now he was stirring the pot again. It was really annoying.

"Mr. Eilish, what a coincidence. Care to join us?" Ronnie asked casually.

Before Anthony could answer, Hera smiled and said, "Sure."

Anthony frowned.

Juniper was also annoyed.

These two, were they doing this on purpose? Couldn't they just ignore each other?

Ronnie pulled out a chair for Juniper like a true gentleman.

She shot him a reluctant glance and sat down.

Ronnie asked, "What kind of seafood? Oysters?"

"She doesn't eat that," Anthony cut in, making everyone's faces shift a bit.

Anthony still remembered. Juniper's heart skipped a beat.

Hera looked uncomfortable.

Ronnie smirked, "I'll handle my woman myself. No need for your concern, Mr. Eilish."

He ordered a deluxe platter of oysters.

Anthony found it ironic and thought, 'He doesn't even know what she likes to eat, and now he's ordering oysters. Is this his idea of taking care of her? Does he think of her as his property? Juniper's not like his other women.'

Anthony knew he shouldn't interfere, but he couldn't help it.

Hera suddenly wrapped her hand around his arm and sweetly said, "Remember when we studied abroad and always ate seafood? You loved shrimp and would eat a ton every time."

They did eat seafood back then, but always with a group.

Anthony didn't understand women well, but he knew Hera's game. She was saying this for Juniper to hear.

"Ms. Cooper, how long have you been at the Eilish Group?" Hera asked, smiling gracefully.

"Half a month," Juniper replied.

Hera said, "Busy, right? Our Anthony is a workaholic. When he's busy, he often forgets to eat. Could you remind him for me?"

"Sure."

Wasn't Hera just marking her territory?

Juniper could sense Hera's hostility, but it made sense. Women were possessive. Hera probably knew about her past with Anthony. If she were in Hera's shoes, she might do the same.

She felt super awkward.

"Being a secretary at the Eilish Group must be tough. Most girls can't handle that kind of pressure. I heard the last two couldn't take it and ended up getting married and having kids." Hera smiled, pretending to ask casually, "When are you and Mr. Woods getting married?"

Juniper's scalp tingled, but Ronnie took her hand and smiled. "Soon."

Hera said, "You've only been dating a short time and already plan to get married? Must be head over heels. When you meet the right person, you just know."

"Yeah, I can't wait to marry her," Ronnie said, looking deeply into Juniper's eyes and kissing her hand.

His gaze was so full of affection that any other woman would have melted.

But to Juniper, it felt like a joke. She thought, 'Is he out of his mind from earlier? What nonsense is he spouting? I have no intention of marrying him. Even if I end up alone for the rest of my life and have no one to hold a funeral for me, I'll never marry him. Why am I cursing myself like this? I won't end up alone, and someone will hold a funeral for me. At worst, I can adopt or freeze my eggs; I still want kids. As for a future partner, if it can't be Anthony, then marriage doesn't matter anymore.'

Juniper didn't know why she was so down. Anthony wasn't the only guy in the world. Maybe she was just passing through, and her true love was still out there, not him.

But seeing him so close with Hera now, it felt like something was stuck in her throat, making it hard to breathe.