Chapter 697

When Hera heard that, she got a little green-eyed over Juniper. It wasn't 'cause Ronnie was all about her, but 'cause Juniper had two dudes wrapped around her finger.

Honestly, besides being kinda cute, Hera couldn't see what was so great about Juniper. In fact, she thought Juniper's character was pretty sketchy.

If she truly liked someone, she should be all in, not flip-flopping between two guys.

And she wasn't just flip-flopping; she wanted both of 'em.

Hera thought, 'She's clearly dating Ronnie but still wants Anthony to keep crushing on her. How could I let Anthony end up with someone like that? Even if I gotta be the bad guy, I can't let that happen. Anthony might think I'm the villain now, but he'll thank me later.'

"Mr. Woods, you really seem to like Ms. Cooper," Hera said with a grin. "Ms. Cooper, you're lucky to have Mr. Woods' heart, so you should hold onto it. Feelings should grow fast. If you're planning to get hitched, do it soon and have kids early. After all, having kids while you're young is best; family is a woman's lifelong gig."

Hera saying stuff like that was outta left field. Juniper wanted to snap back, "You studied medicine for years and became a hotshot doctor just to get married and have kids? Why push on others what you can't do yourself?"

But she didn't wanna start a fight; it wasn't classy.

Besides, Hera's main goal was to push her away from Anthony. Understandable; who'd want a chick like her around their boyfriend?

She'd always been upfront and had a clear conscience, except when it came to Hera...

She had a strong sense of right and wrong. Even just liking someone else's boyfriend felt like a huge no-no to her.

So even if Hera treated her like this, she couldn't complain. She was in the wrong.

"When are you planning to get married?" Ronnie asked.

Hera looked at Anthony all lovey-dovey, blushing. "Soon, I think."

Hera admired herself for acting so well. Maybe every woman had a bit of drama queen in her, even someone as straightforward as her.

When a woman desperately wanted to win the guy she loved, she could do anything, even stuff that surprised herself.

Juniper felt even more suffocated. Earlier, it was hard to breathe; now, she felt like she was drowning.

Maybe she was too blindly confident, thinking she could slowly let go of Anthony, which was why she stayed for work. But seeing him every day, how could she forget him? It was just self-torture.

As the saying goes, "to completely let go of a relationship, just follow this: don't see and don't be cheap."

She stayed by his side every day, watching him and Hera in love, even seeing them move towards marriage. Really, it was quite cheap.

To Anthony, she was completely unnecessary, an annoying presence.

Every second she stayed was torture, let alone continuing to stay by his side in the future.

The thought of quitting flashed through her mind.

"Then congrats in advance. When Juniper and I get married, we'll invite you too. You gotta come," Ronnie said.

"We'll totally be there," Hera replied.

The seafood showed up, but Juniper wasn't feeling it; she felt like crap.

Ronnie peeled a shrimp, dipped it in sauce, and brought it to her mouth.

Juniper had no choice but to open up, her lips brushing the sauce.

"Still a kid," Ronnie said, leaning in to kiss the sauce off.

Not again!

Juniper almost kicked him where it counts.

But she held back, quickly grabbing a napkin to wipe her mouth.

Ronnie paused, then patted her. "Good, right?"

"Yeah."

Ronnie said, "Great. Eat more if you like it. I'll keep peeling for you."

Juniper wanted to say it wasn't necessary; she didn't even like shrimp that much. But she had no choice but to eat each one Ronnie peeled.

Hera couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Ronnie pampered Juniper like a kid, not just messing around like with his past flings; he was genuinely into her.

She looked expectantly at Anthony, but his mind was somewhere else, silently drinking.

Did Juniper and Ronnie being together mess him up that bad?

Juniper felt awful too. She glanced at the wine in front of her and poured herself a glass.

"You can't drink!" Anthony pressed her hand down.

The touch sparked something, and Juniper looked at him, startled.

Ronnie's eyes darkened, and he smiled coldly, pushing Anthony's hand away and pouring Juniper a glass of wine.

"She can't drink," Anthony said.

Ronnie found it amusing, smirking. "Mr. Eilish, thanks for your concern for Juniper. Although she's your secretary, her boyfriend is me. I'll take care of her, so you don't need to worry. You should be concerned about someone else."

This made Hera feel a bit embarrassed.

She felt like a prop, stiff and insignificant, sitting next to Anthony.

No, not even a prop; she was acting, which was laughable.

Juniper had two guys fighting over her, while she... the one who should be drinking was her; she wanted to get wasted.

But she tried to save face, smiling. "Anthony is like that, very caring to those around him, even just a subordinate. I often say he's too nice, which can be misunderstood. Since Juniper wants to drink, let her have a little. It's okay if she gets drunk; Mr. Woods will take care of her."

"Yes, I'll take good care of her. Right?" He looked at Juniper.

"Yeah." Juniper smiled, but her heart was breaking.

Ronnie was acting, and she had to play along.

Getting drunk would be great.

Juniper took a sip of wine.

Anthony thought, 'She usually doesn't like drinking. Is she drinking because she's unhappy? But isn't she with Ronnie? Why is she unhappy?'

Anthony didn't get it; everything was so confusing.

He tilted his head back and downed his drink.

Juniper also drank a few glasses, her face getting redder, like a fire was burning under her skin.

Juniper thought, 'Anthony, you're sitting right across from me, yet it feels like we're worlds apart. Why is there a Hera by your side? Are we destined not to be together? Then why did I have to meet you? Why did I have to get hurt once, only to get hurt again? I really thought you were my light, my salvation, my warmth. But in the end, the one who hurt me the most is you.'