Hearing Shanley’s words, Juniper closed her eyes in peace and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Shanley carefully reclined the seat and gently draped a thin blanket over her. Once she was sound asleep, he took out his phone and contacted Felton.
[How was Juniper’s training today?]
Felton: [Sir…]
Felton recounted everything that had happened, which could be summarized in one sentence: The instructor tried to cause trouble for Ms. Payne but failed.
Felton: [According to our investigation, the instructor, Farrell, was accused by a student’s parents last year for having an inappropriate relationship with her. For some reason, the matter was swept under the rug. Also, this Farrell is Mrs. Sherwin’s distant cousin]
Mrs. Sherwin? Juniper’s adoptive mother?
Felton: [Sir, should we handle this?]
[No need. It looks like she’s having fun.]
The military training was boring, so having someone to entertain her wasn't a bad thing. Besides, his girl wasn't one to be pushed around.
...
After a night of sound sleep, Juniper woke up feeling fully refreshed and slowly opened her eyes.
“You’re awake?”
Shanley was still in the same position as last night. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he looked a bit tired. Had he been awake all night because of her?
“Sit up slowly, be careful.”
Shanley gently helped Juniper sit up. The arm that had been rigid all night was finally released, and a tingling numbness made him frown slightly.
“Don’t move.” Noticing his discomfort, Juniper pursed her lips and placed her fingers on his stiff arm, massaging it with just the right amount of pressure. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You were sleeping so soundly. Why would I wake you?” Shanley leaned back against the seat, his expression softening as he spoke in a doting tone. “You would have just gotten mad at me for waking you up.”
“Would I have?” Juniper retorted, but when she met his gaze, she felt a pang of guilt and her voice dropped.
Shanley just watched her quietly, a gentle smile on his face.
Juniper pouted and deliberately pressed harder on his arm. “That’ll teach you to laugh at me!” she thought.
“Alright, I’m leaving,” she said, pushing the car door open once she was sure he was okay.

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