Chapter 1: “How could you ?”

She held the bat in her hands as she swung it in a threatening motion, protecting the quiet figure behind her.

"This is your last warning. You'd better leave this person alone or have a taste of my beautiful baby here," she said, kissing the bat with a smirk.

"You should be scared, beauty. You should have left when we asked you to. Now you will pay the price," the leader of the gang said with a smile.

As the tension rose, the boys closed in, their threatening gestures and taunting words escalating. Their presence loomed over her, threatening to shatter her sense of security.

Time seemed to slow, elongating every second and making the gravity of the situation more pronounced. But to Juniper, it looked like child's play.

Without any warning, she swung the bat, hitting the leader in the head. Blood gushed out, and he screamed in horror at the sight of his own blood.

"I warned you, didn't I?" she said, giving them a wicked smile.

The rest of the gang hesitated, realizing they had never planned to hurt anyone. But upon encountering this fearless girl, they knew better than to mess with her and ran for their lives.

"I will get you, bitch! You guys attack her for me," the gang leader, realizing he was left alone, shouted as he saw everyone else vanish into thin air.

Then, he felt a breath on his cheek, making him quiver in fear. He knew better than to make a sound.

"I don't care what grudge you have with this  guy here," she said, pointing at the quiet guy behind her, who had yet to react. "But you better leave if you don't want more blood coming out of your body," she threatened, her face fierce.

The gangsters stood up and ran away as soon as she finished speaking. They didn't even need to answer, knowing his life was at stake.

Juniper looked at the quiet guy and realized that despite everything that had happened, he showed no fear or expression on his face.

He seemed as though he hadn't been the one surrounded by those hooligans just a few minutes ago before she arrived.

"You don't need to worry about them anymore. You are free to go," she said, not waiting for a reply.

She picked up her book from the floor, smiled, and winked at him before leaving.

He silently stared at her retreating figure, his eyes captivated by her every move.

 The tension from the encounter with the gangsters lingered in the air, yet an unexpected sense of excitement coursed through him.

***Seven years later...

Juniper stood in her office, holding her phone with a loving gaze as she stared at the photo displayed on it.

Today marked six years since she had been in a relationship with Cole, who became her fiancé just six months ago.

Mago, her assistant, promptly entered her office with an urgent look on her face.

"Miss, the investors from Singapore are here for the meeting," Mago said.

Juniper put her phone down and stared at Mago. "But I clearly remember telling you to send a message to them that we would be having the meeting tomorrow. So, why are they here now?"

Mago stood there with trembling hands, knowing better than to annoy her boss.

Juniper's temper was well known, and experiencing it would make one wish they were dead.

"B... boss, I... I..." Mago stammered, struggling to find the right words.

"Okay, I get it. I don't care how you will get those people to leave and come back tomorrow because I have somewhere very important to be," Juniper said, not raising her voice or berating Mago for her incompetence. She simply left after stating her instructions.

Mago stood in the office, wondering what was wrong with her boss today. Juniper had been acting strangely, unlike her usual self. If only she knew...

Juniper stepped out of her Porsche Panamera, holding a small box in her hands as she looked at the venue before her.

She checked her phone again to ensure she was right on time.

With the assistance of a waiter, she gracefully walked toward the VIP room.

As she stood at the entrance, she prepared herself for the shocked expression she anticipated on Cole's face.

The mere thought of it made her heart race with excitement.

Using the code given, she opened the door and entered the room.

However, the sight that greeted her caused her to drop the small box and stumble back in shock.

Juniper stood frozen, her heart pounding in her chest as she watched Cole, her boyfriend of six years, embracing another woman.

It was Sunny Blay, a woman she knew very well, representing the epitome of elegance and wealth from the first-tier family in the city.

The sight tore through Juniper like a dagger, unraveling the trust she had placed in their relationship.

"What... What is going on here?" she managed to utter, despite the undeniable truth before her eyes.

James calmly let go of Sunny's hands and looked at Juniper, the warmth and loving look in his eyes for Sunny replaced by cold indifference when he turned his gaze towards her.

"I should be the one asking the questions, Juniper. What are you doing here?"

"I can't believe it," Juniper whispered, her voice choked with disbelief and hurt. "How could you do this to me, Cole? After everything we've been through? We're engaged, and our wedding is in just a few months. How could you?"

"How could I?" Cole responded, devoid of any remorse. "The fact that I haven't thrown you out for disturbing our peace and for showing up here without my knowledge should tell you how generous I am."

Juniper shook her head in disbelief. His actions were foreign to her. "You're not my Cole. My Cole would never treat me this way. And what are you still doing here? Just leave already”

Juniper screamed at Sunny, who sat comfortably and looked at her with a smug expression.

It was heartbreaking to witness Juniper lose her composure.

"Cole, she's being noisy. Our baby needs all the silence he can get," Sunny said calmly.

Juniper stumbled back in shock, desperately trying to find something to hold onto. "She... She's pregnant?" Her words trailed off, unable to be completed.

"Yes, she's pregnant, and we are getting married in a month's time. As for our engagement, let's consider it broken," Cole coldly replied.

Juniper couldn't fight the tears any longer as they fell like raindrops.

She felt her world spinning around her. She held onto the door for support and asked, her voice filled with pain, "Why, Cole?"

But deep down, she already knew the answer as she clutched her hands tightly, her heart trembling. If only she knew what awaited her in the days to come.