"Then why did you just call Luella your little darling?" Shanley clearly wasn't buying her sweet-talking, crossing his arms sullenly. "I heard it. I heard the whole thing."

"I was just playing her."

Juniper stood up and stepped directly into his personal space, practically melting against his chest.

She rested her chin on his sternum, looking up at him through her lashes, the corners of her eyes curving up.

It was a blatant, calculated attempt to butter him up.

"Luella practically lives at the Subterra Vanguard base keeping things running,

which is the only reason I have so much free time to spend with you."

Juniper licked her lips, spinning absolute nonsense. "I just have to keep her fiercely loyal to the cause, don't I?"

Shanley stared down at her, his eyes narrowing slightly as if to say:

*Keep lying. Keep spinning your little web.*

"Besides," Juniper shifted higher, pressing a quick, soft kiss to the corner of his mouth, her tone deadly serious. "Luella likes men. We're just besties."

Hearing that, Shanley suddenly remembered Luella's bizarre habit of collecting photos of shredded male models' abs.

Right.

Thank god her tastes leaned towards men, otherwise...

"You aren't mad anymore, right?" Juniper's round eyes sparkled, her voice soft and dangerously persuasive.

"No."

Properly appeased, Shanley's expression finally thawed. He leaned down, aiming to kiss her properly.

"Glad we cleared that up."

The moment she achieved her goal, Juniper's affectionate smile vanished. She slipped out of his arms like a slippery eel, dropped back onto the couch, spun her laptop to face him, and adopted a strictly business expression. "Now, let's talk about why our stocks are being squeezed to a halt."

Suddenly finding his arms empty, the heat that had just flared up in his chest was thoroughly doused with cold water.

Shanley frowned hard, his voice dropping into a husky rumble. "Is this really the time for business?"

"What else would we be doing?"

Juniper shrugged, looking at him as if he were crazy. "This is millions in losses we're talking about! Millions!"

She emphasized the 'millions' with terrifying intensity.

What a little capitalist.

Shanley couldn't help but smirk. He leaned over, his gaze dropping to the glowing

screen.

He had already been briefed on the "Sanctum Holdings" situation.

If neither Cybernetic Shadows nor Binary Oracle could unmask them, their opponent was far from ordinary.

"Planning to crash the Global

Securities Summit?" The two of

them squeezed onto the single

armchair, Shanley's hand resting naturally on her waist.

"Yeah."

Juniper sipped her juice, giving a subtle nod. "I want to meet them face to face. Let's

see exactly what kind of monsters we're dealing with."

Subterra Vanguard was the dominant power in Australis.

The Schwartz Group ruled Borealia.

This aggressive attack wasn't just about tanking a few stocks. It felt much bigger...

It felt like an intentional move to cripple the financial giants of both continents simultaneously.

"I'm going with you," Shanley said in a low, definitive tone.

There was something seriously wrong with this "Sanctum Holdings."

"Alright."

Juniper nodded, snapping the laptop shut. She stifled a yawn. "Then it's settled. Business is handled. Let's sleep."

"Business is handled?"

Juniper tried to stand, but Shanley immediately yanked her back, pinning her securely in his lap.

He stared down at her, his Adam's apple bobbing, his dark eyes intense enough to pull her under.

"What else is there?" Juniper shrugged lightly. "Do you have more paperwork?"

"I think it's time we get down to our

own proper business." Shanley gently pinched her cheek, leaning in

to brush a kiss against the corner of

her lips.

"This is your definition of proper business?"

Juniper's eyelashes fluttered. She stared deep into his eyes, her breathing suddenly hitching.

"Very proper."

Shanley's lips curved. His left hand gripped her waist firmly while his right hand slid around to cup the back of her neck.

He leaned down again, deepening the kiss into something entirely consuming.

Juniper frowned slightly. She was genuinely exhausted.

But the face looming over hers was undeniably, unfairly intoxicating.

Tsk.

Her body was a lot more honest than her logical brain.

By the time she fully registered what was happening, her arms were

already locked aro his neck lined

willingly pulling herself deeper into the current.

***