Chapter 774: Don’t react that way!
"Carlos said that!?" Amelie asked, her eyes widening as Gabriel recounted the conversation.
"Hmm. He’ll lead the witches and sorcerers," Gabriel confirmed. "It’s good that he is finally hearing his heart’s calling. Sometimes it’s important to embrace the fear that scares us the most. Because that fear eventually becomes our strength."
He reached out, his large hand incredibly gentle as he brushed a thumb over Noah’s soft cheek. The boy was fast asleep in the middle of the vast mattress, his small arms thrown up over his head in total, trusting surrender.
"If Carlos has truly made up his mind, I’ll only support him," Amelie replied, her expression softening. She lowered her hairbrush onto the vanity.
Rising from the chair, she turned and switched off the main lights, leaving only the amber glow of a single lamp in the room.
She walked over to the bed, sliding in on the opposite side of Noah. Reaching for the edge of the duvet, she pulled it up to cover their son, while Gabriel mirrored her movement from his side, tucking the duvet around the toddler’s small frame.
"Noah’s checkup is on Monday, along with yours," Gabriel stated. "In a few more months, he’ll be walking on his own two feet, speaking more clearly to us."
"You’re right. His teeth have also started to come out," Amelie noted, her hand moving to stroke Noah’s small head.
"Noah will soon be going to school," Gabriel murmured, his eyes fixed on his son as if he were already imagining the boy growing into a young prince.
"That still has time," Amelie reminded him with a soft, grounding smile. "Let’s just enjoy him being this small for a little while longer. Once we get back to San Ravendale, the years are going to fly by."
Gabriel propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at her in the amber glow of the lamp before suddenly leaning over to plant a kiss on the top of her head.
"What was that?" she mused.
"A goodnight kiss," Gabriel answered, taking a deep breath of the scent of her hair. He settled back onto his pillow, closing his eyes as the weight of the day finally began to lift. "Amelie... I love all of this."
She smiled as she shut her own eyes. "Me too," she admitted.
~~~~
Juniper rubbed her eyes as she set her computer glasses aside. She had spent the last few hours meticulously refining the report due in the morning.
After one final, thorough check, she clicked save and shut down her laptop for the night.
As she climbed into bed, however, the silence allowed her thoughts to drift back to Dominick.
His words echoed in her mind with painful clarity—the mention of a second-chance mate and the fact that he had truly moved on.
The realization hit her for the umpteenth time: she was a closed Chapter in his life, a part of a past he had no intention of revisiting.
She tossed and turned, the soft sheets feeling restless against her skin as she tried to reconcile the woman she was becoming with the life she had left behind. It took a long time for her mind to quiet, but eventually, exhaustion won out, and sleep finally took over.
.
.
.
The loud blare of her alarm jolted Juniper awake, and she immediately realized she’d slept through her first two warnings.
Scrambling out of bed, she got ready as quickly as possible, skipping breakfast and rushing out the door.
When she finally reached her department at the company, she was met with a sudden pop that made her flinch. A shower of confetti rained down, flustering her and bringing her to a complete halt in the doorway.
Her colleagues were standing there, smiling warmly as they presented her with a large bouquet to celebrate her rejoining the team. It was the last thing she had expected from any of them.
"June, we heard that you chose to forgive us. Thank you so much," said one of the colleagues—the very one who had been among the first to start the bullying. They stepped forward with a look of genuine regret. "You have such a big heart. We were wrong to hurt you. We really didn’t deserve your mercy."
One by one, the others followed suit, offering quiet, sincere apologies. Juniper looked at the flowers in her arms, realizing that by choosing not to ruin their lives, she had actually managed to change them.
"June, the manager has been transferred to another branch," Chloe informed her with joy.
"And Victor has to serve the prison term according to the laws," Marcus pronounced.
Juniper was shocked to learn that. She truly hadn’t realized that the legal and corporate consequences would move forward so decisively despite her own refusal to press for more personal revenge. It seemed the company and the authorities were determined to clean house, regardless of her mercy.
"The new manager will be here any time. Let’s take our respective seats," another colleague’s voice chimed in, breaking the heavy silence that followed the news about Victor. "June, if you need any help, do tell me."
Juniper offered a small, grateful smile and a nod at Hana before heading toward her own station.
The atmosphere in the office was unrecognizable compared to the cold, hostile environment she had experienced for over a month.
She carefully placed the vibrant bouquet onto the corner of her desk and switched on her computer.
"June, the department actions were all taken by the director. I think he’s interested in you," Chloe whispered as she rolled her chair a few inches closer to Juniper’s desk.
"What?" Juniper exclaimed.
"Don’t react that way!" Chloe hissed playfully, clicking her mouse to look busy. "He was looking at you the day he visited this place. Also, I heard that it’s because of him our company decided to take bullying seriously from now onwards. He personally pushed for the new policies."
Chloe smoothly drifted back to her own station before the floor supervisor could notice, leaving Juniper staring blankly at her monitor.
’I don’t think Denzel is interested in me. But why did he help me?’