"Don’t say sorry. You weren’t at fault," Dominick said, his voice dropping to a gentle murmur as he cupped her face. "I didn’t handle things well."
He stepped back slightly, realizing they were standing on the small balcony of her room.
"Sothing happened at the botanical garden today. The security forced us to leave so suddenly," Jeniva said, her brow furrowed. "I even called the local sentinel station afterward. I wonder what the situation is now. Sothing big must have been happening, right? For them to evacuate the entire place and call it an ergency..."
She looked up at him, her gaze clouded with confusion and lingering traces of the day’s stress.
Dominick felt a tightening in his chest. He looked into her eyes, seeing the innocence he was so desperate to protect. If he told her the truth, that a killer had been inches away from taking her life, she would be even more worried.
"Maybe so security precaution," Dominick lied smoothly, his thumbs brushing over her cheekbones.
"Sis, who are you talking to?" Elina’s voice drifted from the room. She stepped toward the balcony door, stopping short when she found Dominick standing there.
"Prince..." she paused, her eyes widening. "Your Highness!" She bowed her head imdiately.
Jeniva took a careful step away from Dominick, her gaze shifting to her sister.
"You need not bow to ," Dominick told her. Elina lifted her head, her eyes moving between the Prince and her sister.
"I am heading out to et my friend," Elina told Jeniva, gesturing toward her bag.
"Don’t go now," Dominick intervened. The sisters exchanged a confused look.
"Why?" Jeniva inquired. She was starting to piece things together—the way he had rushed to her house instead of letting her co to the palace, and the urgency in his eyes. He didn’t want her to leave the safety of these walls.
"But I haven’t seen him for months," Elina whispered, looking disappointed.
"Umm..." Dominick hesitated, feeling stuck between his desire to protect her and his promise to be honest. "It is risky to go out. Your sister was being targeted by a hunter earlier," he asserted. He had thought hiding the truth would be easier, but the danger was too imdiate to keep them in the dark.
"What?" both Elina and Jeniva exclaid in shock.
"Elina, we would like to have so privacy," Dominick urged, his tone brooking no argunt.
The younger sister nodded quickly and retreated into the house, leaving the two of them alone.
"So, in the garden, it was a hunter? You were there, then why didn’t you tell ?" Jeniva asked, her gaze clouded with confusion and a trace of hurt.
"Everything happened so fast," Dominick reasoned, his hands tightening slightly at his sides. "And I didn’t know I’d be coming here afterward. I knew I had upset you earlier, and I thought I could handle the situation without making you worry."
Jeniva looked toward the door where her sister had disappeared. "Don’t tell my sister that I work as a spy," she stated firmly in a low whisper.
"I won’t," he affird. "But telling her about the attack alongside you was important. She needs to understand why she has to stay inside."
"So, who attacked ?" Jeniva asked. "And why?"
"The hunter received your picture and a paynt through an agency. The specific motive for the hit is still unknown, but we are looking into it," Dominick stated. He stepped closer, his presence a shield against the darkness. "I have already planted security around your house. No one will get through that periter."
Jeniva leaned back against the balcony railing. "Maybe soone has grown enmity toward because of my missions. But I made sure that my identity would never be revealed. I am now worried about Elina," she murmured.
"Hey, I won’t let anything happen to you or your sister. Trust . Also, Evan will be around you all the ti. And I may also co here to keep you both safe, if you find that right. That way, I will be less worried," he stated.
"Don’t tire yourself out," Jeniva told him, straightening up. "Sorry for troubling you."
"You haven’t," he muttered.
~~~~
Juniper smiled as she stared at the notification on her phone; her first salary had finally been credited to her account. It was a genuine happiness she hadn’t felt in months, showing a small piece of her independence restored.
"I should give Denzel a treat," she murmured to herself, her thumb hovering over his contact na.
However, as she checked the ti on the clock, she hesitated. He might be busy with his own work or wrapped up in his duties at the palace.
"Maybe when he contacts , I’ll offer then," Juniper mumbled, deciding not to disturb him. She stepped toward the curb, signaled for a passing taxi, and hailed it to head ho.
As the car rged into the evening traffic, Juniper leaned her head against the glass of the window. Finally, an hour later, Juniper arrived outside her building. As she stepped out of the elevator and walked toward her apartnt, she froze.
Zilia and Alie stood in the hallway. Alie was holding two heavy-looking bags, while Zilia offered a small smile.
"June!" Zilia said, her voice softening as she saw her.
Juniper walked toward them, her gaze lingering on Alie.
"Zilia has traveled all the way here just to see you," Alie stated, shifting the weight of the bags in her hands.
"Let’s go inside," Zilia added, gesturing toward the door.
"How did you two find out that I live here?" Juniper inquired, her brow furrowing. After everything that had happened, she had valued the anonymity of her new ho.
"Denzel dropped us here earlier," Alie answered. "I know we should have inford you first, but we really wanted to surprise you."
Juniper felt a flicker of surprise at Denzel’s involvent, but she kept her expression neutral. She moved to the door, punched in the password, and stepped aside.
"Co in," she said, ushering them into the small space of her apartnt.
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