Don't Mess with the Girl with Candy novel Chapter 83

"Do you understand?" Only after Juniper had spoken did Shanley turn to the officer, his deep, magnetic voice laced with authority.

"Yes, sir," Carl nodded hastily.

"Mr. Schwartz—" Dustin started to protest, but one look into the man's cold, menacing eyes sent a chill down his spine and he clamped his mouth shut. He was terrified that one more word would infuriate the enigmatic head of the Schwartz Group.

"I don't want anyone else to know about what happened here today. Understood?"

"Understood." Dustin clenched his jaw and fell silent.

As they were all leaving, Shanley finally asked the question that had been on his mind. "When did you learn to do that with computers?"

"Guess," Juniper shot him a sidelong glance, a playful, proud smile on her lips that was both cute and cocky.

"Heh." Shanley chuckled, amused. He pulled a box of candy from his pocket and handed it to her. "This version has less sugar, so you can eat more without it being too sweet."

Juniper took the box and froze when she saw the brand. "Isn't this from that shop in Australis? I thought their candy had a fixed sugar content."

They weren't supposed to have a low-sugar version.

"Yes, it's from Australis," Shanley said, his eyes softening as he watched her excitement bubble up. "From now on, the shop is yours."

Juniper stared at him, bewildered.

"I acquired the company. From now on, you can have them produce any flavor you want. Whenever you want some, just have them deliver it."

Acquired it? Juniper's mouth fell open in shock. Buying that company would have cost tens of millions, at least. And he did it just because she liked their candy? What was this man's endgame? What did he want from her?

"Juniper!" Just then, Salma walked over. "We have another class, we need to head back."

It was a thinly veiled threat disguised as concern.

"Huh?" Qadir was confused but nodded frantically. "You got it."

Was Shanley worried about him and Juniper? He had to admit, he'd had a bit of a crush, but after seeing her fight that afternoon, he was thoroughly intimidated. A small fry like him was no match for a powerhouse like Juniper.

...

Back at Aurora High School, Juniper stood straight in the office, hands at her sides, listening meekly as Salma spoke.

"Your dance and computer skills are excellent, but your academic scores..." Salma trailed off, looking at her file with an awkward smile. "We'll need to work on bringing those up."

Juniper followed her gaze. Her academic record was filled with zeros. It wasn't that she'd actually scored a zero, but final exams always seemed to coincide with some crisis that only she could solve—one moment a medical emergency, the next a computer breach. If she didn't go, the old men in her various associations would have a meltdown and blow up her phone.