Don't Mess with the Girl with Candy novel Chapter 1136

"Juniper?"

"Juniper, are you listening?"

Hearing no response, Michael grew anxious and turned to the person next to him. "Someone else call her. Is my phone broken?"

"Okay," Catherine agreed. Just as she was about to act, Juniper suddenly spoke.

"Has the ambulance arrived?"

The surveillance feed was dead. She had no idea what was happening at the scene.

"The ambulance was on standby ahead of time," Michael sighed in relief, explaining, "The hospital is right next to Northbeck Bridge. They'll be there in five minutes."

"By the way."

Michael paused, then added, "If the plan changed, why didn't you give us a heads-up?"

"The water is filled with blood, and Mr. Schwartz is lying there motionless. It looks incredibly real."

"It's not."

Juniper's fingers slowly tightened. It took a long time before she found her hoarse voice.

"Not what?" Michael asked in confusion.

"It's not a plan."

Juniper leaned back against the wall. She had run out in a rush and wasn't wearing a jacket, only a thin shirt.

The biting cold seeped through the wall and the fabric, chilling her to the bone.

This shirt...

Shanley had bought it for her at the mall just a couple of days ago.

She looked down, gently smoothing out the wrinkles at the hem.

"Not a plan?" Michael choked on his words, all the humor vanishing from his tone. He asked tentatively, "Juniper, do you mean Shanley didn't stick to the plan and evacuate... he actually took the fall into the river?"

"Mm."

Juniper gave a soft hum. Her voice was incredibly low, carrying a faint sense of detachment.

She said, "Michael, Shanley decided he doesn't want a wife anymore."

Michael held the phone, too shocked to speak.

The other Vanguard leaders monitoring the situation exchanged heavy, grim looks.

That sly fox actually went this far for Juniper?

Unbelievable!

"Juniper, the ambulance is here," Michael finally said after a long silence. "The reporters on the scene have started live streaming."

"If you want to know how he's doing, you can check."

#...#

The top ten trending topics were almost entirely dedicated to Shanley.

The stark black-and-red typography made Juniper's head spin.

She steadied herself and clicked on the top trending hashtag.

On the live broadcast:

Ambulances and police cars had arrived at the scene. Rescue personnel were diving into the water.

The moment the video loaded.

Juniper saw Shanley being pulled from the river by the rescue team.

His forehead and face were slick with crimson blood, making it impossible to tell where he was injured.

Blood mingled with the river water, completely dyeing his white shirt a gruesome red.

Red.

So much red.

Looking through the screen at the lifeless man with his eyes tightly shut...

Juniper felt as if she could smell the copper tang of blood. Her heart seized with a violent ache, and her stomach lurched uncontrollably.