Don't Mess with the Girl with Candy novel Chapter 1145

"Ms. Payne." As soon as she walked in, the base personnel stood up, opening their mouths to ask about the news but too intimidated to actually voice the questions.

"He's fine," she stated flatly, dropping into a chair and immediately getting down to business. "Is Luella here?"

"Right here!" Luella Langley materialized from around the corner. "You holding up okay?"

"I'm fine," Juniper replied. Her complexion was terrible, but her eyes burned with an icy resolve. "What's the situation with Sanctum Holdings?"

Luella dropped her usual laid-back demeanor, her expression turning dead serious. "They got wind of Mr. Schwartz's condition and reached out to us on their own. They requested a face-to-face meeting with you."

"Accept it." Juniper picked up a glass of orange juice and took a sip. It was overwhelmingly sour. The tangerines stocked here were originally prepped by Shanley. Without him around, everything tasted wrong.

"Already did," Luella nodded. "They want to meet at their headquarters. They said…" She paused, her voice tightening. "They said they want to show their sincerity by introducing you to a few people."

Introduce her to who? Juniper knew exactly who they meant.

"I'll get ready. We leave immediately." She set the glass down and paced a few steps before suddenly stopping. She turned back around, picked up the terrible juice, and downed the rest of it in one go.

"I'm coming with you," Luella said, rushing to catch up, clearly anxious.

"What, afraid I'll snap and try to kill Corvus Thorne on sight?" Juniper smirked humorlessly.

Luella clamped her mouth shut, not daring to confirm it.

"Relax. I still have a boyfriend to take care of. I won't do anything stupid," Juniper drawled, her tone carrying a dangerous edge. "But if you want to tag along, be my guest."

"Let her be," Corvus Thorne's voice echoed through the clearing as he stepped into view, wearing a sickeningly polite smile. "As expected of the legendary Specter. Absolutely ruthless."

He had seen the footage of the crash. As far as he knew, the leader of the Sigma Network was either dead or permanently disabled. Rumor had it that the Subterra Vanguard was already sweeping in to absorb their territories. The Sigma Network was currently collapsing like a house of cards.

"I heard you wanted to show me some sincerity?" Juniper raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over the surroundings as her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. This was her first time seeing their main base. It was far more hidden and heavily fortified than she had anticipated. Nestled deep in a valley, the sky above was shielded by a stealth canopy designed to block all satellite imaging and radar. No wonder no one could ever track this place from the air.

"Of course," Corvus said, practically glowing with arrogance. "I guarantee you'll find this extremely interesting."

He led her into the compound, bypassing Silas Blackwood's holding cell entirely, and stopped directly in front of Theia Sommers' door.

"Theia Sommers," Corvus announced smoothly. "A genius on par with Dr. Nocturne."