Don't Mess with the Girl with Candy novel Chapter 231

“Some old, ugly, annoying fossil,” Juniper fumed, punching a sofa cushion in frustration. “Even if I told you, you’d never find him.”

“Oh, really?” Shanley chuckled, finding her anger both endearing and amusing. It was the first time he’d seen her this worked up.

“And what makes you so sure I can’t find him?” he asked softly.

He was, after all, the leader of Cybernetic Shadows, one of the world's top hacking collectives. Aside from the mysterious head of Subterra Vanguard, there was virtually no one he couldn't track down.

Juniper turned to look at him, her clear eyes shimmering. For years, Subterra Vanguard and Sigma Network had been searching for each other to no avail. How could Shanley possibly succeed?

“You see, I’m—” Shanley began, a smirk playing on his lips as he prepared to reveal his identity, but he was cut off by the phone ringing.

It was Jimmie. Juniper snatched the phone and accepted the video call. “Jimmie.”

“Juniper,” Jimmie’s voice came through. He had just wrapped up filming and was packing to return home. “I should be back in Eclara City by the morning after next, at the latest.”

The flight from his location to Eclara City was over twenty hours.

“Okay,” Juniper replied quietly.

“Start packing a few things. I’ll come pick you up and take you home as soon as I land.”

She understood his words perfectly but said nothing.

“Juniper, did you hear me?” Jimmie asked, raising his voice when he got no response. “I said, pack your things. The first thing I’m doing when I get back is bringing you home.”

He waited for her reaction. Living with Shanley must have been inconvenient for her in so many ways. He was sure she’d be thrilled to come home.

Jimmie, however, was puzzled. Something felt off.

“Alright, We’ll sort it out then,” he said, deciding not to press the issue since he was in a hurry to catch his flight. It wasn't like Juniper had much to pack anyway.

“Oh, by the way…” Just before hanging up, Jimmie remembered the search for their family. “I was planning on hiring Cybernetic Shadows again for this.”

At the mention of that name, Juniper’s mood soured instantly.

“No,” she snapped before Shanley could speak. “Cybernetic Shadows took forever to find me last time. How can they call themselves a top-tier hacking group?! If I were their leader, I’d be so ashamed I’d go dig a hole and never come out!”

“Juniper, you don’t understand, Cybernetic Shadows is—” Jimmie began, frowning. Did his sister not know that Shanley was their leader? The last search was a fluke, his own fault for giving them the wrong information. Besides, insulting Cybernetic Shadows right in front of its leader…