Don't Mess with the Girl with Candy novel Chapter 979

"You didn't do anything, but he looked terrified, wouldn't meet your eyes, and looked completely furious?"

"He told me to stop pining over you. I told him I liked guys, and then I asked him if he had a girlfriend..."

Luella recited the exchange word for word. "And then he basically sprinted in the other direction."

Juniper rubbed her forehead, a headache already forming.

No wonder her brother had been avoiding her all morning like a mouse hiding from a cat. He had been completely traumatized by Luella.

"You're unbelievable." Juniper sighed with a helpless smile. "My brother isn't in our line of work. You can't just mess with him like that."

Jimmie was way too straight-laced. He was so notoriously proper he had never even had a rumored girlfriend in the tabloids. Luella's aggressive flirting probably almost gave him a heart attack.

"Fine, fine, fine."

Luella threw her hands up in surrender. "As long as he stops giving me attitude, I'll leave him alone. Deal?"

"Deal."

Juniper nodded, smoothly changing the subject to something more genuine. "How was your trip home for the holidays? Did everything go okay?"

"Hmm?"

Luella's playful smirk vanished instantly. The carefree front shattered, replaced by a flash of deep disappointment and an underlying sadness she quickly tried to mask with a forced laugh. "I mean, I'm still breathing, aren't I?"

"If you need my help, you say the word."

Juniper frowned fiercely, her expression dead serious. "Luella, never forget I owe you my life. The second you ask, the entire Subterra Vanguard is your weapon. And so am I. Understood?"

"I'm going to cry."

Luella froze for a second, her eyes turning slightly red. She threw on her obnoxious smile to hide the crack in her armor. "Having you as a bestie makes this whole miserable life worth it."

"Damn right it does."

Juniper couldn't help but smile, deliberately steering the mood back to lighter territory. "By the way, Shanley is still holding a grudge about that 'little darling' comment. You better smooth things over with him when he gets here."

Luella glanced down, her eyes catching the two unmistakable, deep hickeys on the side of Juniper's neck.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

The tomboy shook her head, muttering the word *animal* under her breath.

"He didn't exactly get off easy," Juniper replied calmly, lifting her chin. "I bit him back a few times. He's got the teeth marks to prove it."

"You sound proud of that."

Luella let out a dry laugh, then quickly added with mock annoyance, "Wait, are you shoving your PDA in my face right now?"

Mentally, she gave Luella a massive thumbs-up.

***

Global Securities Summit.

Financial titans from across the globe gathered in the massive venue. The floor was packed, buzzing with intense, chaotic energy.

On the colossal digital screens spanning the walls, thousands of stock graphs updated by the second.

Among them, two stocks under the umbrella of "Sanctum Holdings" were aggressively pumping funds.

It was a blatant power play, aiming to bulldoze right over Subterra Vanguard and the Schwartz Group—the two absolute dominators of their respective markets.

"Is their representative here?" Shanley asked quietly, peeling a piece of fruit for Juniper.

"Yes, they're in the VIP suite."

Felton reported respectfully. "They're heavily guarded. All the bodyguards are wearing masks."

They had clearly come prepared for a war.

***