He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 74

Juniper curled up in her dream, instinctively hugging the blanket tight.

The prison named Nelson still kept her soul firmly locked away.

When she woke up, her head was still throbbing.

Thankfully, she still had two days off. She forced herself downstairs, grabbed a glass of water, and opened her work group chat to check messages.

The studio had just launched. They hadn't received much jewelry on consignment yet and only scheduled one livestream a day.

The chat was already pushing the client liaisons to start networking. There were too few consignment items, and even fewer that could be sold. It wasn't even enough to cover the payroll for ten people, let alone long-term growth.

Perhaps shifting her focus to work helped ease her discomfort.

She quickly applied a cold compress to bring down the swelling around her eyes, took a shower, changed clothes, and scrolled through her business contacts.

This was her initial roster of clients, several of whom lived in the city.

Juniper selected a client named Zoe Ziegler. She checked the woman's social media to gauge her personality before sending a message.

[Ms. Ziegler, a new dessert shop just opened near the studio. I'd love to treat you to some sweets if you have the time.]

She genuinely had noticed a new dessert spot opening nearby, complete with advertisements.

She looked it up on a delivery app and sent a photo of their signature pastry.

[See anything you like? I have some free time right now, and the weather is nice. Maybe we could grab afternoon tea.]

The woman known as Zoe Ziegler picked up her phone. Seeing it was the studio she had consigned with a few times, she felt a bit puzzled.

[Are you sure?]

[Absolutely. If you ever have any unused jewelry in the future, please reach out to me first. We're close by, so I can come over to appraise them. No need to ship anything; I can give you a quote on the spot.]

Zoe's lips curled up. She leaned back in her chair. She came from a very ordinary background and had worked her way up in the city to a net worth of millions of dollars. But when it came to jewelry, secondhand was definitely a better deal.

She sent her address and circled one of the desserts. [Can I get this one?]

Coincidentally, she actually worked at Saint Group.

Saint Group held massive prestige in the city. To prevent corporate spies from posing as delivery drivers to steal information, outside deliveries were strictly regulated, not to mention the company already had a massive cafeteria.

Just as Juniper was about to speak, she heard Lydia's voice behind her. "Juniper?"

Wearing high heels, Lydia walked over, her gaze sweeping over Juniper with a cold expression.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for work."

A hint of mockery appeared in Lydia's eyes. "Using such a clumsy excuse to see Nelson? Haven't you been tossed around enough?"

In private with Juniper, she dropped all pretense, leaning in slowly. "I'm trying to conceive right now. We're planning for a second child. Juniper, learn when to stop, alright?"

She let out a sigh, offering a seemingly well-intentioned warning. "Nelson is young. He got rejected a few times and got a little frustrated, but I was just strictly following the doctor's orders. Did he go looking for you in a fit of anger again?"

Though framed as a question, it was stated as a fact.

Juniper's fingers instantly dug into the bags. So he had been rejected by Lydia, which was why he was so eager to collect his so-called interest from her.