Juniper looked around the small room in the one-bedroom house. It appeared dusty and neglected, as if it hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned in years. Turning back to Karmen, she asked, "Do I have to pay to stay here? Or is this some kind of house arrest?"
"You don’t have to pay to live here," Karmen stated. "Do whatever you want, but keep in mind that eyes will be on you." He decided this moment, while she seemed a little calmer, was the perfect time. "Also, who were you talking with earlier?"
"It was an old lady," Juniper replied. "Telling me she’s a guide sent by the Moon Goddess," she murmured, laughing humorlessly at herself.
Karmen was confused by her sudden, dark amusement. "Why would such a guide come to you?" he asked, trying to figure out if she was lying or delusional.
"Exactly," said Juniper, keeping her gaze low. "She was only pissing me off and adding more wounds to my already hurt body and mind."
"Why did she introduce herself as a guide to you? What exactly did she say?" Karmen asked, knitting his brows together in suspicion.
"That she would help me," Juniper answered. As she said it, a chilling thought crossed her mind: ’Was she Ophelia?’
"You better not try deceiving the royal family," Karmen warned, moving closer to her, his shadow falling over her face. "You were already caught joining hands with Ophelia once. Juniper, don’t fall into her trap if you truly want everything to turn right for you. You also heard Carlos and his grandmother’s warning about the consequences."
Juniper held his gaze and nodded her head.
"If I catch you crossing the line," Karmen’s voice dropped, "your next destination will be the prison, Juniper."
"Will you be around me all the time?" asked Juniper, her eyes searching his face.
"Kind of," he replied vaguely. He wasn’t about to reveal that Gabriel had already planted a dedicated spy to monitor her every activity. "I will take my leave now. Clean the house and manage it in whatever manner you want to."
As he turned to leave, Juniper called out, stopping him. "Please, can you tell me how Dominick is doing?"
"I have no information on that," Karmen replied flatly, side-stepping the question entirely, and left the house without a backward glance.
~~~~~
As Karmen stepped out of the elevator of the building, his eyes fell upon Aisha, who was waiting for the car to descend, holding several shopping bags in her hands.
"Hi!" Aisha said, offering him a soft smile.
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