Rejected and Pregnant: Claimed By The Dark Alpha Prince-Chapter 718: Since our school days
Juniper walked out of the examination room. Her injury had healed completely. She slid the medical report into her shoulder bag.
As she navigated the hospital lobby, her fingers brushed against something tucked in the side pocket, a small, folded slip of paper. Denzel had left his number written on it.
Taking her phone from her pocket, she began typing the digits as she pushed through the heavy glass doors of the hospital. Just as she hit the dial button, a blaring ambulance swerved into the emergency bay. Seeking a bit of peace, she hurried toward a quieter corner of the garden area and waited for the call to connect.
"Hello?" Denzel’s voice finally came through.
"This is Juniper speaking," she said, raising her voice slightly to be heard. "I’m calling because I need your bank details. I want to wire the money I owe you as soon as possible."
"I’ll text the account info to this number," Denzel replied shortly.
Before she could even offer a thank you, the line went dead. Juniper pulled the phone away from her ear, staring at the darkened screen for a moment before tucking it away and stepping toward the curb to hail a passing taxi.
Hailing a taxi, Juniper climbed into the backseat and gave the driver the address of her apartment. As the car pulled away, she leaned her head against the glass of the window, watching the towering buildings sweep past her.
I wonder how Nick is doing, she thought, before immediately catching herself. She shook her head firmly, trying to physically dislodge the thought. She had told herself a thousand times not to think about him anymore.
Whenever she allowed her mind to drift back to the past, she was struck by how genuinely happy she had been. The realization always brought a bitter sting of regret. Why had she let her selfish desires grow until they consumed everything? Why couldn’t she have just been content with the fact that Dominick was the only one she truly wanted?
She took a deep breath, realizing such questions had no meaning left. The taxi pulled up to the curb of her high-rise, and Juniper paid the driver before heading inside. She took the elevator up to the tenth floor, the familiar hum of the machinery doing little to quiet her racing thoughts.
She reached her door and began tapping in the passcode, but the sound of a voice behind her made her jump.
"This apartment is yours?!"
Juniper spun around, her eyes widening as she found Denzel standing there, balanced with a heavy grocery bag in each hand.
"You?" she gasped.
"I live right next door," Denzel answered with a shrug, gesturing with his chin toward the door immediately to her left. He adjusted his grip on the bags, his gaze traveling over her. "What did the doctor have to say? I assume you were at the hospital when you called."
Juniper’s brows furrowed in confusion. "How did you find that out?"
"I heard the faint wail of a siren in the background when we were on the phone," Denzel said.
"The injury has fully healed," Juniper replied. "I’ll be heading inside now."
"Sure," Denzel said, stepping back to give her space. He watched her disappear into her apartment before turning to his own door and inserting in his passcode.
"Don’t forget to send me those bank details!" he heard her call out, her head popping back out into the hallway for a brief second.
"I will," Denzel promised with a short nod before stepping inside.
He set the heavy grocery bags on the kitchen table and headed straight for the water purifier, pouring himself a large glass of water. After draining it, he moved to the living room, peeling off his heavy coat and tossing it over the arm of the couch.
He slumped into the cushions and pulled his phone from his pocket. True to his word, he forwarded the account details to Juniper’s number. He spent a few minutes clearing through a backlog of work messages, but just as he was about to set the device down, it gave a sharp ping.
He checked the screen. Juniper had already wired the full amount.
"Thanks," he typed back. He tossed the phone onto the coffee table and leaned his head back.
~~~~
"I shall go now," Karmen said softly, his gaze lingering on Aisha.
"Hmm. Call me once you reach the palace," she replied, finally letting go of his hand and stepping back. She waved as he pulled out of the driveway, watching until his car disappeared from sight. When she finally turned back toward the house, she found Lilith leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest and a knowing look in her eyes.
"I thought you were the one who wasn’t ready to let any man get close again." Lilith walked over and draped an arm loosely around her sister’s shoulders as they walked inside.
"It was a decision made after a lot of careful thought," Aisha answered, trying to keep her voice steady.
"It’s good. Honestly, I’m already waiting for the wedding day," Lilith stated, heading straight for the living room and sinking into the plush couch. "Karmen is a true gentleman, and it’s obvious he’s in love with you. But I remember when he visited our home... the look in his eyes back then wasn’t much different." She looked up at Aisha, her eyes narrowing playfully. "You two are lying, aren’t you? You’ve been seeing each other for a long time. You know you can trust me; I won’t say a word."
Aisha sat down opposite her, sighing softly. "We truly did start recently. Karmen has had feelings for me since our school days, but he never confessed because Joshua was in the picture back then. Karmen has done so much for me without ever asking for anything in return. This time, I couldn’t refuse him. I felt I owed it to him to give us a chance, and to give myself one, too."
Lilith’s expression softened into a genuine, warm smile. "You did the right thing, Aisha. You deserve that kind of loyalty and love."
