He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 98

Juniper offered a soft smile and sank back onto the sofa, falling silent as everyone threw themselves into the work.

Zara's inventory had nearly sold out, netting the studio tens of thousands of dollars in just a few days. Considering their initially low consignment fees, simply turning a profit this early was a massive victory.

Juniper was satisfied. At this growth rate, the studio would secure a massive, loyal customer base within a year.

Once they had that dedicated following, the money would roll in effortlessly.

She finally allowed herself a moment to breathe.

Her phone buzzed. It was a text from Dr. Vaughn.

[What are you up to?]

She recalled the words Alistair had spoken to her while bandaging her ankle, and she lowered her gaze.

[Dr. Vaughn, truly, thank you for everything.]

He replied instantly, but just with a single punctuation mark.

[?]

[I thought very carefully about what you said, and you're right.]

[?]

[Are you free sometime? I'd love to take you out to dinner in a few days. We can spend some time getting to know each other.]

She was exhausted from constantly being at Nelson's mercy, tired of being dragged into a suffocating pit of despair every time he decided to play with her.

Since she was in a decent headspace right now, exploring something new seemed like a healthy step forward.

Even though she still wasn't entirely sure if Alistair had been serious when he made his move.

The chat went silent.

Juniper started second-guessing herself. Had he really just been trying to comfort her that day?

Frowning, she began typing out a retraction.

But she couldn't figure out how to phrase it without making the situation agonizingly awkward.

Just then, Alistair called her. His tone was as warm and steady as always. "Is your leg feeling better?"

Assuming he was just trying to smooth over the awkwardness, she quickly agreed, "It's getting there."

"Juniper, do you want to grab dinner tonight?"

She felt like she was getting emotional whiplash between his texts and his calls, but she agreed anyway. "Sure. Should I text you around seven?"

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