Rejected and Pregnant: Claimed By The Dark Alpha Prince-Chapter 738: Juniper doesn’t deserve this

Juniper sat quietly at the edge of the long table, slowly sipping the alcohol from the glass in her hand. Laughter and chatter filled the restaurant as her colleagues enjoyed the team dinner, but she felt completely detached from the atmosphere.

Social gatherings like this had never interested her much, and tonight she felt even less inclined to participate. Still, refusing the invitation would have drawn unnecessary attention, and the last thing she wanted was to give people another reason to talk.

So she remained there, nodding occasionally when someone spoke to her, pretending to listen while her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

After some time, the noise of the room began to feel suffocating. Juniper quietly placed her glass on the table and excused herself, offering a brief polite smile before walking toward the restroom.

She pushed open the restroom door, only to stop just before stepping inside.

Two of her female colleagues stood near the sinks, completely unaware that someone had arrived. Their conversation was casual, but the words that reached Juniper’s ears made her body stiffen.

Juniper remained by the doorway, her fingers slowly curling into fists at her sides as she listened.

"She behaves like she owns the whole world," one of them said with a dismissive laugh. "Prince Dominick must have gotten tired of her arrogance. The palace never allowed the real rumors to come out, but I have a friend who works there. She told me Juniper caused quite a lot of trouble right after the marriage."

The second woman leaned against the counter, shaking her head slightly. "Honestly, I don’t even understand why the company hired her."

The first one shrugged. "Maybe her ex-husband helped her get the position. After all, she must have received a massive amount of money in the divorce settlement too."

Their laughter echoed softly in the tiled room.

"But Prince Dominick hates her," the second woman said in a low voice, clearly puzzled. "Why would he help her get a job?"

The first woman gave a small shrug again, her tone full of speculation. "Maybe she demanded it as part of the divorce. I heard she didn’t even want to separate from him in the first place."

Juniper then straightened her shoulders and walked inside.

The sharp sound of her heels against the tiled floor instantly caught their attention.

Both women turned at the same time.

"June?" one of them said, her face draining of color as she realized who had been listening.

Juniper did not respond.

She walked past them as if they did not exist and stopped at the sink. Turning on the faucet, she calmly washed her hands. When she finished, she lifted her gaze to the mirror.

Behind her, the two women exchanged nervous glances. The earlier confidence they had shown had completely vanished. Without saying another word, they hurried out of the restroom.

Juniper remained there for a few more seconds, staring at herself in the mirror before finally turning off the tap.

When she returned to the dining area, the laughter and conversation were still going on as if nothing had happened. She walked to her seat, picked up her purse, and approached the team leader.

"I’ll be heading home," she said politely, bowing her head slightly.

Before the team leader could respond or ask any questions, Juniper had already turned and walked away.

~~~~

Denzel stood near the entrance of the restaurant, waving casually at the person inside the car as it slowly pulled away from the curb. When the vehicle disappeared down the street, he let out a long breath and stretched his shoulders.

"Gosh... I really need a break," he murmured to himself.

He turned around, ready to head back inside, when his eyes caught sight of someone stepping out of the restaurant.

It was Juniper.

She walked quickly past the entrance, her head slightly lowered as she wiped at her face. Even in the dim light, Denzel could see the tears she was trying to brush away. Her usually composed expression looked fragile for a moment, and before he could even process what was happening, she had already walked past him and down the street.

"Juniper—" he started to say, instinctively stepping forward.

But she didn’t stop.

Within seconds she had disappeared into the darkness beyond the streetlights.

Denzel stood there for a moment, unsure whether he should follow her or give her space. In the end, he hesitated and turned back toward the restaurant.

When he stepped inside, the atmosphere felt completely different from what he had just witnessed outside.

Several of their colleagues were gathered around the large table, laughing loudly and chatting as if the evening were nothing more than a casual celebration. But as Denzel moved closer, fragments of their conversation began to reach his ears.

They were talking about Juniper.

More specifically, about her failed marriage.

The words were spoken casually, almost carelessly, as if they were discussing gossip instead of someone’s life. A few people laughed while others leaned in, eager to hear more.

Denzel’s brows slowly drew together as irritation rose inside him.

For a brief second he considered saying something, telling them to stop. But the thought disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

If he interfered, it would only make things worse for Juniper.

Denzel stepped out of the restaurant and walked toward the parking lot. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He unlocked his car and slid into the driver’s seat. Tossing his office bag onto the passenger seat, he leaned back for a moment and ran a hand through his hair.

"Juniper doesn’t deserve this," he murmured under his breath.

He stared through the windshield, recalling the sight of her walking out of the restaurant, wiping away her tears as if she didn’t want anyone to notice.

"Just because she’s a commoner, they think they can talk about her like that... blaming her for everything."

For a moment, a thought crossed his mind.

"Should I tell Gabriel about it?" he wondered aloud.

But almost immediately, he shook his head.

"No... Gabriel would be the last person to help her," he muttered. The idea felt pointless the more he thought about it. Gabriel had never been particularly sympathetic toward Juniper, and bringing this up might only create more problems for her.

Denzel let out a slow sigh, resting his hands on the steering wheel.

"I can’t interfere directly either," he said to himself. "She might misunderstand it... or feel insulted."

Still, the thought of leaving things the way they were didn’t sit right with him.

He frowned slightly, his brows drawing together as he tried to think of some way to change the situation without making it worse for her. There had to be a way to make the office environment less hostile, to stop the gossip before it spread any further.

But for the moment, no clear solution came to mind.

Denzel remained sitting in the quiet car, staring ahead while his thoughts searched for a way to help Juniper without hurting her pride.