Chapter 282: No Place for Mercy

Before Sierra could respond, Susie went on, her tone steady but firm. “I don’t know how familiar you are with the Zach family. Right now, we’re at a disadvantage, yes—but only because we weren’t prepared. If this escalates into an all-out war, no one wins. I don’t want it to come to that. And I don’t think you want to see Jonathan get hurt either.”

“You threatening me?” Sierra’s voice turned sharp.

“It’s not a threat,” Susie said calmly. “Just the reality of what could happen. Even if I wanted to stop it, what power do I have? I’m just a married daughter. In the face of profit, my words mean nothing. The Zach family has too much to lose. And when people have too much to lose, they do reckless things. Believe me, I don’t want Jonathan to get caught in that. He’s the only thing Cindy left behind in this world.”

Maybe it was the way she spoke of Jonathan’s mother, or the soft look in her eyes, but Sierra found herself asking, “If you cared about them so much… why did you hurt them in the first place?”

Sierra could picture what must have happened—how broken and desperate Jonathan’s mother must have felt, betrayed by both the man she loved and her closest friend. It wasn’t hard to see how it all ended the way it did.

“It’s not…” Susie started, then paused, sighing. “What happened back then… right or wrong, it’s over. I’m not here to relive it. I’m just trying to fix what I can now. If it’s possible, I hope you can convince Jonathan to spare the Zach family. I’ll take Jose and leave the country. We won’t ever come back.”

She believed that was more than enough sincerity. But Sierra didn’t agree.

“Sorry. I can’t help you.”

“You…” Susie looked startled and anxious, ready to say more. Sierra cut her off.

“I won’t interfere with Mr. Yeager’s choices. If he’s decided to go after the Zach family, I won’t stop him. If seeing this through brings him peace, then I think it’s worth it.”

Susie was stunned. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. From what she had learned, Sierra was the kind of person who had stood up for victims in Maviston, had taken in a stranger’s little brother and treated him like her own. She was supposed to be kind. Compassionate. So why was she saying this? Susie scrambled to reason with her.

“The Zach family employs tens of thousands of people. If it collapses, that’s tens of thousands of families losing their livelihoods. Are you really okay with that?”

“Maybe you misunderstood. I’m not God. I don’t have a saint’s heart. I can only save one person. And I’ve already made my choice. I’m sorry.”

Still, Susie’s words weighed heavily on her. The whole afternoon, Sierra couldn’t shake the feeling. Thankfully, most of her work was already done, so she told her seniors she was leaving early. But instead of heading home, she went to find Mateo. Out of everyone, she was closest with him—and he was, in many ways, the least complicated.

“Sierra! You’re looking for me?” Mateo lit up at the sight of her. “Need help with something?”

“I wanted to ask about the Zach family. Between Mr. Yeager and them… who’s more likely to win?”

“Obviously us!” Mateo said without hesitation.

“But what if they fight to the bitter end?” Sierra pressed further.

Mateo didn’t hold back. He broke down the current situation honestly, and what he said wasn’t far off from Susie’s version. Taking down the Zach family would come at a cost. Their own company would suffer serious losses—recovery could take up to two years.

“Sierra, why’re you suddenly asking about this? Someone from the Zach family came to you? Damn, they’ve got guts.” Mateo might not always seem sharp, but he wasn’t stupid. Sierra had always been laser-focused on her research—this was clearly out of the ordinary.

Sierra told him what happened. Mateo’s expression turned serious.

“That’s classic manipulation. Don’t fall for it, Sierra.”

“…I won’t.”

Still, Susie’s words echoed in her mind. This was a personal feud between Jonathan and Susie—but now tens of thousands of people might pay the price. Mateo could tell what she was thinking. His voice softened.

“Sierra, business is like war. It’s kill or be killed. Some things just can’t be avoided. And it’s too late to pull back now.”

Besides, if Sierra really tried to step in, it could damage her relationship with Jonathan. Mateo didn’t want her to do something she’d regret.

“I understand.” Sierra forced a small smile. “I wasn’t planning to do anything anyway.”

And the truth was—she couldn’t even if she wanted to.