Chapter 283: The God's Weakness

“Alright then, I’ll leave you to it,” Sierra said with a faint smile as she stood up.

Watching her walk away, Mateo scratched his nose and called after her, “Hey, Sierra—don’t worry. We’ll do everything we can to take care of the people under the Zach Group.”

This time, Sierra’s smile was more genuine. “Thanks.”

“No problem!” Mateo felt relieved. This was more like the Sierra he was used to—steady, grounded, and clear-eyed.

Still, he decided not to tell Jonathan about what happened today. Jonathan already hated his stepmother intensely—no need to pour oil on the fire.

Back at home, Susie told Chase everything that had happened between her and Sierra.

“No wonder Jonathan’s into her,” Susie said quietly. “She really is a good girl.”

Chase thought back to the way Sierra had stood up for Jonathan that day and couldn’t find the words to respond.

Wayne had always loved Jonathan, but he wasn’t just Jonathan’s grandfather—he was the head of a powerful family. With so many grandchildren, Jonathan was never going to get much from him.

Only Sierra saw Jonathan as her one and only—her most important person. None of them could compare to that.

Even though Sierra’s route had been a dead end, they couldn’t let things keep spiraling.

“I’ll talk to my father,” Chase said finally.

Susie hesitated. She hadn’t wanted to involve Wayne—she knew he had always held some resentment toward her. But right now, they were out of options.

“Talk to him properly.”

“I know.”

After Chase left, Susie sat quietly for a while. She was about to head upstairs when something occurred to her—she hadn’t seen Jose in days.

“Where’s Jose?” she asked the housekeeper.

“Mr. Jose hasn’t been home these past few days,” the housekeeper reported. “He’s been frequenting bars lately.”

The Wynn family always kept security on their key members—some visible, some hidden. As one of the direct bloodline, Jose’s movements weren’t exactly a mystery.

A bar? Susie frowned. “Call him. Tell him to come home.”

Jose was with Shane when he got the call.

“I got it. Tell my mom I’ll be home soon.”

After hanging up, he turned to Shane. “So. What kind of partnership are you proposing?”

“Simple. Mutual benefit. You want something, I want something. So what do you say, Mr. Jose? Ready?”

Shane’s complexion was pale under the dim bar lights, giving him a ghostly edge.

Jose had heard of Shane. The guy had a reputation—a full-blown lunatic. He’d been quiet lately, apparently after getting his ass kicked by the Goodman family head.

Jose glanced at Shane’s colorless face and swirled the drink in his glass.

“Why should I trust you?”

“Because we have a common enemy.” Shane pulled down his collar, revealing unhealed wounds across his body. “Thanks to your dear big brother, I’ve been walking around like this.”

Jose downed the rest of his drink in one gulp.

“First of all, he’s not my brother. Second, he’s not my enemy. I’ve never wanted him dead.”

He just wanted Jonathan to look at him. To acknowledge him. To drag him off that pedestal and down to his level.

He used to want to climb toward the divine. But eventually, he realized—if a god won’t look down at you, there’s another way to get his attention. You pull the god to the ground.

Shane paused, then grinned. “Got it. Don’t worry—I don’t want him dead either.”

He just wanted to see what the golden boy looked like when he lost everything.

They exchanged a look. An unspoken agreement passed between them.

Jose checked the time. He didn’t have much of it left, so he cut to the chase.

“How are you planning to do it?”

“Do you know his weakness?” Shane asked.

Jose paused, then shook his head. “He doesn’t have one.”

Cold, ruthless, detached—he cared about nothing. Not the family empire, not money, not power. There really wasn’t anything Jose could think of that Jonathan would fight to protect.

And then suddenly—he thought of someone.

He sat up straight.

Seeing that flash of realization, Shane said quietly, “We could try…”

Jose hesitated. “He doesn’t seem like the type who’d sacrifice himself for someone else?”

Sure, Sierra was Jonathan’s girlfriend. But who really knew how much she meant to him?

Shane gave a slow, ceric smile. “Only one way to find out. Maybe… she’s Mr. Yeager’s weakness after all.”