When the Flame of Love Fades

Chapter 29: The Gift She Prepared

“Impressive. Three years in prison, and now you even dare to talk back to me.”

“Bradley, take her back. Tell them she refuses to obey and that we can’t control her. Let her continue her education in prison.”

“Dad!”

The three Xander brothers’ faces changed. Franklin had no idea what Sierra had gone through in those three years, but they had investigated everything.

“I said, go!”

Franklin shot Bradley a glare, but his attention stayed on Sierra. He expected her to be afraid. But she wasn’t. She stood there, completely calm, as if she wasn’t worried at all.

Bradley opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, his phone rang. As he answered, his expression quickly turned grim.

“Dad, something happened! The case from four years ago has been dug up. People online are saying The Xander Group’s pharmaceuticals killed people.”

Franklin’s face darkened. He no longer had time to deal with Sierra. He immediately called for Bradley to follow him. This was a crisis. They needed to meet with the shareholders immediately.

The mood in the room shifted. Worry appeared on everyone’s faces. Sierra took it all in, her eyes flashing with satisfaction.

Four years ago, The Xander Group had released a new drug that caused severe side effects in many users. Two people had even died. Since she had been living with the Xanders at the time, she had known about it. Back then, she had been genuinely worried. She had spent her days trying to figure out what she could do to help. It was that obsession that led her to overhear Franklin and Bradley’s conversation.

The drug had real issues—it wasn’t just a smear campaign from competitors. Franklin had pulled some strings, securing an official report that cleared them of wrongdoing. They had also pressured the victims’ families into publicly stating that the deaths were unrelated to the medication. With those moves, The Xander Group not only avoided a crisis but even used the situation to play the victim, boosting their reputation.

At the time, she had already been studying biochemistry. After much hesitation, she had tracked down a recalled sample of the drug and analyzed it. Her findings confirmed what she feared—there were harmful compounds in the formula. She had held onto that report all these years. She hadn’t expected it to become useful today.

Watching the concerned expressions around her, she let out a small, mocking laugh. Then she turned and headed upstairs to her room.

This should buy her a few days of peace. Sure enough, the Xander family had no time to bother with her anymore. Franklin and Bradley didn’t even return home. The crisis had exploded online, drawing massive attention. They were too busy trying to control the situation to worry about Sierra.

Jonathan only found out about Sierra’s transfer when he arrived to teach his class. He immediately went to the department head’s office. “What’s going on?” He had assumed the students had caused trouble again.

The department head sighed. “Mr. Yeager, we had no choice. It was an order from above.”

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. He understood. His frustration simmered. The Xander family must have lost their minds. Was Sierra not their biological daughter? Why would they treat her like this?

Sierra was at her grandmother’s hospital when she received Jonathan’s call. She gave him her location, and before long, he arrived. The first thing he said was, “Do you need my help?”

Sierra shook her head. “There’s no point,” she said. Jonathan was just a professor. He couldn’t possibly go against the Xanders, who even had a stake in the university. Besides, why would he help her?

Jonathan studied her for a moment. Then he asked, “Are you really going to accept this?”

“I can still study on my own.”

“The school could teach you far more than you could learn alone,” Jonathan pointed out.

Sierra knew that. But she had no choice. Even if Franklin weren’t too busy to deal with her now, he would never let her transfer back.

Seeing her remain silent, Jonathan said, “Leave it to me.”

Sierra turned to him, her expression cautious. “Why?” Why would he help her?

Jonathan smiled. “Three reasons.”

“First, I told you—I believe in fate.”

“Second, I admire your talent.”

“And third, I thought we were friends.”

Sierra pressed her lips together. After a moment, she met his gaze and said, “I’m glad to be your friend.”

“Good. Then don’t be polite with me.”

“Wait for my news.”

He was about to leave when something seemed to occur to him. He turned back and looked at her.

“The past few days…was it you?” He had heard about The Xander Group’s scandal. The fallout was huge. And now, the Xander family was scrambling.

Sierra met his eyes. “Yes,” she admitted. “Does that scare you?”