Chapter 428 The Antidote

The moment she heard the voice, Sierra’s face changed. “Shane. It’s you.”

She had nearly forgotten about him. But the moment his voice echoed in her car, Sierra realized–she would never truly forget Shane.

He was her nightmare.

“Yes, it’s me,” Shane said calmly on the other end of the line. “I heard you’ve run into some trouble. Need my help?”

“You said you have the antidote?”

Sierra had no interest in small talk. She cut straight to the point.

“I do.”

“Where did you get it? Was it you?”

A flood of thoughts flashed through her mind all at once.

“How I got it doesn’t matter,” Shane said. “But don’t try to pin this on me. If I had that kind of power, I wouldn’t be living in exile.”

As he spoke, Shane casually toyed with the object in his hand. He had been shocked when he first received it.

He’d already heard some whispers from Capital City. Even Jade had called to warn him to stay quiet–said this was a delicate time. Someone, somewhere, was targeting the Wynn family.

But whoever it was, this whole ordeal was working in Shane’s favor.

If Johnathan went down, the Wynn family wouldn’t last much longer. And the sooner they collapsed, the sooner he could return.

Shortly after hearing the news, the antidote had arrived in his hands.

It was the most intriguing development Shane had seen in a while. He didn’t know what those people were trying to achieve.

Just as he was pondering, Sierra asked, “What do you want?”

Shane’s lips curled into a smirk. “Haven’t decided yet.”

“But I think you know my tastes.”

Sierra’s grip on the phone tightened, but she stayed composed. “How do I know this antidote is real?”

“That’s easy.”

“Try it.”

“…Fine.”

Sierra hung up and stared at her reflection. Then she slowly exhaled.

The next day, she received a small package from Shane. Inside was a tiny vial of clear liquid–impossible to tell what it was just by looking at it.

She would never give anything to Johnathan blindly. So she ran tests on it. But no matter how many she ran, she couldn’t identify the compound.

Should she use it?

She didn’t trust Shane. But there’d been no progress. Could Johnathan wait any longer?

Just as the question tormented her, the Wynn family’s butler came rushing in. His anxious expression said it all.

Before he could speak, Sierra took off running toward Johnathan’s residence.

By the time she arrived, the room was already filled with doctors. Wayne stood at the door, his expression grim.

“He fainted earlier,” Wayne said quietly. “They gave him antipyretics, but the fever won’t break.”

Johnathan’s condition had been deteriorating for days. He’d refused to let them tell Sierra.

Wayne had weathered storms his whole life. But for the first time, he felt helpless.

This was his most beloved grandson–and he couldn’t do anything.

Sierra stood frozen at the door. The doctors blocked most of her view, but she could still see the outline of Johnathan’s body.

He had grown frighteningly thin. In just a few days, he’d lost more than ten pounds.

Her hand clenched around the doorframe.

Then, after a long pause, she slowly pulled out the vial from inside her coat.

She didn’t want to see him suffer anymore.

The doctors, seeing the unknown liquid, refused to administer it. It was too risky. Too suspicious.

They all turned to Wayne.

He looked to Sierra and asked, “Will this save him?”

“…I don’t know,” she said softly.

Wayne knew the progress of the research. He monitored it daily.

He understood immediately–this wasn’t something Sierra had developed herself. Not this quickly.

He stared at her for a long moment. Then he said, “Use it.”

He didn’t ask where she’d gotten it. Or what price she’d paid.

Sierra personally loaded the syringe and administered the injection beneath Johnathan’s skin.

She thought she’d be nervous. But instead, she felt a profound calm.

Once it was done, she didn’t move. She just stood there, silently watching.

The doctors were monitoring him closely. Ten minutes passed, then fifteen.

Then his fever began to drop–from 104°F, to 102.2°F, to 100.4°F.

Finally, his body temperature stabilized–normal.

“It worked! He’s back to normal!”

The doctors couldn’t hide their excitement.

Johnathan’s temperature hadn’t been normal for days. This was the first time.

Sierra didn’t join in their celebration. She just stood there, watching quietly.

Then, slowly, Johnathan opened his eyes.