Chapter 65: She Just Needed a Break

The earlier drug-related deaths had stemmed from a single medication, but this time, the scandal was far more extensive. Xander Pharmaceuticals was highly renowned, especially in Maviston, and many medications bore its name. It could be said that nearly every household had purchased Xander Pharmaceuticals’ products to some extent. Now that this scandal had erupted, the internet exploded with outrage, and Sierra’s situation was immediately forgotten. Everyone turned to condemn the Xander family.

After returning from the office, Franklin’s face was as dark as it could get. “What the hell is going on?”

Not long ago, Xander Pharmaceuticals had already been in trouble, and before the situation had even cooled down, another crisis had struck. Because of Xander Pharmaceuticals, the entire Xander Group’s stock took a hit, and the market crashed the moment it opened.

“Has no one found out who’s behind this yet?” Franklin asked irritably.

Bradley shook his head. “No.”

Someone was clearly targeting them. The issue was that such an operation couldn’t have been set up overnight. He couldn’t figure out who it could be.

“Dad, we can’t go on like this.”

Xander Pharmaceuticals had already suffered heavy losses from the previous incident. If this continued, the company would be forced to shut down. Now, distributors were reporting that an increasing number of people were returning their medications every day. Even though they had tried to suppress the situation, the uproar only grew worse. Restoring public trust this time was even harder than before.

“Find a way to contact the Richardson family,” Franklin said. The Richardson family was the dominant force in the pharmaceutical industry. If they were willing to lend a hand, the Xander family might still have a way out.

Bradley nodded. “I’ll go talk to them.”

At the mention of the Richardson family, Franklin suddenly thought of something and asked, “Where’s Sierra?” He realized he hadn’t heard any news about her these past few days.

Bradley was silent for a moment before replying, “She hasn’t been around lately.”

“Hmph! The family is in crisis, and she doesn’t seem to care at all.”

Bradley tried to defend her. “Sean’s post implicated her earlier. Maybe she’s just trying to stay out of trouble. She’s still young; perhaps she just needed a break.”

Franklin snorted but said nothing more. Bradley had a decent relationship with the Richardson family, so he had assumed they would help. But to his surprise, they refused.

After much effort, he finally managed to meet Kason, only for the latter to demand something impossible. Frustrated, he stormed out. He sat in his car for a long time before finally heading home.

Everyone in the family had been waiting, knowing he had gone to meet Kason. When he returned, Denise got up and asked, “Bradley, have some water. It helps.”

Bradley waved his hand dismissively, remaining silent for a moment before saying, “The Richardson family agreed to help, but on one condition.”

Franklin lifted his gaze. “Speak.”

“Kason wants Sierra,” Bradley said stiffly.

Sierra had been staying at Jonathan’s house for the past few days. She hadn’t gone to school, returned to the Xander Residence, or even visited the hospital or laboratory. The online uproar hadn’t died down completely, and she had no interest in becoming the subject of gossip. During her stay, she read a large number of books, which greatly aided her research. Jonathan’s study had books of all kinds, and this time, she made sure to return each one to its original place after reading.

At first, Jonathan would casually check the study after she finished, likely intending to put the books back himself. But when he saw that she had already done so, he raised an eyebrow slightly. He had mild obsessive tendencies, and he hadn’t expected Sierra to notice.

On the fourth day of her stay, Jonathan’s people finally found Daphne’s younger brother. “He accidentally broke a bottle of liquor at work. The customer was furious, and the supervisor had him beaten up. That wasn’t enough, so they took him away for a few days. He was only just released.”

That explained why it had taken days to find him. If Jonathan’s men hadn’t been searching for Dickson Wilson this whole time, the kid might not have been freed at all.

Hearing Jonathan’s words, Sierra stood up. Knowing what she intended to do, Jonathan picked up his keys and said, “Let’s go.”

Sierra parted her lips to speak, but Jonathan adjusted his glasses and added, “You’ve troubled me enough. I suppose one more won’t make a difference.”

Sierra smiled and nodded. “I can’t thank you enough, Mr. Yeager.”

The two of them drove to Daphne’s home again. This time, even Jonathan had gotten used to it. His custom leather shoes stepped onto the filthy streets without hesitation. Sierra knocked on the door, and after a long moment, a red-eyed young man finally opened it.