Chapter 105: Lines Drawn

When you truly care, the difference shows. Watching Sierra walk away without hesitation, Bradley couldn't bring himself to call her back.

Everything she had said earlier made him realize the truth—he had been lied to. The person who deceived him was the sister he had always cherished most. At first, he was furious. He believed everything traced back to Sierra's suffering during those three years in prison. If only Denny hadn't taken that money for herself—if she had used it to help Sierra instead—none of this would have happened.

Before he could confront her, Denny had broken down in tears, sobbing uncontrollably. She admitted she had made a mistake, that she had acted out of fear—fear that they would abandon her. After all, Sierra was their biological daughter, the rightful Xander heiress. She was terrified that her parents and brother would stop caring about her, and that fear drove her to do what she did. Even she felt ashamed of herself.

At first, they were angry. But when they saw their beloved sister break down in tears, their frustration faded, and their hearts softened. At the core of it, Denny was just afraid she didn't truly belong. She had never felt completely at ease in the family. Could they really hold that against her?

And when she suddenly collapsed and had to be rushed in for emergency surgery, whatever lingering frustration they had disappeared completely. All that remained was concern and guilt. This wasn't Denny's fault. If only they had recognized her fears earlier, reassured her, and helped her through them, none of this would have happened.

That was what Bradley had believed—until he saw Sierra just now. Denny was innocent, but what about Sierra? Wasn't she the real victim in all of this?

When Bradley led the specialist upstairs, he noticed Eleanor's eyes were still red from crying. As the doctor examined Denise, Bradley hesitated before saying, "I just saw Sierra downstairs. I'm not sure if she's sick."

The room fell silent for a moment. Then Eleanor spoke. "Check with the hospital director. She won't tell us if something's wrong—she doesn't want to see us. But maybe we can find a way to help."

"Good idea." Bradley felt a wave of relief. They did care about Sierra. They had just been unaware of how much she had suffered. But moving forward, things would be different. One day, Sierra would understand that everything they did was for her own good.

It didn't take long before Bradley got an answer. "She said it was for her brother?" Bradley asked, stunned.

Yes, the hospital staff said she is here for her brother. As for his condition…

The hospital director, a longtime acquaintance of the Xander family, didn't hold back and explained everything about Dickson's situation. Bradley's face darkened with anger. She cut ties with us and refused to acknowledge our family, yet she casually took in some random guy as her so-called brother? Who knows…

family's daughter—our sister. What will people think? They'll assume he is connected to our family too. Someone from his kind of background isn't fit to be associated with us!

Fuming, Bradley stormed out, heading straight for Dickson's hospital room. Dickson sat quietly, waiting for Sierra. He didn't want to be around people, especially not the doctors and nurses. Their pitying looks made his skin crawl, and he couldn't stand it.

Just then, the hospital room door swung open. Instinctively, he flinched. Bradley noticed and scoffed in disgust. "So, you're Dickson?"

Dickson didn't respond. He just stared at Bradley warily, his entire body tense with resistance and fear. Bradley looked down at him with nothing but contempt.

"I don't know how you managed to trick Sierra into acknowledging you as her brother and letting you stay at her place," he said coldly. "But let me give you some advice—don't try anything. She's not someone you can take advantage of. You just want money, right? How much? Is 30,000 dollars enough for you?" His gaze swept over Dickson from head to toe, full of disgust. "For someone as filthy as you, 30,000 dollars is more than generous."

Sierra was at the front desk, picking up Dickson's medication and handling his discharge paperwork when she overheard people murmuring—there was a fight in the inpatient wing, and it had already turned bloody. Her heart skipped a beat. She immediately quickened her pace. Dickson had only just started stabilizing emotionally—what if this pushed him over the edge?

As soon as the elevator doors opened, she rushed towards the room, only to find a crowd gathered outside. Her stomach twisted in panic as she pushed her way through. "Excuse me! Let me through—I'm his family!"

The crowd parted, and the sight before her made her eyes widen in shock. Dickson was pinned to the ground by security, his eyes bloodshot with rage. And Bradley? He was standing inside the room, gripping his head, blood dripping between his fingers.

Sierra didn't have time to process why Bradley was even there. She rushed inside. "Let him go!" she demanded, turning to the guards restraining Dickson.