Chapter 133: Keep Your Distance!
Jonathan’s hand fell empty, his displeasure evident. Just then, he heard Sierra’s calm voice. “I’m sorry, Mr. Yeager. I really was drunk yesterday. Please pretend you never heard what I said.” With that, Sierra moved to leave his side.
Jonathan hadn’t expected Sierra to say such a thing; he froze for a moment until she brushed past him. Then, he quickly grasped her hand, his tone icy. “What do you mean?”
Sierra didn’t look up, her eyes fixed on the large hand gripping hers. She slowly said, “I crossed a line, Mr. Yeager. I’ll keep my distance from now on.”
“Sierra, what’s wrong? Is something bothering you?” Lily looked at Sierra worriedly; she felt Sierra had been distant these past few days, seemingly lost in thought even while talking.
Sierra snapped back to reality and managed a weak smile. “It’s nothing, Grandma.”
Hearing her response, Lily sighed. “If you don’t want to talk, I won’t push you.” Lily seemed a bit disappointed; Sierra used to share everything with her, but now she was holding back. Seeing Lily like this, Sierra felt uneasy.
After a long pause, she finally said, “Grandma, I’ve fallen for someone I shouldn’t have.”
Lily didn’t seem surprised. “Is it the gentleman who helped us out last time?”
“Do you know who he is?” Sierra was somewhat startled.
Lily chuckled and patted Sierra’s hand. “My eyes aren’t blind; it was quite obvious.” Sierra might not have realized it, but her trust in Jonathan was clear when she was around him.
“Why shouldn’t you like him?” Lily asked.
“He’s too good!” Sierra’s smile was tinged with bitterness. If she hadn’t been through so much, if she didn’t have so much to deal with, she might have considered trying things with Jonathan. But she couldn’t. Three years in prison left countless scars on her body and deep marks on her soul. And then there were people like Kason and Shane; she couldn’t drag Jonathan into her hell.
Seeing her like this, Lily sighed and said, “Honestly, I don’t approve either. That gentleman seems too perfect; I worry you might be mistreated.” It wasn’t that she was concerned about social standing, but some old rules made sense. Matches between equals lasted longer; otherwise, if Sierra got mistreated later, they couldn’t do much about it.
“Don’t worry, Grandma, I know.” Sierra never thought about what could happen with Jonathan; if it hadn’t been for the alcohol, she would never have revealed her feelings. Unfortunately, she couldn’t even remain friends with Jonathan now. After what she said that day, she clearly sensed his anger.
After Sierra nodded, Jonathan let go of her hand and stepped aside.
How could someone as proud as him tolerate being played or rejected! From that day on, Sierra subconsciously avoided Jonathan, even skipping his classes. Jonathan must have felt her avoidance.
After leaving the hospital, Sierra was ready to head to the lab; it was the final stage, and she needed to wrap things up quickly. At the hospital’s entrance, she saw Evan. He looked much more worn than just a few days ago.
Evan hadn’t expected to see Sierra either; he hesitated, seemingly wanting to say something, but recalling Sierra’s attitude, he hesitated. Sierra, however, passed by as if she hadn’t seen him at all. Even after she was gone, Evan couldn’t find the words to speak. He was there today to ask a friend to help find a heart donor; Denny’s situation was grim. Traditionally, he would have blamed Sierra for Denny’s condition. But seeing Sierra’s indifferent eyes, he felt he couldn’t blame her. He didn’t like this change; things used to be so good. If only they could go back to how things were before. He hoped that without Jonathan’s interference, Sierra might reconcile with them.
Sierra had no idea what Evan was thinking; if she did, she might have wanted to crack open his head to see what the scholar was pondering. These days, Sierra was fully focused on finishing the experiments. Her progress was rapid; within just a few days, she had completed the final stages, and clinical trials were up next.