Jonathan smiled at Sierra and said, “I need to have a word with Mateo alone; we’ll be back soon.” Then he efficiently dragged Mateo out to the balcony, and almost simultaneously, the glass door and curtains closed, barely muffling Mateo’s cries of pain and pleas for mercy.

Sierra had never seen such a scene and looked worriedly toward the balcony. She knew Jonathan’s strength. Surely he wouldn’t hurt someone badly?

As if reading her thoughts, Maddox chuckled, “Ms. Xander, don’t worry. Mr. Yeager knows his limits.”

Draven also smiled gently, “They do this often.”

Stone added, “He can take a beating!”

Sierra was left speechless.

Sierra felt a mix of sympathy for Mateo, thinking to herself how unfortunate he was. Feeling a bit uneasy with three strangers in the house, she offered, “I’ll get you guys some water.”

It was Maddox, who seemed the easiest to talk to, who responded, “No need! Don’t trouble yourself, or we’ll be next to get a beating.”

Sierra stared at Maddox, shocked, wondering if she had heard him wrong.

Draven cleared his throat and said, “Can’t help it. Mr. Yeager plays by his own rules.” With a shrug of resignation, he added, “What Mateo said was true. Jon’s territorial. Just being allowed in here is enough for…”

Sierra was left speechless, feeling an odd sense of camaraderie, yet questioning whether Jonathan’s way of dealing with his friends was quite right. Perhaps, though, this was just their unique way of interacting.

After an awkward silence, she couldn’t help but say, “You guys are really patient with him.”

Stone, who hadn’t spoken much, chimed in, “We don’t have much choice; we can’t beat him!”

Sierra went quiet again. The initial discomfort had vanished, and she found Jonathan’s friends quite interesting.

Just then, the balcony door opened, and Jonathan came through looking refreshed, followed by a sullen Mateo who trailed behind him like a scolded spouse.

Sierra was momentarily stunned by her own thought and then couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Jonathan asked, clearly in a good mood.

Sierra hadn’t laughed since hearing about Lily’s situation yesterday. She had maintained a facade in front of Lily, but it had been weighing on her.

“It’s nothing!” She couldn’t possibly reveal what had just crossed her mind and quickly changed the subject, “With everyone here, we might need more food. Should I order some more?”

“No need! They aren’t eating,” Jonathan said without a second thought, glancing over at the others.

Maddox smoothly took over, “Ms. Xander, no trouble at all, we’ll head out to eat later.” His statement was artfully phrased, and Jonathan shot him a look that carried a hint of annoyance. Maddox, the smooth talker, always had an angle. Jonathan wasn’t buying it, but Sierra was.

“You guys came all this way, you should definitely eat here,” Sierra insisted. Looking at Jonathan, she saw him resign himself to the situation.

“I’ll get more food,” he conceded.

Sierra nodded. The others exchanged glances, silently communicating their amusement.

“See, being in love changes everything. Jon’s actually acting human!”

“Finally, someone who can manage Jon. Just for that, I’m officially considering her part of the family.”

Sierra was oblivious to the silent decisions being made around her.

By the time she turned back to address them, they had come to accept Sierra’s role as Jonathan’s wife and began treating her with even greater respect.

Draven, adjusting his glasses, said, “Sierra, we saw that video of you; you’re impressive. If possible, I’d love to exchange some ideas with you.”

Sierra was immediately intrigued. “Are you also into biosciences?”

Mateo burst out laughing. “No, Mrs. Yeager, he’s just trying to sound smart. He doesn’t know the first thing about biochemistry.”

Draven wasn’t offended and simply replied, “I study physics, but it’s all academic. Still better than some who don’t even know Newton’s laws.”

Sierra went quiet. Physics and biochemistry are worlds apart! She felt she couldn’t really discuss much with Draven but appreciated the gesture nonetheless. Draven reminded her of her first impression of Jonathan, though Draven seemed a bit more refined.

Of course, now Sierra knew better than to judge a book by its cover. With Jonathan being such a surprise, who knew what Draven was really like! She glanced at Jonathan’s friends, sensing there was more to them than met the eye.

“By the way, Mrs. Yeager, we heard you’ve run into some trouble. Need our help?” Mateo whispered, his voice low. “Without going into details, we’ve got money, manpower, and muscle.” He patted Stone on the back and whispered, “Just say the word, and we’ll take care of it. We’ll crush them!”