Chapter 229: An Unwanted Gift

“He’ll have a clearer reason to get involved now.”

Noticing their concerns, Stone reassured them, “Relax. This friend of mine is one of my own.” Sierra nodded. “Will Kason suspect anything?”

“No need to worry about that,” Mateo chimed in. “I’ve been keeping him busy with a few ‘surprises.’ He won’t have time to think about anything else.” Mateo had caused several explosions—figuratively speaking—inside Richardson Pharmaceuticals. The entire company was in chaos, and Kason was too occupied dealing with the mess to even consider that someone was looking into the crematoriums.

Seeing that everything was in place, Sierra finally felt at ease. Johnathan, who had been watching her closely, spoke up. “Feeling better now?”

Sierra smiled but didn’t answer. She had spent so much of her life relying only on herself. It was only now that she understood what it felt like to have someone—friends, allies, a lover—fighting by her side.

Everything was moving in the right direction, and in good spirits, she said, “I really appreciate everything you guys have done. Let’s have dinner together later. We’ll cook at home this time—no takeout.”

Since Sierra had already made up her mind, Johnathan naturally had no objections. He got up to go with her to buy groceries, but Sierra stopped him.

“I’ll go with Dickson. You stay here with Mateo and the others. They don’t need me to keep them company.”

Completely indifferent to his friends, Johnathan grabbed Sierra’s hand and walked straight out the door. There was no way he was letting her go out alone right now. As far as he was concerned, Dickson was useless—might as well not be there at all.

With Johnathan taking over, Dickson was left behind. He didn’t bother arguing and stayed with Mateo and the rest. Mateo leaned back on the couch and grinned. “Might as well relax and enjoy this rare moment of being served by our dear…”

Over the past few days, Dickson had gotten familiar with Mateo and no longer felt as intimidated. He couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you call Mr. Johnathan that?”

Mateo shot upright and declared, “You don’t think he’s a runt? I’ve never met anyone more dog-like than him.”

Dickson hesitated. “But you guys seem close?”

Mateo and Stone exchanged a look, both seeing the same helplessness in each other’s eyes.

“That’s because we grew up together,” Mateo muttered. “And then we got tricked.” Stone, ever the blunt one, added, “And when we realized we couldn’t beat him—physically or strategically—we had no choice but to follow him.”

Dickson’s world shattered a little. So that’s how it was?

Johnathan and Sierra finished shopping quickly—mostly because Sierra did all the choosing. Left to his own devices, Johnathan would have just grabbed two packs of instant noodles. Those guys weren’t picky anyway, and in his opinion, giving them instant noodles was already a sign of great respect.

Chapter 229: An Unwanted Gift

As they were about to leave, Johnathan suddenly remembered something he hadn’t bought yet.

“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

His car was custom-made—safe and secure. But what he didn’t expect was that the moment he left, someone knocked on the window. Sierra instinctively looked up, and her expression immediately darkened. As if sensing her reaction, the person outside smiled and knocked again. Shane.

Sierra quickly regained her composure and slowly rolled down the window. The moment she did, she was met with Shane’s usual charming, but utterly insincere, smile.

“These days, it’s really hard to get a chance to see you.” He smirked.

Sierra didn’t respond. She simply watched him with wary eyes. Shane might look harmless now, but he had never played by the rules. She had suffered at his hands too many times to let her guard down.

Seeing her tense expression, Shane chuckled. “Relax. I’m not going to eat you.”

“Let’s keep this short. Otherwise, Mr. Johnathan will be back soon.” His voice was casual, as if he and Sierra were simply old friends catching up.

“I’m leaving Maviston soon,” he continued. “We’ve known each other for quite some time, so before I go, I have a little gift for you. Interested?”

“No,” Sierra refused without hesitation.

“Shh, don’t be so quick to turn me down.” Shane pressed a finger to his lips. “I think you’ll like it.” Then, with an almost playful wave, he turned to leave. But just as he was about to step away, he paused and looked back.

“By the way, are you really sure you know everything about the man you sleep next to?”

Sierra’s body tensed. “Don’t touch him!” She glared at Shane.

Shane let out a short laugh and walked away. If he didn’t leave now, Johnathan really would be back, and he wasn’t interested in a direct confrontation. At least, not yet.

8:36 PM

Chapter 229: An Unwanted Gift

When Johnathan returned, he found Sierra sitting in the car, lost in thought.

“What’s wrong?” He scanned the area but didn’t notice anything unusual.

“Shane was just here,” Sierra said, her voice calm. “He said he has something to give me.” She didn’t hide anything from him and recounted the encounter. Her mind kept turning over the possibilities—what exactly was Shane planning to give her? She had refused, but knowing Shane, that wouldn’t stop him from delivering it anyway.