Chapter 230: Shane’s Gift
Sierra considered every possibility, concluding that Shane had set a trap. “Don’t overthink it. We’ll deal with it when it happens,” Jonathan reassured her. This wasn't the first time; Shane held too much influence over Sierra. She might not realize it, but anything he did deeply affected her. Even with his caution, Jonathan disliked it. The ride home was quiet, even with his reassurance. Sierra couldn't stop thinking about the so-called “gift” Shane had mentioned. Consequently, she didn't notice Jonathan's expression darkening further.
Back home, their unease was apparent to Mateo and Dickson. Dickson went to help Sierra in the kitchen, while Mateo pulled Jonathan onto the balcony. “What’s going on? Did you two fight?” Jonathan, in a bad mood, didn't want to talk. He lightly kicked Dickson: “Cigarette?” “I don’t have any. I’m not Maddox—I don’t carry a pack around at all times,” Mateo replied, glancing toward the kitchen and lowering his voice. “Then what happened?”
“Leave me in a good mood.” Jonathan’s gaze darkened. “You two fought? Even if you did, that shouldn't affect you like this.” Mateo, genuinely confused, knew Jonathan wouldn't understand his possessiveness, his need to be the only one in her world. He was about to say something when the doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation. It was a delivery—food they had ordered.
The remaining words hung in the air. Jonathan’s expression darkened, and he reached for the package, but Sierra stopped him. Mateo chuckled. “If it’s about opening things, I’m the best at it.” He grabbed the package; it wasn’t large. Inside were several small boxes. The first contained photos. “Well, well. This is good stuff,” he said, waving them.
Sierra and Jonathan saw that the photos were of Kason in various humiliating and compromising situations. The package also held a USB drive. Sierra’s heart pounded. “Dickson, get the laptop.” The drive contained gigabytes of video files. Sierra clicked one at random; it showed Kason torturing people. She exhaled in relief. So this was Shane’s gift? She had searched for these videos unsuccessfully; now, Shane had delivered them.
“Looks like the Richardson family has been abandoned,” Mateo mused. “Shane must have seen trouble coming and decided to throw Kason under the bus.” Sierra nodded. Jonathan, however, had a different perspective. He hadn’t interacted with Shane much, but his gut feeling was that Shane wouldn't be directly involved in this.
Mateo, still excited, rubbed his hands together. “Let me dig into the origins of these videos. Maybe we can drag Shane down…” “You think he’s as dumb as you?” If Shane was willing to hand these over, they couldn’t be traced back to him. “Doesn’t hurt to try,” Mateo muttered, trying to lighten the mood. “Oh, right. There’s another box. Let’s see what’s inside.”
Mateo opened the second box and found a notebook. He flipped it open, glanced at the first page, and slammed it shut. His reaction caught everyone’s attention. Jonathan narrowed his eyes. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” Mateo said, his smile forced. Jonathan gave him a sharp look, took the notebook, and Mateo reluctantly let go. The first page read: Observation Diary. Jonathan’s pulse quickened. The handwriting was neat: Git for Professor Jonathan. As he read, his expression changed. He shut the notebook without a word. Sierra asked, “What is it?” “Nothing. It’s for me,” Jonathan said calmly. “Just some provocation. Nothing worth looking at.” He closed the notebook and changed the subject.