Chapter 237: A Place to Call Home

After dinner, Sierra went with Jonathan back to his place. Most of what he was packing was books. He had already boxed up a large portion but left a few behind.

“You’ll need these, so I’m leaving them for you.”

Sierra glanced up at him. “Why leave them for me? I’m leaving in a few days, too.”

Jonathan froze. “You’re leaving? Where are you going?” His expression changed immediately. Then, as if something clicked, his face softened slightly.

“Sierra, tell me, are you going to the Capital?” There was urgency in his voice. For days, he had been racking his brain trying to convince her to go with him. He had come up with multiple plans, but none seemed right.

Sierra didn’t answer right away. Instead, she pulled out her phone, opened her email, and handed it to him. It was an official invitation from Capital Academy.

“They invited me to pursue my PhD there. I accepted.”

Jonathan was stunned. When had she done this? And how had he not known? Sierra technically didn’t even have a bachelor’s degree, which should have made it impossible to enter a PhD program. But her case was unique. Capital Academy had made an exception for her. A panel of professors had created a special exam, testing her at the master’s level. Her scores far exceeded the requirements. So, instead of making her waste time on degrees she didn’t need, they directly accepted her into the PhD program. There, she could launch her own research projects and maximize her potential. That was why she had chosen Capital Academy; they valued talent over bureaucracy. She had done all of this behind his back, and Jonathan had only just found out.

Unable to hold back, he lifted Sierra off the ground and set her down on his desk.

8:37 PM

Chapter 237: A Place to Call Home

“You planned all this and didn’t tell me? Little liar.” He kissed her, his excitement barely contained. At first, Sierra thought he would stop after a few kisses. But things quickly spiraled beyond what she had expected.

“Not here… we can’t…” She weakly protested, but to Jonathan, her resistance was as feeble as a breeze. He whispered in her ear, coaxing, teasing, tempting, until she gave in completely.

Over half an hour later, Sierra lay sprawled against his chest, too tired to move.

Jonathan knew he had gone too far and gently carried her to the bathroom. “Let me clean you up.” Of course, that cleaning ended up taking another hour. When they finally emerged, Sierra buried herself under the blankets, refusing to acknowledge him. Jonathan rubbed his nose sheepishly, then pulled her—blanket and all—into his arms.

The next few days were busy. Sierra and Dickson began packing in preparation for their move. Sierra had been assigned a dorm, but that obviously wouldn’t work with Dickson staying with her. So she started looking for apartments in the Capital. The prices were jaw-dropping. Housing there was several times more expensive than in Maviston. She checked her savings. She had some money, but not enough to buy a place outright. Her past research projects hadn’t started generating income yet, so cash flow was tight. After some thought, she decided on a small two-bedroom unit. Something practical.

Jonathan glanced over and immediately said, “No need to buy one. I already have a place.”

“I want a small one, just big enough for two rooms. Nothing fancy.”

Hearing that, Jonathan frowned. “Sierra, why do you insist on keeping things so separate?” His displeasure was written all over his face. He didn’t like the way she was drawing lines between them.

Chapter 237: A Place to Call Home

And to him, a house wasn’t even worth discussing.

Sierra saw his reaction and patiently explained, “It’s different. Since I’ve decided to settle in the Capital, I want a home of my own.” Jonathan’s frown deepened. Just as he was about to argue, Sierra cut him off.

“Let me finish.” “When two people live together, there will always be disagreements. I don’t want to be in a situation where, after a fight, I don’t even have a space of my own. Do you understand?”

“To you, houses don’t mean much. But can you try to understand my perspective? Just think of it as indulging my fragile little ego, okay?”

Her words softened him instantly. With a deep breath, he relented.

“Fine. We’ll do it your way.”

“But the ones you’re looking at won’t work. They’re too old and too far from your school.”

“I’ll find a better option.”

“We’ll buy two places. A bigger one for us and a smaller one for Dickson. That way, we’ll all be in the same neighborhood; it’ll be easier to look after each other. The big one is on me. The small one—you pay for yourself.”