Chapter 49: Fever and Distance

In class, Sierra had always been like a biohazard—wherever she sat, no one dared to be near her. But today, unexpectedly, a girl sat down beside her not long after she arrived. Sierra glanced at her but didn’t pay her any mind. She closed her eyes, trying to ease her headache.

“Hey, so you’re actually the real daughter of the Xander family? That means Mr. Xander is actually your biological brother?”

Sierra was surprised. How had this news spread to school? Then she remembered that at the birthday banquet, Denise had invited some of her friends from school. She didn’t answer. Being a Xander had never been something she took pride in.

But even with no response, the girl kept talking. “We all thought Senior Denise was the real daughter. Her brothers dote on her so much! I even heard that Sean used to visit her at school. Who would’ve thought she was the fake?”

“But…they don’t seem to like you at all. Is it because you went to prison? I heard they threw you a huge birthday banquet. Does that mean they’ve forgiven you? Well, I guess they would…you are their real sister, after all.”

The girl’s endless chatter grated on Sierra’s nerves. She opened her eyes and said coldly, “Can you shut up?”

The girl flinched in shock. “Oh—okay, okay!” She hurriedly grabbed her books and left. As she walked away, Sierra heard her muttering, “What’s her problem? Ugh. No wonder no one likes her. With that attitude, who could stand her? Senior Denise is so much better!”

More whispers followed, but Sierra ignored them. If it weren’t for Jonathan’s class today, she wouldn’t have come at all.

Jonathan arrived just as the bell rang, and the murmuring in the room immediately died down. His gaze swept across the classroom and landed on Sierra, sitting alone in the front row as usual—impossible to miss. His brows furrowed slightly. She looked worse than yesterday. Not just pale—something was clearly wrong.

Sierra’s body felt unnaturally warm. Her face was flushed with an unhealthy red, her lips dry and chapped. Her usually sharp, steady eyes were unfocused.

Jonathan frowned and strode over to her. Then, in front of the entire class, he placed his large palm against her forehead. A sharp intake of breath echoed through the room.

At Northwind University, everyone knew that Mr. Jonathan was polite but distant. There were even rumors that Denise liked him and had switched majors just to be closer to him, but after three years, no one had ever managed to break through his aloofness. And now, this untouchable, godlike figure was casually touching the forehead of a convict?

Sierra was just as startled. She wanted to dodge, but the moment she moved, a wave of pain shot through her skull. Before she could react, Jonathan…

After a moment, he pulled away, his expression dark. “You didn’t realize you have a fever?”

There was a sharpness in his voice, a rare hint of irritation. It made him seem more imposing, like someone impossible to defy. Siena blamed it on the teacher effect. Automatically, she straightened her back and answered obediently. “I know…”

Jonathan let out a short laugh, but his face only looked angrier. “You know, and you still didn’t go to the hospital? If you don’t care about yourself, who else will?”

His words made something tighten in Sierra’s chest. It had been a long, long time since anyone had scolded her like this—annoyed yet concerned. Before she could respond, Jonathan had already set his lesson materials aside and pulled her up.

“Come on…”

Ten minutes later, Sierra was lying obediently on a bed in the school infirmary. Her fever was high, and the school nurse recommended an IV drip to bring it down. She agreed without hesitation. As the needle pierced her skin, Jonathan instinctively glanced at her. She didn’t even flinch. Her expression didn’t change, not even the slightest twitch of discomfort—like she couldn’t feel pain at all. Jonathan’s brows furrowed deeper. His little sister would cry for days over a tiny scrape, yet here was Sierra, unfazed by a needle in her vein.

“Doesn’t it hurt?” he asked.

Sierra blinked, realizing what he meant, and quickly shook her head. “It’s fine.” She barely even felt the needle. After all, she’d had years to get used to pain. For some reason, Jonathan’s presence made her feel a little uneasy today.