When the Flame of Love Fades

Chapter 56: A Breakthrough and a Battle

When Sierra worked on experiments, she was completely focused. Her small face was tense, her soft lips pressed tightly together in restraint. She looked both controlled and strangely captivating—such a contradiction of a person.

Johnathan suddenly thought of the organization. Since meeting Sierra, he hadn’t thought about the organization in a long time. He wondered—between Sierra and the organization, who was more impressive? If the organization disappeared, he felt a deep regret. He had come to Northwind University, stayed in Maviston, searching for three years with no results. At the time, a friend had told him he was in love with someone he had never even met. He didn’t think it was love; it was an admiration. He admired intelligence, and Sierra was intelligent. He was always more lenient with intelligent people. He just hoped Sierra wouldn’t let him down.

He was lost in thought when suddenly Sierra turned to him, eyes shining with excitement. “Johnathan, I did it!”

Johnathan blinked in surprise. Sierra grabbed his hand, pulling him forward. On the lab table, two completely incompatible substances had fused. This was the step that had blocked her progress for so long. She had tried countless methods but had never been able to make it work. Yet now, she had broken through. With this step completed, the rest would be much easier. She had proven the impossible—that two fundamentally incompatible things could merge under the right conditions.

Johnathan stared at the experiment, his dark eyes filled with both astonishment and satisfaction. From the moment Sierra had proposed this idea, he had thought it was fascinating. He hadn’t interfered; this was her project. Even though it intrigued him, he had held back. He had thought it would take her much longer to reach this point. But here she was.

Adjusting his glasses, Johnathan looked at her seriously and said, “You really are talented.” At her age, he wouldn’t have been able to do this.

“That’s because you kept encouraging me,” Sierra said. Her ideas were wild, often dismissed as impossible. But Johnathan never shut her down; instead, he urged her to keep going.

2:14 PM –

Chapter 56: A Breakthrough and a Battle

Suppressing her excitement, she added, “But this is only the first step. There’s still a long way to go.” She had only solved the most basic issue.

“For you, it’s just a matter of time,” Johnathan said. With this as proof, he was certain—she would succeed.

“Alright, that’s enough for tonight. Time to rest.” He checked his watch. If Sierra hadn’t been so emotionally unsteady today, he wouldn’t have brought her here at all. He hadn’t forgotten—she was still recovering.

Hearing his words, Sierra finally noticed her exhaustion. They left the lab.

In the car, Johnathan hesitated for a moment before saying, “I have another place. A smaller apartment. If you want, you can stay there for now.”

“No need.” She knew he meant well, but she shook her head. “I’m still under observation. I have to go back to the Xander house every night. But it won’t be long before I’m free.”

“You sure? They didn’t look like they were going to let go anytime soon,” Johnathan remarked.

Sierra let out a quiet laugh. “Don’t worry. They’ll give up soon enough.” She knew the Xander family too well. Right now, they pretended to care because their family’s reputation wasn’t at stake, because they hadn’t faced any real danger. But the moment a crisis came, she would be the first one they threw away. This had already been proven—again and again.

Johnathan glanced at her, lips pressing slightly together. “Then I hope you get your wish soon.”

Thanks.

That night, she got back late and managed to avoid seeing the people she didn’t want to see. The next morning, before the sun had even risen, she left for the lab.

23

Her fever hadn’t completely gone down, and she still felt weak, but she couldn’t afford to rest. The experiment had finally made progress; she needed to seize this momentum. But today, luck wasn’t on her side. The experiment wouldn’t move forward. And just as she was growing frustrated, she got a call from the hospital—someone was trying to transfer her grandmother. She hung up and rushed over. Sure enough, when she arrived, she saw Bradley and Evan.

Chapter 56: A Breakthrough and a Battle

The two brothers didn’t seem bothered by her attitude. Bradley spoke with practiced patience.

“We told you the other day, didn’t we? We found the best doctors for Grandma. Transferring her will make her treatment more convenient.”

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