Chapter 77: Unwelcome Guests

Jonathan suddenly felt a twinge of anticipation; he was eager to see how those people would be put in their place the day after. Looking around, the layout here was similar to his place, yet distinctly different. Sierra had bought many decorations, making the whole house look very cozy, unlike his own chilly home.

“Have you been busy with this the last couple of days?”

“Yes, and later I need to pick up Dickson.”

He had been discharged from the hospital that morning, but the kid wanted to spend a bit more time with his grandma, so she was going to pick him up later.

Jonathan’s expression shifted slightly. “Is Dickson going to stay here too?”

“Yeah! Didn’t I tell you I’m considering him my little brother?”

Sierra said nonchalantly. Jonathan’s eyes gradually deepened. Was she being too trusting?

“Dickson is nineteen now; it might not be very convenient for you two to live together,” Jonathan cautioned.

Sierra looked at Jonathan with surprise. Jonathan adjusted his glasses and said, “You can know someone’s face, but not their heart.”

He felt Sierra was too trusting, not just with him but with someone she had met just a few days ago. He was inexplicably displeased, of course, not because he found out he wasn’t the only one special to her.

Sierra thought for a moment and replied, “He won’t cause any trouble. Plus, I can take care of myself. How do you think I survived in jail? Besides, aren’t you next door? What could possibly happen?”

His last remark inexplicably soothed Jonathan a bit. He watched Sierra decorate the house and talk about her hopes for the future, realizing for the first time that his own home felt too barren.

Seeing it was about time to leave for the hospital to pick up Dickson, Sierra was about to head out when someone knocked on the door. Thinking it was Dickson, Sierra opened the door only to have her smile vanish instantly.

“Mr. Bradley, I thought we had made things clear that day.”

It wasn’t just Bradley from the Xander family who was bothersome, but Evan and Sean were there too.

Bradley quickly said, “We heard about the school situation and came over… why are you here?”

Seeing Jonathan step out from the room, Bradley’s voice unintentionally raised. His eyes darted between Jonathan and Sierra, his brow furrowed. “What’s your relationship?”

Sierra showed no interest in inviting them in; she crossed her arms and stood in the doorway, coldly responding, “What does it matter to you?”

The three brothers from the Xander family looked visibly displeased; they all knew about Denise’s feelings. When Jonathan had first arrived, Denise had fallen for him and had even switched to a completely unfamiliar major for his sake, a struggle Evan knew all too well. Denise was never strong in the sciences, and she had barely managed to get into the graduate biochemistry program after two years of relentless effort, with considerable help from her older brother. If Denise knew how close Jonathan and Sierra were, she would surely be heartbroken.

Evan instinctively wanted to tell Sierra to keep her distance from Jonathan, but as he was about to speak, he remembered that Sierra was difficult to communicate with. Bradley then turned to Jonathan, “Jonathan, can we talk privately for a moment?”

“Sure!”

Jonathan nodded and followed Bradley into the hallway. As Evan and Sean were about to speak, Sierra abruptly slammed the door shut.

“She…” Sean, known for his temper, was rarely treated so dismissively and was about to bang on the door when Evan stopped him.

“Let it go, we don’t have the right to control her anymore.”

Hearing this, Sean suddenly realized Sierra really had nothing to do with them anymore, which unsettled him, though he retorted, “She’s just bluffing. She’ll learn her lesson when she faces the consequences.”

“See? She just left the Xander family, and the school is already giving her trouble.”

This was precisely what Evan suspected. Only a few people knew about Sierra cutting ties with them; how did the school find out? He had spoken with the school’s administration today, and their insinuations were clear—since Sierra was no longer connected to them, they wouldn’t interfere much. He hadn’t considered this angle before, but now, prompted by his younger brother’s comments, he felt something was amiss.

“Who leaked the news?”

He and Sean exchanged glances, both thinking of the same person but simultaneously denying it.