Chapter 147: A Meal to Remember

“Everything handled?”

Jonathan didn’t want to elaborate. He simply asked, “Yep! Just ran into a couple of old friends. Have you ordered the food?”

Sierra nodded; after dining together so many times, they knew each other’s preferences quite well.

“Anything you want to add?”

Jonathan added a dessert to their order before sending the waiter away. He had noticed that Sierra had a sweet tooth but always restrained herself; her eyes revealed her satisfaction each time she indulged.

The dishes they ordered arrived quickly, at a spot Jonathan had marked as a prime date location in his planning. The restaurant had a lovely ambiance and great food, enveloped in a romantic pink hue, though their conversation topics didn’t quite match the setting. Sierra was discussing her experiment with Jonathan, which was the most critical issue. One hurdle remained: research would be completed, but projects could stall at the final hurdle and never see the light of day.

“This one’s on me,” Jonathan assured her, “I’ll have someone keep an eye on it. No, it’ll still take about three months at the fastest.”

“Three months is pretty fast,” Sierra responded, a bit excited. If it were up to her, it wouldn’t just be three months; it could take up to three years, especially since the clinical trials were crucial. However, she was confident in her drug’s safety. If there were no issues with the clinical trials, she could use the drug on Lily, which could potentially cure her.

“By the way, Evan has already started the application process. He’s a bit rushed, and with his professor’s help, the review should pass quickly. If all goes well, it should be announced next week.”

This was a groundbreaking field that would capture the attention of many industries and certainly cause a stir.

Upon hearing this, Sierra scoffed, “I’ve been waiting on him; he’s unusually slow.”

Seeing she was prepared, Jonathan didn’t say much more. Honestly, he was looking forward to the day everyone who doubted them would be proven wrong, especially the Xander family. He was curious about their reaction when they saw Sierra’s true capabilities. Would they regret their skepticism then?

“Isn’t this taking too long? Why hasn’t he shown up yet?”

Mateo and Maddox had finished their meal and had been waiting in the car for a while but hadn’t seen Jonathan yet.

“Let’s go,” Maddox finally said. He didn’t have time to hang around in Maviston all day; today was just a coincidence.

Though Mateo was reluctant, he agreed. Just as they were about to leave, they noticed someone sneaking around Jonathan’s car. Mateo’s demeanor changed instantly, and grinding his molars, he grinned, “Someone’s got the guts to mess with Jonathan’s car. That’s bold.”

After exchanging a glance, Mateo stepped out of the car. Jonathan and Sierra had been dining for nearly two hours, discussing potential issues and solutions for the experimental product.

They had just left the restaurant when someone called out to Jonathan.

“Jonathan, a quick word?”

Jonathan frowned as he looked towards Mateo and Maddox, but seeing their expressions, the annoyance in his eyes dissipated. He whispered something to Sierra, who nodded and headed toward the car.

In that short time, Mateo and Maddox had a good look at Sierra. She was attractive and seemed cool and distant. Jonathan’s type? They didn’t stare for long because Jonathan approached them.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

Friends knew trouble when they saw it in each other’s eyes.

“We just caught a couple of fools trying to tamper with your car.” Mateo pulled a bag of white powder from his pocket. “This alone could land you in jail for years.”

Seeing what Mateo held, a cold shiver ran through Jonathan’s eyes. “Where are they?”

“In our car!” Mateo replied.

“Keep an eye on them. I’ll catch up with you later!” Jonathan said before heading off.

Mateo and Maddox exchanged a look and said, “Let’s go, we’ve got work to do!”

Whoever was trying to mess with Jonathan was in deep trouble now. Sierra, unaware of the details, sensed a change in Jonathan’s demeanor as he got into the car.

“Is something wrong?” She couldn’t help asking.

“It’s nothing. A couple of friends ran into some trouble; I might need to head out for a bit.”