Chapter 15: Genius

Just as she expected, Shane’s next words confirmed her suspicion.

“The prison called me. A few of your old cellmates ran into some trouble.”

One broke her hand. Another had her leg tendons cut. The rest… well, they all got hurt, more or less. All of them, your—hm, roommates.

Sierra’s face immediately darkened. She had a feeling this wasn’t the end of it.

Sure enough, Shane continued, “Oh, and apparently, someone’s looking into how there were snakes and bugs in the prison.”

“Why go through all that effort? Should I just tell them directly?”

Sierra clenched her jaw, forcing her voice to remain steady. “Whatever you decide to do is your choice.”

Shane studied her for a few seconds, as if trying to gauge whether she was telling the truth. Then, he let out a bored sigh and waved a hand dismissively. “I’ll let you know what your payment is later.”

That was it. Sierra hesitated for a second before nodding and turning to leave.

The research facility was in the outskirts of the city, far from any main roads. Taxis didn’t come out this way. She walked the entire way back. She needed the time to think. She had a good guess about what happened today. She didn’t feel grateful. Just disgusted.

By the time she reached the Xander estate, the sun had already set. Her phone had rung nonstop during the walk, but she hadn’t answered once. Surprisingly, the entire Xander family was home. The moment she stepped inside, everyone visibly relaxed.

Sean was the first to explode.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Why weren’t you answering your phone? Do you know how worried we were?”

Sierra glanced at him mockingly. Sean saw her expression and immediately felt his anger flare again. He was about to say something but forced himself to calm down. After what they learned today, he couldn’t just lash out like before.

“Whatever. Just don’t ignore calls next time,” he muttered. Then, as if trying to make up for his tone, he added, “I bought you some dresses. Go take a look. Girls shouldn’t wear pants all the time.”

Evan spoke next. “You didn’t go to class today. You didn’t even file a leave request. What happened?” Noticing how harsh his words sounded, he softened his tone. “I’ll let it slide this time, but you need to notify someone if something comes up. I already spoke to the department. From now on, all your courses are switched to mine.”

Bradley added, “Yeah, from now on, Evan’s got your back. No one at school will dare mess with you anymore.”

“And the people who bullied you before? We’ve taken care of them.”

Sierra laughed. She couldn’t help it. It was just too funny. She wiped away the tears from laughing too hard.

They bought her dresses—did they even ask if she wanted them? They changed her schedule—did they ever consider that she didn’t want to see Evan at all? As for getting revenge for her? Please. That wasn’t revenge. That was nothing more than their own self-righteous arrogance. What she truly wanted, they could never give her. She wanted a life free from all of this. Could they give her that?

Her expression turned cold. Her voice was even colder.

“Thanks for your unnecessary meddling, but could you all do me a favor?”

“Stay out of my business.”

Sean was the first to explode.

“Are you kidding me, Sierra? Can you stop being so ungrateful? No wonder you got bullied in prison. You fucking deserved it!”

Sierra didn’t even blink.

“Yeah, I deserved it.” She met his gaze, her voice as sharp as a blade.

“If I had half a brain, I never would’ve believed any of you.”

“I never would’ve left that courtroom with a criminal record.”

“You want justice?”

She scoffed. “What a joke.”

Pushing past them, she headed upstairs without another word. She was so sick of them. They acted like they had done her a favor, but the consequences of their actions would all fall on her. Shane was a lunatic. Who knew what kind of twisted game he’d come up with next? She was just so “grateful” for their help. Her sarcasm lingered in the air, leaving the Xander brothers’ faces dark and stormy.

“Fine. I’m done,” Sean muttered. “Let her do whatever the hell she wants.”

Eleanor sighed. “She’s still holding a grudge. And honestly… she has every right to. We really did let her down.”

She turned to Bradley. “When your father gets back, have him move her household registration back into our family records. We can’t even call her family if we’re not under the same name.”

Hearing that, Sean’s anger immediately disappeared.

“When’s Dad coming back? Does he even know Sierra’s back?”

“In two weeks,” Bradley answered. “And no, I didn’t tell him.”

To be honest, he hadn’t even thought about Sierra in years. The only reason he remembered was because Cameron had told him the prison had called. Apparently, she was eligible for early release on a three-month probation. That was when he suddenly remembered—oh yeah, he had a sister in prison. Thinking back, he still felt guilty. That was why, on impulse, he had gone to pick her up himself and signed off as her legal guardian. Of course, he had lied to her, pretending he had fought tooth and nail to get her out. But still, it wasn’t completely untrue. He had done it without their father’s permission. That counted for something, right?

“Dad might not agree,” Evan said. Their father cared too much about his reputation. When they first found out the babies had been switched, he had immediately investigated James and Yulia. Once he saw what kind of family they were, he had wanted nothing to do with Sierra. He had even suggested leaving things as they were, pretending the switch never happened. But when the Colemans found out, the truth couldn’t be hidden. That was the only reason Sierra was even brought back. Most people assumed she was an illegitimate child. Now that she had a criminal record, it would be even harder for their father to accept her.

“Let’s talk to him together when he gets back,” Evan said. “She’s still our sister, no matter what.”

“We’ll convince him,” Eleanor agreed.

Upstairs, Sierra finished her shower and checked her phone. She had a private message from Jonathan on the forum. It was about James. The gist of it was that James had been detained and wouldn’t be released for at least two weeks.

Two weeks? Sierra was surprised. She hadn’t expected him to be held that long. Jonathan must have had a hand in this. She hesitated, debating whether to call and thank him. Then, she remembered—she had blocked his number. Pressing her lips together, she removed him from her blocklist and dialed his number.

It rang for a while before he finally picked up. There was background noise, but his voice was as clear as ever.

“Something wrong?”

“…Thanks,” Sierra said after a long pause.

There was a soft chuckle on the other end.

“It was nothing. Bye.”

And then he hung up. Sierra stared at the phone for a moment before putting it down.

Meanwhile, in a private club, Jonathan tossed his phone onto the table. A man beside him immediately lit a cigarette for him, trying to please him.

“It’s been three years, and you still haven’t found her. How long are you gonna keep looking?”

“She showed up the other day, then disappeared again,” Jonathan said flatly. “The IP address is still in Lim City.”

“Why are you so obsessed with this Tano person? Are they really that important?”

Jonathan smirked, exhaling a puff of smoke.

“She’s a genius.”

That night, Sierra received a text from Shane. Only two words.

“Come down.”

She pulled back her curtain. Sure enough, Shane’s car was parked outside. She pressed her lips together, then got dressed. She had learned long ago—when it came to Shane, it was best to obey. Bradley and the others were already in their rooms, so no one stopped her. She slipped outside and got into Shane’s car. The vehicle sped off into the night. Upstairs, a curtain slowly fell back into place. Sierra didn’t ask where they were going. When they arrived at Shane’s villa, she realized her legs were numb from the tension.

“Need me to carry you?”

Shane was smiling, but his presence alone sent chills down her spine. Sierra slowly got out of the car. Shane didn’t follow. He lit a cigarette and blew out a smoke ring.

“Coincide.”

Sierra hesitated before stepping into the darkened villa. The door shut behind her with a heavy click. She was completely engulfed in darkness. Her hand twitched toward her phone. Then, remembering something, she froze.