Chapter 199: A Brief Respite
Jonathan kissed Sierra on the cheek. “Don’t worry about Shane; he’s nothing to me.” He didn’t mention Shane’s family background, which immediately relaxed Sierra. She hugged Jonathan. “Just stay out of trouble.” Jonathan gently patted her back.
Meanwhile, Mateo and the others hadn’t left immediately after descending the stairs but sat in their car. Maddox spoke up. “Should we confront Shane first?” “Wouldn’t that just blow Jonathan’s cover?” Draven interjected, “Hardly anyone knows his real identity; forget it, let’s not meddle.”
“But stirring up some trouble for Shane might be feasible.” He looked at Mateo. “Have you found anything useful during your time here?” “Of course!” Mateo frowned. “Shane is really despicable.” He shared the information he had gathered, and everyone’s expression darkened after seeing it.
“Sierra, she…” Maddox hesitated. “I don’t know, but I guess she must be involved, or Jon wouldn’t have reacted so strongly.” Mateo’s face also turned somber. The abuse in prisons wasn’t a secret, and these details were easy to dig up. He had found records of Sierra’s multiple hospital visits, and seeing the medical reports, he was furious, let alone Jonathan. He finally understood why Jonathan couldn’t let Shane off the hook. If it were him, he wouldn’t either.
“Too bad there’s no concrete evidence. Even if it leaks, he won’t face much punishment, just lose his job as warden at most.” A warden was nothing in the eyes of the Goodman family. Perhaps they positioned Shane in Maviston to act against the prisoners there, knowing well that the detainees lacked powerful connections and wouldn’t cause an uproar if exposed. And Shane, mad as he might be, covered his tracks well, leaving no handle to grasp. “Scumbag!” Due to his profession, Stone was particularly disdainful of such behavior.
Adjusting his glasses, Draven said, “Since we’re here, let’s deliver a gift to that Goodman lunatic.” Maddox nodded. “Now that we’ve acknowledged Sierra as one of our own, we definitely need to do something.”
After exchanging glances, they started the car and left. Later, Jonathan had his last two classes of the afternoon to attend. He dropped Sierra off at her place before driving away. Not long after he left, he felt as if he were being followed. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he narrowed his eyes and then turned the steering wheel, heading towards the suburbs… At the same time, he called the school. “I can’t make it this afternoon; I need to take a leave.”
After hanging up, he floored the accelerator.
After Jonathan left, Sierra went to spend time with her grandmother, talking about Jonathan’s friends. Before, because of the Xander family, she thought people from that circle were too opportunistic and looked down on others. But after meeting Jonathan and his friends, she realized it wasn’t about the circle but upbringing. Some people are inherently elitist, feeling superior to others, while some born to privilege understand respect. She shared this to reassure her grandmother.
“Jonathan will finish his classes in a few days, and then he said we’d go on vacation together.” “Grandma, how about we go to the beach!” Lily had never left Maviston in her entire life. “Yes, yes, yes!” Lily nodded enthusiastically, not mentioning the daily pain she endured, which seemed insignificant compared to her happiness.
After chatting for a while, Lily hesitated, then said, “Sierra, I want to see her.” Both knew who she meant. Sierra understood Lily’s wish and nodded. “Okay, I’ll contact her.” It was understandable; after all, she was Lily’s daughter, and Lily wanted to see her one last time. It was odd that, despite the scandal blowing up, James and Yulia hadn’t approached her, which surprised Sierra.
In fact, James and Yulia had tried to find her but didn’t know where she was. Sierra told Dickson to look after her grandmother, then she took a cab to the alley. However, James and Yulia were not there. Unbeknownst to her, following the scandal, not only had the Xander family become targets, but so had James and Yulia.