Chapter 206: Facing Fear

Sierra’s gaze was too direct, too obvious. Johnathan let out a short laugh, half-amused, half-exasperated. Instead of bothering with anything else, he simply pulled her into his arms, blankets and all.

“My fault? Hmm? Who was the one sneaking into my room in the middle of the night? You’re the one lighting the fire and refusing to put it out.” As he spoke, he nipped at her earlobe, unable to resist teasing her. How had he never realized before that Sierra could be this…

Sierra felt wronged. How was this her fault? But this situation really couldn’t continue like this. After thinking for a moment, she hesitantly asked, “Should we… try again?”

Johnathan exhaled sharply. “Forget it.” He wasn’t in the mood for another round of suffering. It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it. If he truly forced himself, he could get through it. But when it came to Sierra, he just couldn’t be that ruthless. The moment he saw her tears, he had no fight left in him.

Sierra was stunned by his rejection. But before she could overthink it, Johnathan added, “We don’t have the right stuff here. It’s inconvenient. We’ll wait until we’re back.”

Sierra pursed her lips before muttering, “Mr. Johnathan, you sure know your stuff.” Her tone was a little sarcastic. Johnathan shot her a glance. “Even if I’ve never eaten pork, I’ve seen pigs run. Besides, aren’t you a biology researcher? You can’t be completely ignorant about this.”

Sierra was about to argue that biology had nothing to do with this when Johnathan continued, “Plenty of animals in the wild have mismatched sizes, yet they manage just fine. So, it’s not a size issue.”

“If animals can figure it out, shouldn’t we, as humans, have even better solutions?” Sierra stared at him. Johnathan really was skilled—in all aspects. So when he suggested helping her get over her fear, she didn’t refuse. What he said made sense. To overcome fear, you had to face it directly.

Half an hour later, she regretted it. She realized she would never, ever be able to overcome this. Facing her fear hadn’t helped—it had made it worse. This was beyond science. She was a woman of science, but this was outside the realm of logic. She had already wanted to give up.

But Johnathan still refused to let go.

The next morning, during breakfast, Dickson kept sneaking glances at Sierra. Her heart pounded with anxiety. She had even worn a long-sleeved shirt, zipping it up all the way to her neck to make sure nothing was visible. So why was Dickson staring at her like that?

Just as she was about to panic, Dickson finally asked, “Ms. Sierra, why are your hands shaking so much today?” Sierra was speechless. She had no idea how to answer. Instinctively, she turned to look at the culprit. Unlike her frustration, Johnathan looked quite pleased with himself. But under Sierra’s warning glare, he quickly masked his amusement and stepped in to help.

“Your Ms. Sierra didn’t have enough fun yesterday. After you all went to sleep, she went to the beach and built sandcastles.”

“Oh.” Dickson thought the excuse sounded a little weak but didn’t question it. Sierra, on the other hand, didn’t dare to look at her grandmother’s expression. Dickson might not have known what happened last night—but Sierra’s grandmother did.

For the next two days, Sierra refused to give Johnathan a single warm glance. But happy times were always short-lived. New Year’s was just a few days away, and it was time for them to head back. None of them wanted to leave, especially Sierra. It wasn’t about the place—it was about the time slipping away. Every passing moment meant less time with her grandmother. Johnathan understood exactly what she was thinking. Squeezing her hand gently, he whispered, “We’ll come back next time.”

Sierra’s grandmother smiled and nodded. “Alright.” They all knew there wouldn’t be a next time. But no one said it out loud.

Back in Maviston, nothing had changed despite their week-long absence. Knowing that Sierra’s grandmother still had an unfinished wish, Sierra turned to Johnathan for help in finding Yulia. It didn’t take long for Johnathan to get results. Yulia had been found. She and James were in even worse shape than before—practically homeless, barely surviving. Johnathan had her cleaned up and dressed properly before bringing her to see Sierra’s grandmother. The moment she stepped inside, Yulia’s eyes lit up.

“Mom!”

At last, she understood. Sierra would never show her mercy again. If she wanted to survive, her only hope was through her mother.