Chapter 230: Shane’s Gift

Sierra considered every possibility, concluding that Shane had set a trap for them. “Don’t overthink it. We’ll deal with it when it happens,” Jonathan reassured her. This expression wasn’t good; this wasn’t the first time. Shane had too much influence over Sierra. She might not have realized it herself, but anything Shane did affected her deeply. Even if caution was warranted, Jonathan still hated it.

The ride home was quiet, even with Jonathan’s reassurance. Sierra couldn’t stop thinking about the so-called “gift” Shane mentioned. Because of this, she didn’t notice Jonathan’s expression darkening even more. Even when they got back, both of them seemed unsettled, and Mateo and Dickson quickly picked up on it. Dickson went to help Sierra in the kitchen, while Mateo pulled Jonathan onto the balcony.

“What’s going on? Did you two fight?” Jonathan was in a bad mood and didn’t feel like talking. Instead, he kicked Dickson lightly: “Cigarette.” “I don’t have any. I’m not Maddox—I don’t walk around with a pack at all times,” Mateo glanced toward the kitchen and lowered his voice. “Then what happened?” “Let’s just say I’m not in a good mood.” Jonathan’s gaze darkened.

“You two fought? Even if you did, that shouldn’t affect you and Ma’am like this,” Mateo was genuinely confused. Jonathan knew that, even if he did fight with Sierra, Mateo wouldn’t understand. The underlying issue—his possessiveness, his need to be the only one in her world—wasn't something he could easily explain. He was about to say something when the doorbell suddenly rang, interrupting their conversation. The Dakon (sun and 4) was something he had ordered and it was food. The remainder of Shane’s words, his tone changed. Jonathan, darkening slightly, moved to open the package, but Sierra stopped him.

Mateo chuckled. “If it’s about opening things, I’m the best at it.” He grabbed the package; it wasn’t very big. Opening it up, he found several small boxes inside. The first box he opened contained a stack of photos. “Well, well. This is good stuff.” He waved the photos in the air.

Sierra and Jonathan walked over, only to see that the entire stack was full of pictures of Kason—showing him in various humiliating and compromising situations. Inside the package was also a USB drive. Sierra’s heart pounded. “Dickson, get the laptop.” The moment they plugged in the drive, they saw several gigabytes of video files. Sierra clicked on one at random. It showed Kason torturing people. She exhaled in relief. So this was the gift Shane was talking about? She had spent so much time trying to find these videos but had always come up empty. Yet, in the end, it was Shane who handed them to her on a silver platter.

“Looks like the Richardson family has been abandoned,” Mateo mused. “Shane must have seen trouble coming and decided to throw Kason under the bus.” Sierra nodded. Jonathan, however, had a different take. He hadn’t interacted with Shane many times, but his gut told him Shane wouldn’t get directly involved in this mess.

Mateo, still excited, rubbed his hands together. “Let me dig into the origins of these videos. Maybe we can drag Shane down…” “You think he’s as dumb as you?” If Shane was willing to hand these over, it meant there was no way to trace them back to him. “Doesn’t hurt to try,” Mateo muttered. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, but he was just trying to lighten the mood.

“Oh, right. There’s another box in here. Let’s see what’s inside.” Mateo opened the second box and found a notebook. He flipped it open, glanced at the first page, and immediately slammed it shut. His reaction caught everyone’s attention. Johnathan narrowed his eyes. “What is it?”

“Nothing.” Marco’s smile looked a little forced. Johnathan gave him a sharp look, then walked over and took the notebook from his hands. Mateo instinctively resisted, but when Johnathan shot him a glare, he had no choice but to let go. On the first page, written neatly at the top, were the words, “Observation Diary.” Johnathan’s pulse quickened. He flipped the page. Inside, the handwriting was neat and precise. “Gift for Professor Jonathan.” As he read further, his expression immediately changed. Without another word, he shut the notebook.

Sierra had been watching him closely and couldn’t help but ask, “What is it?” “Nothing. It’s for me,” Johnathan’s voice was calm. “Just some provocation. Nothing worth looking at.” With that, he closed the notebook completely and, without hesitation, changed the subject.