Chapter 235: Old Debts

“What are you thinking about?”

Johnathan studied Sierra’s face. “Everything is finally moving in the right direction. You fought so hard for this, and now all those nameless victims finally have justice. Why don’t you look happy?”

Sierra pressed her lips together. “Johnathan, you…” She hesitated, then shook her head. “Never mind. It’s nothing.”

She had fallen for Johnathan, not his background. Some things didn’t need to be confronted until the time came. There was no point in worrying about them now.

“Once this is over, let’s invite your friends over for dinner.”

Sierra smiled. “We owe them a proper thank-you.” If it weren’t for Stone and the others, this wouldn’t have been so easy.

“Alright. I’ll let them know.” Johnathan squeezed her hand. He knew what Sierra had been about to ask. He had even been ready to be honest. But since she didn’t push, he let it go as well. After all, he never thought the Wynn family was worth much to begin with.

With Maddox and Stone handling things, Sierra wasn’t worried about Kason escaping punishment. Instead, she focused on her next steps. She had already decided to accept the offer from Capital Academy. She hadn’t told Johnathan yet—she wanted it to be a surprise.

But before she could do anything, an unexpected visitor showed up. It took her a moment to recognize him.

Sean.

He had lost a lot of weight, his face covered in scruff. His hair was a mess, his entire appearance reeking of alcohol. His eyes were swollen, and he looked completely defeated. Sierra hadn’t expected him to seek her out—let alone in this condition. She had just finished grocery shopping with Dickson when she saw him. Dickson immediately stepped in front of her, prepared to call for backup, but Sierra stopped him. She looked at Sean calmly.

“What do you want?”

Sean opened his mouth, hesitated, then finally forced out a few words. “Can… Can you lend me some money?!”

Sierra was momentarily stunned. After the Xander family collapsed, she had stopped paying attention to them. She had heard about Nander Group’s bankruptcy, but even a sinking ship had some leftover wealth. Sean and Evan had healthy hands and feet—there was no way their situation should have been this bad. But judging by Sean’s appearance, things clearly weren’t going well for them at all.

Sean couldn’t even meet her eyes. Avoiding her gaze, he muttered, “I know we have no right to ask you for anything, but I have no other choice! Mom is really sick. The treatment costs a lot.” “Evan was arrested… I don’t even know his situation. That’s going to take money too. And…” His voice trailed off.

Ever since the family fell apart, Sean had been in complete denial. Evan had been the one keeping things afloat. Meanwhile, he had spent his days drinking himself into oblivion, shutting out reality. But a few days ago, the police came knocking. They searched the house and delivered the news—Evan had been arrested for illegal human experimentation. His mother collapsed on the spot. Sean had no choice but to wake up and face reality.

Before, he had been a famous star. No matter where he went, people recognized him. Now, the same people who used to praise him looked at him with pity, disdain, and amusement. He had completely fallen apart. But that wasn’t the worst part. His mother was diagnosed with a tumor. It wasn’t cancerous, but treatment would still cost a fortune. Evan had always handled the finances. Now that he was gone, Sean had no idea how to manage anything. He tried borrowing money, only to realize what it felt like to be stepped on. He was humiliated, ridiculed, ignored—and worst of all, no one actually gave him any money.

Sierra didn’t ask any questions. She simply told him to give her his bank account number and transferred a sum of money to him.

Then, without another word, she turned and left with Dickson. Sean stared at his phone. The money had arrived.

He had never expected that, in the end, the only person willing to help him… was Sierra. The same Sierra they had cast aside, used, and abandoned. His heart clenched painfully. Watching her disappear into the distance, he suddenly shouted, “I’ll pay you back!”

Sierra didn’t turn around. Upstairs, Dickson kept glancing at her, hesitant to speak. Sierra noticed.

“What? You think I shouldn’t have helped him?”

Dickson didn’t hide his thoughts. He nodded. “They treated you horribly.” If Ms. Sierra had died in that prison, the Xander family wouldn’t have cared. They would’ve made a show of sympathy for a day or two, then moved on. They weren’t worth her kindness.