Chapter 262: The Birthday He Never Celebrates

After some thought, Jade picked up the phone and called his assistant. “Look into that girl. Sierra.” Maybe she’d be the breakthrough he needed.

As the days ticked by, Sierra realized Johnathan’s birthday was approaching—but he hadn’t said a word about it. She remembered what Mateo had said and, still unsure if it meant anything serious, decided to ask him directly over lunch.

“Ma’am! What a surprise.” Mateo smiled brightly when he saw her. Sierra didn’t waste time. “That day you told me to pay attention to Johnathan’s birthday—what exactly did you mean?” She didn’t know if it was a warning, or something symbolic. Either way, it had been stuck in her head for days.

Mateo looked a little conflicted, like he wasn’t sure where to start. “Is it something you can’t talk about?” she asked.

He shook his head. “It’s not that. I just don’t know how to explain it. It used to be fine, but ever since his mother passed, he doesn’t celebrate his birthday anymore. His mood always seems off around then, even though he hides it well. We’re not exactly sure what happened, but… from what we know, his mom died in a car accident. On his birthday.”

Even with how close they all were, there were still things they didn’t know for certain. But most of them guessed that Johnathan’s mom had been trying to rush back to celebrate with him—and that’s why the accident happened. Since then, every birthday had become a quiet, painful day.

Sierra’s expression turned heavy. This would be the first birthday she shared with Johnathan. She had originally wanted to plan a surprise for him—but now she realized there was nothing to celebrate. Johnathan clearly cared deeply about his mother. He’d mentioned her before, but never once brought up his father.

“Ma’am,” Mateo added after a moment’s hesitation, “you might want to keep a close eye on him this year.” He hesitated again, then added, “It might be worse than usual.” They’d recently been informed that Mr. Wynn was planning a birthday gathering for Johnathan this year. Several high-profile guests had been invited—including Johnathan’s father. Mateo had only just found out himself. And frankly, he was worried the whole thing might spiral out of control.

After the conversation, Sierra didn’t bring up the topic of birthdays with Johnathan. She watched him closely instead—but he seemed exactly the same. On the day of his birthday, he didn’t mention it once. He only told her he wouldn’t be able to pick her up and might be back late. She was worried, but didn’t show it. He always presented himself as calm and composed—especially in front of her. Johnathan had once said she kept everything bottled up. But in truth, he was no different. He only ever showed people the best parts of himself. The pain, the wounds, the grief—those, he handled alone. And maybe that’s what hurts the most.

Sierra felt a little helpless. But she chose to respect his silence. Everyone has their own corners of darkness they don’t want to share. No matter how close two people get, that right to privacy still remains.

Because her mind kept drifting back to him, Sierra spent most of the day distracted—and unfortunately, Professor Martin was around. She’d already seen how sharp the professor could be, but this was her first time experiencing it firsthand. Now she understood why everyone else looked terrified when the professor got mad.

Still, Martin went easier on her than most. There was something about Sierra—an innate energy, a spark—that the professor appreciated too much to break. “Don’t waste your talent,” Martin said, not unkindly.

“I’m sorry, Professor. I wasn’t in the right headspace today.” Sierra owned up immediately. Martin waved her off. “Go home and get yourself together. You’re just wasting your time here like this.”

“Thank you, Professor.” She accepted the advice. She couldn’t focus here anyway. Just as she stepped out of the lab, planning to call Mateo or one of the others, someone blocked her path. Sierra looked up and saw a guy who seemed vaguely familiar. She’d seen him a few times before. He always came to her with questions. She remembered his face. She assumed he had another problem—but instead, he looked hesitant, like he wanted to say something but didn’t know how.