Chapter 269: The Blackmail Album

Sierra froze for a second, then burst out laughing. She couldn’t help it. She thought Johnathan stopped her because he had some typically embarrassing baby photos, maybe wearing a dress or something. Most parents love doing that. Technically, it was a dress… but Johnathan went all out. He was dressed like a flower fairy, rainbow-colored hair, glitter-covered wand in hand, mid-transformation pose and all. If she hadn’t seen it for herself, she wouldn’t have believed it.

Johnathan looked like he wanted to disappear. He hadn’t been back in years—he’d totally forgotten about these blackmail-level moments.

“Can I keep going?” Sierra asked, still grinning, eyes full of mischief.

“Yeah, whatever,” he sighed. “Might as well.”

She kept flipping. There were baby pictures, toddler tantrums, every costume you could think of—superheroes, cartoon characters, more magical girls. But somewhere along the way, something shifted.

Sierra saw it. At first, he was just a kid, wild and happy. But by the last few pages, especially his eighth birthday, he didn’t look like a kid anymore. His smile was gone. He looked… still. Like someone who had to grow up too fast. And that was the last photo with his mom. Sierra didn’t see a single picture of his dad. You could learn a lot from one photo album.

She closed it and smiled gently. “Your mom really loved you.”

“Yeah.” He’d never doubted that. Back then, he didn’t know she was sick. All he knew was that she was always there. Later, he found out she used up all her good days for him. The first time she lost control in front of him, he’d been terrified. When she came back to herself, she was devastated. That was when he stopped being a kid.

“Mr. Yaeger,” Sierra whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist. “You’re luckier than me.”

So don’t let it ruin you. Let it carry you.

Johnathan understood what she meant. He didn’t say anything—just rested a hand on her back. He couldn’t let it go. Not yet. If his mom hadn’t been so good to him, maybe he wouldn’t hate them all so much. But she had been. She’d been everything. And they’d destroyed her.

Sierra could feel the weight in his silence. She looked up and said, “I’m not asking you to forgive them. I just don’t want you stuck in this pain forever. Whatever you decide to do, I’ll back you.” She wasn’t him. She hadn’t lived through it. And she wasn’t about to tell him how to feel.

Chapter 269: The Blackmail Album

They stayed the rest of the day and night, brought their own food, and didn’t check their phones once. By the time they got back, both their phones were basically melting from the number of messages. Sierra’s were mostly from her lab team. Johnathan’s? Pure chaos—his grandfather, half the Wynn family, and several close friends.

Before he could even read through them, Maddox called.

“Took you long enough,” Maddox exhaled. “Your grandfather’s in the hospital. It’s serious this time.”

Apparently, the old man couldn’t take the fallout after the party. The family’s dirty laundry had been aired in front of every major power in the room, and by the time he got home, his body finally gave out.

Johnathan didn’t respond right away. He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together—classic sign he was pissed.

“There’s more,” Maddox said hesitantly. “Word is… the rest of the family’s pushing him to name someone else as heir.”

The Wynn family was known for keeping things locked down. If Maddox’s relatives weren’t connected to them, he wouldn’t have heard a thing.

“Yeah,” Johnathan muttered.

“You already knew?” Maddox sighed. “Well… just go see him. Whatever else, he always treated you right.”

Johnathan didn’t answer. Just ended the call. He stared at his phone, his whole expression dark and unreadable.

Sierra watched him quietly, then said, “If you want to go, go. He’s always been good to you. That matters. And if you don’t want the rest of it, then don’t take it.” Her voice steadied him more than she realized. He didn’t need anyone else’s opinion. Just hers.

“I’m heading to the hospital.”

“Good. I’ve got work to catch up on anyway,” she said, already opening her laptop. Two days without checking in meant she had a whole backlog waiting, and she wasn’t about to let her seniors carry her forever.