Chapter 279: If He Won’t Listen, Then Break Him

Johnathan let out a small laugh. “I’ve been back for a while but never came by to visit Mr. Goodman. That’s on me. We’ve actually crossed paths a few times—your reputation definitely precedes you.”

So he was here about Shane. Jade’s brow twitched slightly, just as Johnathan continued, “I just wanted to give you a heads-up. We’ve got some things to settle. Might get a little loud. If it causes any disruption, I hope you’ll be understanding.”

The smile on Jade’s face nearly cracked. After a pause, he nodded. “Of course. As long as things don’t get out of hand, I tend not to interfere.”

“You’re a reasonable man, Mr. Goodman. I won’t take up more of your time.” With that, Johnathan stood, nodded politely, and walked out.

No sooner had he left than Jade summoned his assistant. “Find out what that little bastard’s up to.”

Jade felt a growing headache. He’d told Shane again and again to stay out of Johnathan’s way, but that arrogant idiot just wouldn’t listen. He’d reminded himself countless times—he could no longer have children. He had to be tolerant. Patient.

But his assistant came back quickly, and by the afternoon had dropped a thick folder of Shane’s recent activities on his desk. Seeing that Shane had been constantly sending flowers to Sierra and even bragging about pursuing her, Jade felt the onset of a migraine. He slammed the folder shut with a heavy thud.

“Bring him here. If he resists, beat him. Just don’t kill him.” This time, he was truly furious. Shane was doing this on purpose. He knew about Sierra and Johnathan, but still insisted on provoking him. Jade realized he’d spoiled the kid for far too long. It was time to teach him a lesson.

When Johnathan stepped out of the building, Maddox was waiting for him. “How’d it go?”

“Let’s see if Jade knows how to handle his own people,” Johnathan said, flicking away his cigarette. His gaze turned cold. “If he doesn’t, someone else will. Kid like that needs to get smacked around before he learns.”

Maddox flinched and instinctively took a step back. “Do the others know how vicious you actually are?”

Once Johnathan had told her he’d take care of Shane, Sierra stopped thinking about it. By the next day, the roses stopped coming, and before long, Sierra had all but forgotten about the entire thing.

Johnathan had been busy lately. From what Mateo and the others said, he’d gone all in on crushing the Zach family. At first, he just targeted a few of their projects. Then came a string of scandals. One department after another showed up to investigate. The mess was so big, everyone in Capital City knew about it.

People were stunned. The Zachs were considered a well-established family, and ever since they got close to the Wynns, they’d been riding high. Who had the guts to come at them like this? Then word started getting around—the Wynn family’s eldest grandson had returned. Anyone who’d been at that infamous birthday party knew exactly what that meant.

The fallout was so intense even Chase had to get involved.

That weekend, Dickson came home from school, Sierra had invited him up for dinner, and they’d decided to make dumplings. Just as they were getting started, the doorbell rang. Sierra was closest to the door, so she opened it—and found a middle-aged man she didn’t recognize.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

Chase stared at her in silence, taking a long moment to look her over. He was already familiar with her face—there were plenty of photos in the files. After all, she was dating his son, and he’d made it a point to check her out. To be honest, he couldn’t understand what his arrogant, sharp-eyed son saw in someone so… average.

Sure, Sierra had some ability. She was talented in her field. But geniuses weren’t exactly rare. “I said, who are you looking for?” Sierra asked again, uneasy under his scrutiny.

Johnathan was in the kitchen kneading dough. The moment he sensed something was off, he came out—hands still covered in flour. He took one look at who was standing at the door, and his expression darkened. Out of respect for Sierra, he didn’t explode. He simply said, “Wait here,” and went back in to wash up.

Chase stood frozen in place. He could hardly believe what he’d just seen. His cold, ruthless son—the one who never showed weakness—was wearing an apron and had flour on his hands? He’d never seen Johnathan like this. Ever. His emotions were hard to read, but after a pause, he said, “Is he… always like this?”

Sierra wasn’t stupid. Between Johnathan’s reaction and this man’s expression, she’d already figured out who he was. Her tone cooled immediately. “Yes. At home, he usually does most of the cooking.”