Chapter 286: The Stranger I Thought I Knew

The truth was, Jonathan wasn’t really like this—except when it came to anything involving Susie. That’s when something in him always shifted, became more rigid, more extreme.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the office. Maddox and Mateo looked uneasy, unsure whether to stay or go. Then Sierra spoke.

“Sorry, can I talk to him alone?”

Maddox and Mateo exchanged a glance, then stood and left without a word. As they stepped out, Mateo gave her a quiet warning.

“Sierra, talk it through.”

Sierra nodded. Once the door shut behind them, Jonathan finally spoke.

“You heard what we said? Did it bother you?”

“It did.” Sierra looked up at him. He was still the Jonathan she knew, the one she cared about. But what he said earlier… that felt like someone else entirely.

“Sierra, business is war. We’re not a shelter. This fight with the Zach Group—it’s costing us too. We can’t afford to carry their people on our backs.”

He was trying to explain.

“I know that,” Sierra said. She did. She had never expected Jonathan to take responsibility for every employee the Zach Group had laid off.

“Then why are you upset?” he asked, frowning.

Why? Because he felt like a stranger.

Sierra took a moment to find the right words before speaking again.

“Because what you said back there didn’t sound like you.”

She hadn’t expected his willingness to help would only be for the sake of appearances—for political leverage, for policy, for image.

Jonathan seemed to understand what she was getting at. He let out a dry chuckle.

“Sierra, I’m a businessman.”

So he looked at everything from a business perspective.

“The man standing in front of you right now isn’t the Jonathan who lectures on campus. He’s the CEO. This company was built by the few of us from the ground up. I own the majority, yes, but they have shares too. There are other stakeholders. I have to answer to them.”

But Sierra knew those were just excuses. If Jonathan really cared about shareholders, he wouldn’t have come after the Zach Group so aggressively in the first place—not like this. But she couldn’t bring herself to say that out loud.

For the first time, she realized she didn’t really know him. He’d told her before that he’d done things. That he’d seen the worst of the world. But she hadn’t truly understood what that meant—until now.

He was good at playing every role he needed to. As a professor, he was refined, composed, endlessly patient. As a CEO, he was sharp, calculating, ruthless. And she could imagine him as a mercenary too—efficient, detached, capable of killing without a second thought. He could shift between roles without missing a beat. But she couldn’t.

She had always thought she knew him. Now she wasn’t so sure. And a question surfaced in her heart—one she didn’t dare ask. When he had sat beside her, gentle and warm, was that real? Or was it just the role he was playing at the time?

She stayed silent. Because she knew that once those words left her mouth, something between them might break forever.

Finally, she spoke again.

“Do you remember Autumn?”

“Of course. She’s Professor Martin’s student too. Your senior.”

“Her parents work for the Zach Group. They’re among those being laid off.”

As she said it, she kept her eyes on him, looking for some flicker of remorse—for a sign that the man she knew was still in there. But there was nothing. Jonathan only raised his eyebrows slightly, like something had just clicked.

“That’s it, then. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure her parents are taken care of. I know you’re close with her—I won’t put you in a tough spot.”

Relieved, he smiled. Her expression earlier had made him uneasy. Something about her had felt… off.

But if this was all because of Autumn, then it made sense. Sierra was softhearted. Autumn had always treated her well. Of course, she’d be upset.

“Thanks,” Sierra murmured.

And for the first time, she didn’t know whether she was thanking him for showing her a sliver of kindness—or whether she should feel heartbroken that this was what kindness looked like now.

“So now that it’s resolved, can you try to smile for me?” Jonathan looked at her closely. “I hate seeing you upset.”

Sierra forced a small smile.

“Mr. Yeager,” she said quietly. “You’re making it really hard for me.”