When the Flame of Love Fades

Chapter 290: The Line Between Them

Johnathan glanced at Draven without saying a word. Draven immediately backed up a few steps, afraid the man might suddenly lose it. Johnathan’s combat skills were no joke—Draven knew he’d be toast in a fight. Luckily, Sierra came out just then. Draven let out a deep breath of relief and slipped away as fast as he could.

Watching him scurry off, Sierra asked, “What did you do to him?”

“He’s been exploiting my girl. What, I can’t say a few words to him?” Johnathan gave a faint smile.

Sierra didn’t respond. She just got in the car.

Neither of them said anything the whole ride home. Once they arrived, Johnathan didn’t get out right away. Instead, he said, “Sierra, can we talk?”

“Okay.” Sierra knew there was no avoiding it. She also knew this wasn’t something that could be brushed aside.

“You’ve been avoiding me lately. Is it because of what happened that day?”

Johnathan didn’t beat around the bush.

“Yeah,” Sierra admitted, nodding.

“You think I’m too cold-blooded?”

He looked at her and smiled faintly. “But Sierra, this is who I am. I don’t have that kind of empathy. Calling me cold-blooded isn’t wrong. I don’t want to lie to you. Even now, I don’t think what I did was wrong. Survival of the fittest—that’s just how the world works.”

Sierra pressed her lips together. There wasn’t anything wrong with what he said. She was about to explain that this wasn’t really the root of their problem when Johnathan continued.

“You think I’m not the Johnathan you used to know? But I’ve been trying really hard to be the real me. Isn’t that what you wanted? I’ve always had flaws. When I was ten, all I knew how to do was lash out and get angry. Took a lot of hits before I learned to keep it in. Then I realized people preferred the weaker version of me. But with you, I don’t want to fake it. Sierra, just give me a little more time. You can’t expect a bandit to turn into a saint overnight. Just… don’t give up on me.”

Otherwise, he wasn’t sure what he might do.

His words shook Sierra. She wanted to say something, but didn’t know where to start. In the end, she just gave him a hug. Sometimes, a hug said more than anything else ever could.

That put an end to the matter—for now. But Sierra didn’t forget. In fact, she started spending more and more time around Johnathan. She realized she hadn’t really known him that well before. What he showed the world was strength, invincibility, and emotional control. But deep down, he had something almost unhinged in him.

In the end, Johnathan didn’t completely wipe them out. He left them with a way to survive. When Sierra heard about it, she felt a bit relieved, thinking maybe Johnathan had come around. But later, she learned the truth: it was all because of her.

“Your little tricks didn’t work. They’re still together. Sierra never left him,” Jose said bitterly.

They’d been scheming nonstop, trying to show Sierra that Johnathan wasn’t the man she thought he was. But it didn’t seem to matter to her.

“That was just an appetizer,” Shane said calmly. “The real show’s still coming. If once doesn’t work, then twice, three times… Sooner or later, something will.”

If they broke up too easily, he wouldn’t even be interested. Right now, Sierra could still tolerate things because Johnathan hadn’t crossed her moral line. But what would she do the day he finally did? Would she still accept him then?

Jose frowned. “You seem so sure of yourself. I hope your plan actually works.”

“Of course it will.”

Shane raised his glass, hiding the mockery in his eyes. Compared to Johnathan, Jose was still green—too impatient, and not nearly strong enough to back it up. Everyone said the Wynn family’s two grandsons were both outstanding, but in Shane’s eyes, only Johnathan was a real rival. Jose was just someone who’d been handed a pedestal.

Sierra had no idea that people were plotting against her behind the scenes. After she and Johnathan had their talk, she felt a lot better. Plus, she got some good news from Dickson. He was doing incredibly well at school and had even been recognized for his talents—especially in network systems. One school was already considering admitting him early.

When he came home for the weekend, he told her the good news.

“Hey, can I steal you for a day tomorrow? My homeroom teacher wants to talk to a parent,” Dickson said sheepishly. He knew how busy Sierra was. He’d wanted to handle it on his own, but the teacher insisted on speaking with family.

“Of course that’s not a problem. I’ll take the day off tomorrow,” Sierra said without hesitation. “This is something to be proud of. Don’t feel bad about it.”