When the Flame of Love Fades

Chapter 292: Set Up

Sierra found the old man’s comments amusing and couldn’t help laughing. “Well, if she’s difficult, then your grandson’s the one who has to deal with her! Isn’t that a good thing? Let him suffer a little.”

Mr. Wynn paused, then nodded in agreement. “You’re not wrong.” Shame Jonathan was a pain in every other way—but at least the boy had good taste.

After a short conversation with Sierra, Mr. Wynn could already tell this girl was the real deal. It almost felt like a waste, pairing someone like her with his little troublemaker of a grandson.

“Where do you live, sir? Is it far?” Sierra asked.

She’d assumed he lived somewhere on campus, but when she saw him heading for the front gate, she realized she was wrong.

“A bit far, but it’s fine. Someone’s coming to get me. You go on now. If fate allows, we’ll meet again,” Mr. Wynn said with a casual wave.

“Alright!” Sierra replied cheerfully and headed off to hail a cab.

Moments after she left, a long luxury car pulled up in front of Mr. Wynn. The butler stepped out quickly to greet him.

“How did it go, sir?”

“She’s a good one,” Mr. Wynn said, then added with a sigh, “Too bad she’s got terrible taste. Of all people, she picked Jonathan.”

The old man looked thoroughly exasperated. The butler didn’t dare respond. Mr. Wynn could criticize the young master all he wanted—but no one else was allowed to. After all, he’d personally said Jonathan was the one who most took after him.

Sierra didn’t think twice about the encounter. She had no idea who she’d just been talking to.

With Dickson’s school situation handled, she dove back into work. Lately, her professor had been collaborating with the Institute of Astronomical Research, so she and her team were stationed there assisting with the project. Jonathan hadn’t been too busy these days and had been driving her to and from work. Draven once joked that not even foreign royalty got this kind of treatment.

Sierra just smiled and let it go. She knew Jonathan was only temporarily free. The Zach family had been just his first step.

Based on everything she knew about him, Jonathan wasn’t done. He was just taking a break. She could only hope no one else poked the bear. She’d been worried about what trouble might come from his side—but in the end, it was her own that fell apart first.

The project she was leading hit a major snag. One of the key datasets failed at a critical moment. Since this was part of a national collaboration, the situation escalated fast.

Chapter 252: Set Up

The day it happened, her professor immediately stepped in to handle the negotiation, but it didn’t go well. Sierra’s dataset had been pivotal. Because of the error, weeks of research had gone to waste. And since it involved the national research institute, the consequences weren’t minor. Sierra was taken in for investigation—Professor Martin tried to intervene but couldn’t stop them.

“My gut says Sierra wouldn’t make a mistake like that,” Autumn said urgently. “Something’s not right.”

Professor Martin agreed. Sierra had been working under him for over two months. Apart from Jonathan, she was easily the most gifted student he’d ever had. There was no way she’d mess up like that. But right now, they couldn’t do anything.

“Wait—what about that Mr. Draven?” Autumn perked up. “He’s got a pretty high position at the Institute. Maybe he can help.” Plus, Draven and Sierra seemed to get along fairly well. He’d never snapped at her—his worst offense was dragging her into late-night overtime.

It was a solid lead. Professor Martín nodded. “Try to reach him. I’ll think of something else on my end.”

“What about Mr. Yaeger?” Azure asked.

Professor Martin paused, then shook his head. “Not yet.” He knew Jonathan’s temper. If he found out now, who knew what kind of mess he’d stir up? “He’d only worry—and he wouldn’t be able to help much anyway.”

What Professor Martin didn’t know was Jonathan’s true identity. He just didn’t want to risk making things worse.

The others agreed and split up—Autumn went to find Draven, while Azure and the rest began investigating the source of the data issue.

Meanwhile, Sierra was already being interrogated. Back in a now-familiar room, she couldn’t deny she was nervous—especially since this time, it was far more serious. There was even talk of potential data leaks.

Over and over, they asked the same questions. Her answers never changed. No one else handled the data—it had been her work. But what she turned in wasn’t the same data she’d submitted. Somewhere, something had gone wrong. One thing was painfully clear: someone had set her up. But who?