Chapter 31: A Choice of Respect

He looked forward to the day they would realize the truth and regret everything. But for now, there were still things that needed to be done.

“Let her come back! She seems decent enough,” Jonathan spoke up.

Bradley turned to him in shock, his expression filled with disbelief. “What do you mean by that?”

Seems decent enough? Did Jonathan like Sierra? What about Denny? Denny had fallen for Jonathan at first sight! From the moment Jonathan had suddenly joined Northwind University three years ago, Denny had admired him. She even changed her major because of him. For him, she had put in immense effort, going from knowing nothing to barely keeping up. They all knew just how much she had struggled to get where she was. And now Jonathan was interested in Sierra?

Jonathan quietly observed Bradley’s shifting expressions before speaking again. “I simply believe that everyone deserves the right to choose their own path. We should respect that. She may have spent three years in prison, but she still holds a determined and positive heart. Doesn’t that deserve respect?”

Bradley felt as if he had just been slapped across the face. Even an outsider could see this, and yet, as her own brother… He quickly dismissed his thoughts and said, “You’re right. I’ll talk to my father.”

“Jonathan, I’ll leave the proof up to you then.”

Jonathan nodded. “Send the medicine over.”

That afternoon, Sierra received a phone call. It was from her department head. “You can return to your original class tomorrow.”

Sierra hesitated for a moment before asking, “Are you sure there won’t be any changes this time?”

There was an awkward pause on the other end before the department head stiffly replied, “There won’t be!”

After hanging up, Sierra immediately headed to the university. Jonathan was in his office, examining the medicine Bradley had just sent over. When he saw Sierra, he casually lifted the bottles in his hand. “Interested in joining me?”

“What’s that?” She eyed the items curiously.

“From Bradley.”

It took Sierra a second to process, but then she understood everything. The reason she was suddenly allowed back into her major was because Jonathan had agreed to help Bradley. She frowned! Jonathan’s reputation in the industry was something she had recently come to understand. If he issued a false report and got caught, his entire career would be ruined.

She was about to speak when Jonathan calmly said, “Relax. I won’t go against my professional ethics. I’m simply verifying the contents of these two pills.”

Sierra immediately understood his meaning. She let out a chuckle. “Bradley is going to lose his mind over this!”

Jonathan merely raised a brow, neither confirming nor denying it. Then, he extended the invitation again. “Want to join me?”

Sierra hesitated for a moment before meeting his gaze. There was warmth and sincerity in his eyes; she nodded.

Chapter 31: A Choice of Respect

The two of them put on lab coats and entered the laboratory together.

“You do it,” Jonathan handed the medicine to Sierra.

The analysis went smoothly, and soon, the results were ready. There were no harmful ingredients; everything was legally compliant. Jonathan signed the report with his name, then took a photo and sent it to Bradley, completing his part of the deal.

However, he didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he turned to Sierra and asked, “Since you’re here, is there anything else you’d like to work on?”

Her heart skipped a beat. She had been stuck in a rut for days now, unable to break through a bottleneck. Sierra thought for a moment before explaining her problem.

Jonathan listened before suggesting, “Show me what you’ve been doing!” As he spoke, he pulled out his phone and made a call, instructing someone to turn off the lab’s surveillance system.

Sierra’s eyes flickered. “Every lab has surveillance?”

Jonathan glanced at her. “In general, university labs do. Some private ones as well, though they’re often hidden.”

Her expression shifted slightly. These past few days, she had been working in another lab. Which meant… everything she had done might have been monitored.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Sierra refocused and began replicating the experiment she had been struggling with. As she studied the analysis plate, her brows knitted together. “It’s always this part! I’ve adjusted the ratio countless times, but it never works.”

Jonathan had been silently observing from the moment she started. Only when she spoke did he finally comment. “You’re bold. Combining two entirely unrelated substances? No one else would have dared to attempt this.”

Sierra let out a wry smile. “Well, it seems like this path isn’t working.”

Maybe her original assumption had been wrong. Jonathan didn’t speak right away. Instead, he ran multiple simulations in his mind before finally saying…