LOGINAnna patted Tommy's head after relaying the message Kenneth gave to him. "Alright."She was just about to tell Nathan when she realized he was already gone. At the same time, a message from him popped up on her phone. [I still think John is up to no good. I'm going to check.]Anna said nothing and she did not bother stopping him. If it really was not appropriate for him to interfere, John would deal with it himself.Nathan searched as he made calls. When neither Sierra's phone nor John's would go through, he added another strike on John's name in his book of grudges. Then he spotted Lance and Robin standing around like two palace guards, and that only made him more suspicious."Have you seen Sierra?" Nathan asked the two of them."No," Lance said."She's upstairs," Robin said.Lance stared at him in disbelief while Robin looked right back at him."Why would you tell him?" Lance knew they were in trouble now. Given Nathan's status, he could not exactly stop him too forcefully.
"But I can't trust that." Those five words cut into John. They cut into Sierra too, like some kind of double-edged sword. They had always trusted and understood each other, but at that moment, a crack formed in their close relationship."Before all this happened, I used to feel lucky all the time." Sierra meant every word. "You were guarded and calculating with everyone else, but you were truly good to me. I never thought all your schemes and careful planning would one day be used on me.""I did use them," John admitted."What?" Sierra blinked."From the first time I saw you again after we grew up, I was already using every method I could to bring you back home and marry you," John said."That was different." Sierra knew the difference. "I'm talking about the kind that hurt me.""There was that too," John said.Sierra looked at him, confused.When?"Back when we weren't together yet, several people wanted to pursue you. I couldn't stand them, so I had Robin give them a few
"Go straight ahead. Left, then left again, then right." Robin had memorized the layout, so he knew exactly where everything was."I'll go first. Wait over there for Boss." Lance ran off with a miserable expression on his face. After he found the fire escape, he hurried back up to the second floor and slipped the note from his pocket into the changing room.Afraid John might miss it, he even knocked twice.By the time John picked up the note, Lance was already gone.[Boss, Ms. Bell, don't worry. We'll explain everything to Tommy and make sure he doesn't worry.]"Sit down and get some rest," John said as he crumpled the note into a ball. "I'll figure out how to get the door open."If Sierra had not trusted him enough, then no matter how many excuses or witnesses there were, nothing they had done today would have cleared him of suspicion. The timing of the locked door, the lack of signal in the room, even this note...It all looked too much like something he would have arranged.
"Are you alright?" John walked over to Sierra in the changing room, the worry in his eyes impossible to hide.Sierra was picking out a coat she liked and looked confused. "What?""Kenneth said Cedric followed you in." John explained right away, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. "I was worried he might try something dangerous."Sierra blinked.Had Cedric not already left?Just as she was about to say that, the door outside suddenly slammed shut with a huge bang.John frowned and went to pull the handle."Lance closed the door." A figure flashed past outside, but Sierra still caught it.John paused, his hand still on the handle. When he looked back at her, there was something more in his eyes. He wanted to explain, but he did not know whether Sierra would believe him."I know it wasn't you." Sierra knew him well enough to know he would never do something that petty. "They were probably trying to get us back together, so they pulled a few tricks.""Are you willing to, then?
"Sierra, seeing that I literally prostrated myself before you, how are you going to show your gratitude for that?" Joey got to his feet awkwardly and brushed away the dust on him."Is catching the wine you spilled thanks enough?" Sierra looked down at the stains on her light-colored coat and. Joey just felt weird for the hundredth time. "If not, I can pour you another glass."Joey looked at her. "If I said I didn't do it on purpose, would you believe me?"Sierra said nothing since it was believable enough. Who would fake a fall on flat ground with so many people watching?"I'm going to get changed," Sierra said. She never liked wearing dirty clothes. She turned to John and said, "Stay here with Tommy.""I'll go with you." John did not care about the stain on his own clothes.Sierra refused. "No need."She left by herself.Joey glanced at John, who was still watching her leave. Then, he walked over and nudged him with his elbow. "You're not going to change? Your coat got dirty t
"It looks like you still prefer to get things done through the court system." Anna tossed that sentence to Nathan and walked off, as if she was ready to call a lawyer and sue him.Nathan quit trying to be cunning and he immediately unlocked his phone, deleting the post for real. Then he hurried after her with his freshly cleaned-up social media feed.Watching them, John suddenly felt uneasy about his own chances. If Anna wouldn't let him be with Sierra, winning Sierra back might be even harder for him than it had been for Nathan.Then he thought it through again.Anna had always respected her children's choices. As long as Sierra still liked him and was willing to get back together with him, everything would work out."I'll take a few more pictures for you. Let's go over there." He did not say that he wanted to stay close to her outright, so he found something else to do instead. "The lighting and mood is better over there."Sierra took Tommy with her.John was very good with a
"Well?" Pamela asked Sierra in the hospital hallway.Sierra knew the buyer was never giving that ring back, so she didn't bother arguing and answered Pamela calmly. "You really like the things I discarded?" Pamela could barely swallow the insult, but she forced it down and said, "You're still act
Sierra turned to look at her.Holly kept talking with her eyes still fixed on the road. She didn't forget to finish her sentence by asking Sierra for her opinion. "I'm asking if you can accept that price.""You're that said private collector, aren't you?" Sierra exposed her without hesitation, h
Dr. Smith was not sure why John was asking that question, so after considering the situation carefully, he decided to answer honestly. "It's pretty serious. If the wound were anywhere else, it would need several stitches."John shot a dark glare at the doctor. Dr. Smith kept his expression steady
"If I told you everything I did back then had its reasons, would you believe me?" Lucas's voice sounded as if it had aged several years in an instant as he spoke to Sierra. "If I didn't do all that, all of you would have been dragged down with me."Sierra's expression was one of mockery. "Do yo







