The lost heiress never forgiven

The Lost Heiress 286

Chapter 286 The Stranger I Thought I Knew

༢.60%£

Finished

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 Matco 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?

felt

a moment to find

what you said back there

only be for the sake of appearances–for political leverage,

seemed to understand what she was getting at. He let

“Sierra, I’m a businessman.”

everything

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

1/3

60

Stranger

knew those were

**Finished

wouldn’t have come after the Zach Group so

couldn’t bring herself to

time, she realized she didn’t really

he’d done things. That he’d seen the worst of the world. But she hadn’t truly understood what that meant–until

good at playing every

a professor, he was refined, composed, endlessly

a CEO, he was

could imagine him as a mercenary too–efficient, detached, capable of

shift between roles without missing a beat.

always thought she knew

she wasn’t so

a question surfaced in her heart–one she didn’t

real? Or was it just the role he was

She stayed silent.

that once those words left

Finally, she spoke again.

“Do you remember Autumn?”

course. She’s Professor Martin’s student too.