Chapter 478 Playing with Fire.
Autumn wanted nothing more than to avoid Draven. But the man was as persistent as he was clueless–e followed her anyway.
Seeing her digging for spring bamboo shoots, he began critiquing her technique. One moment it was, “You’re doing it wrong,” and the next, “You’re not using enough force.”
Annoyed, Autumn threw down the trowel. “If you’re so great, then do it yourself.”
Draven adjusted his glasses and–surprisingly–took the tool from her.
At first, he was even worse than she was. Autumn didn’t hold back, teasing him with a smirk. “And here I thought you were some expert. Turns out you’re all talk.“.
Draven pressed his lips together and said nothing. But after a while, he got the hang of it. His movements grew confident, and before long, he pulled a fresh bamboo shoot from the soil.
“Look!”
He held it up, visibly pleased. “It’s really tender.”
“… Yeah, not bad,” Autumn admitted grudgingly.
And just like that, the two of them were digging side by side, slowly warming up.
With every shoot they unearthed, their excitement grew. At one point, their combined shouts of surprise made others turn their heads–anyone unaware might’ve thought something serious had happened.
The joy of harvesting bamboo shoots… oddly enough, it thrilled them more than their usual lab successes. The feeling of tangible accomplishment was euphoric.
If anyone from their academic circle had seen them–these renowned scholars squealing over wild vegetables–they’d have been speechless.
Hands known for pioneering science and reshaping theories were now happily dirt–stained, planting and harvesting like country farmers.
The commotion drew Sierra’s attention. She glanced over several times, eyebrows raised.
Eventually, she turned to Johnathan. “Do you… think there’s something between Draven and Autumn?”
Johnathan looked over and saw what she meant.
He caught it instantly–Draven clearly had feelings. But from Autumn’s expression, those feelings weren’t
mutual.
Curling his lips in amusement, he said, “Let them figure it out”
“I think Draven’s a good guy,” Sierra said. Perhaps it was their shared scientific background–she’d always had a favorable impression of him.
Aside from Mateo, Draven was the one she interacted with most among Johnathan’s friends.
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Chapter 478 Playing with Fire
Johnathan snorted, “He’s only decent on the outside. Privately, he’s a menace.
Sierra blinked in disbelief. “You’re impossible.”
The group spent the entire day on the mountain. By the time the outing came to a close, no one wanted to leave–even though Sierra offered to let them stay overnight, they all politely declined
Still, they promised to come again.
Sierra smiled and said, “They say in summer, the mountains are full of mushrooms and wild herbs. We can go foraging again then.”
That immediately sparked anticipation. Everyone was already looking forward to it.
After they’d gone, Sierra finally let herself relax and stretch out her limbs.
The day had worn her out too.
Curled in Johnathan’s arms, she murmured, “So… what do you think of White today? Did you notice anything?”
“He’s smart,” Johnathan said simply.
White had behaved exactly as expected–no missteps, no suspicious remarks, and no questions that overstepped.
If they hadn’t been watching him so closely, Johnathan might not have caught anything. But he did- White had spent the day subtly surveying the estate’s security.
His movements were precise. So subtle, in fact, that even Stone didn’t notice.
That didn’t prove anything yet–but it told Johnathan one thing. White was testing the waters.
He was trying to find the cracks.
After talking for a while, Sierra hesitated. “What if… we’re wrong about him?”
Over time, she’d gotten to know White better. Despite his tactless mouth, he didn’t seem like a bad person.
Of course, that all depended on whether what she saw was real–and not an act.
Johnathan kissed her cheek and said gently, “If we’re wrong, I’ll apologize to him.”
But deep down, he doubted it.
His instincts had saved his life more times than he could count–and they were screaming at him now. Sierra trusted him. She always had.
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room elsewhere, White swirled a glass of red wine as he sat before a glowing
Chapter 478 Playing with Fire
A stranger’s face filled the monitor,
“Are you really going to keep going?” the voice asked. “Last time caused a lot of trouble. Even though you cut ties fast, people are starting to ask questions.”
“Of course I’m going to keep going.”
White smiled slowly–nothing like the careless chatterbox he was during the day. In this moment, he looked downright sinister.
“The game’s just getting good. And those two…. they’re rare talents. If we get our hands on them, our research will progress tenfold. Honestly, I’m dying to cut open their brains and study them The voice hesitated. “Johnathan isn’t someone you can mess with. He’s not just anyone.”
“I know,” White said, finishing his wine in one gulp.
“That’s why… this time, my target is Sierra.”
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