Chapter18
Chase stood frozen.
Those four words shattered him.
His fists clenched at his sides to keep from falling apart.
To Sierra, he was nothing more than a hookup?
“Sierra Hayes… you’re heartless.”
She paused, turning back to face him.
Her expression was cool, composed.
“And you,” she said evenly, “are the last person who gets to say that.”
Each word was like a dagger. Then she turned again and walked away.
Who was really heartless?
Her heart had already been crushed years ago–by her parents‘ favoritism, by his betrayal.
Some people didn’t just break your heart. They ground it into dust.
And sometimes, the only way to survive was to burn everything down and start over.
Sierra had left for the Northwest not just to escape–but to rebuild.
And she had no intention of letting anyone destroy what she’d built.
Rowan watched the exchange, unsure where to look. The tension had been suffocating.
He turned to her, voice gentle. “You okay?”
She nodded without hesitation. “I’m fine.”
But Rowan made a mental note of Chase Walker.
Sierra had changed a lot—but that didn’t mean she was immune.
He didn’t ask more.
Chapter18
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She was no longer that 18–year–old girl. Even running into someone from her past couldn’t shake
her focus.
Right now, research came first. Nothing else mattered.
Rowan respected that and moved on.
“Oh–Professor Tyler just sent an email. He wants us to head down to South Valley to collect field samples. We’ll be extracting curcumin and berberine from local plants. He wants you to take the
new grad students.”
“He’ll probably message you himself later too.”
“So soon?” Sierra frowned.
It felt a bit early to take first–years into the field. Most of them hadn’t even nailed the theory yet.
And Chase was one of them.
She frowned harder.
Rowan caught the look and offered, “If you’re not comfortable, I can go in your place. You know Professor Tyler adores you–he won’t mind.”
Sierra knew he was right. But she shook her head.
“No. This is my responsibility.”
“I can’t avoid work just because of personal issues. I’ve got to learn how to lead, too.”
She remembered how much support she’d gotten when she joined the lab–how many people had
answered her endless questions.
Now it was her turn to step up.
Rowan respected her choice. “Alright. But if anything comes up, you know you can come to me.”
“Thanks,” she said.
They walked back to the equipment room together and locked away the phones collected earlier.
Just as they were about to leave, Rowan handed her a small bag.
“Here. You mentioned before you liked pineapple cakes. I asked the cafeteria lady to get some this
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morning. See if they taste right.”
Sierra blinked in surprise.
She opened the bag and took a small bite.
Crisp crust. Sweet filling.
Her eyes lit up. “This is it!”
She smiled, warmth flickering through her features.
“I really appreciate it, Rowan. I—”
She looked up, only to meet the soft, lingering gaze in his eyes.
