Chapter 333: The Unspoken Doubt

Quinn froze. She clearly hadn’t expected Jonathan to send her away. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out for a long time. Sierra thought she was going to break down, but surprisingly, Quinn stayed calm. After a moment, she forced a faint smile.

“Thank you. You’ve thought of everything. I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you lately. Don’t worry, I’ll get better soon.”

Seeing that forced smile, even Sierra couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for her. But Jonathan remained unmoved.

“You don’t owe me an apology,” he said coolly, “You owe it to yourself. Throwing your life away for a man like this—you’re an idiot.”

Sierra immediately reached out and tugged at his arm, trying to stop him. That was way too harsh. She was afraid Quinn would take it too hard.

But Quinn stayed calm. In fact, she even looked a little remorseful.

“You’re right, Jonathan.”

At that point, Sierra didn’t know what to say anymore. She finally understood—Quinn was a textbook case of a sister complex. It didn’t matter what Jonathan said or did. To her, he could do no wrong, especially after what she’d gone through in her last marriage.

Jonathan, on the other hand, seemed used to this side of her. Without skipping a beat, he began talking about Dora’s arrangements.

“I’ll pick her up on the weekends and take her to visit you. If you don’t want her to suffer, then get better quickly. Quinn, she’s your responsibility.”

Quinn bit her lip and gave a firm nod. “I know.”

She looked at Dora, but the little girl didn’t look back at her. Instead, she looked straight at Sierra, eyes full of reluctance. She might’ve been young, but she could understand enough. She knew she was about to be sent away.

Sierra didn’t have Jonathan’s emotional detachment—especially when it came to Dora. The guilt hit her hard. But there was no way she could keep Dora with her every day. She had her own responsibilities, and she couldn’t let Dora sit in the security office all day.

“Dora, there’ll be other kids at the new school. You’ll make friends. I’ll come pick you up Friday night, okay? I’ll get you a new watch, and I’ll call you every evening, alright?”

Dora didn’t say a word. She just held out her pinky. Sierra froze for a moment, then hooked her own pinky around Dora’s. “It’s a promise.”

Sierra was completely focused on Dora. She didn’t notice the sudden shift in Quinn’s expression—the malice in her eyes. But Jonathan did. He instinctively looked over at Quinn. Her eyes didn’t show any hatred—only guilt and sorrow, as if she couldn’t forgive herself for what she’d done to her daughter.

12:27 PM

Chapter 333: The Unspoken Doubt - Finished

But who had it come from?

By the time everything was settled with Quinn and Dora, night had fallen. Sierra let out a long breath. She felt exhausted—and Johnathan hadn’t slept at all the night before. She wanted to ask what medication he’d given Quinn to suppress her symptoms, but when she saw the dark circles under his eyes, she held back.

They grabbed a quick bite and went to bed. The next morning, on the way to campus, Sierra finally found her moment.

“What medicine did you give Quinn? Her symptoms were completely suppressed.”

“It’s not something you can buy.”

Johnathan didn’t elaborate. He just said, “It’s powerful, but it comes with side effects.” If Quinn’s condition hadn’t been that serious, he wouldn’t have used it.

Hearing it wasn’t on the market made Sierra’s heart skip a beat. She still asked, “Did you make it yourself?”

“Yeah. It was something I worked on for fun a while back. It’s got flaws, though—that’s why it can’t go public.” Johnathan answered casually.

Sierra pressed her lips together. “How do you know it’s flawed?”

Johnathan gave her a surprised glance, frowning slightly. “Because I tested it, obviously. Isn’t that how it works? Sierra, what’s wrong with you?”

They were both in this field. They knew not every research project saw the light of day. Plenty of drugs were developed but scrapped. Some failed with lab rats. Others didn’t make it past clinical trials. And clinical trials alone could take over a year. Sierra’s own work on her grandmother’s medication had been the same way. Even with Jonathan speeding up the process, they still hadn’t made it in time. That drug still wasn’t fully approved. It was still in the clinical phase. Of course, Sierra knew all this. She couldn’t believe how shaken she’d become.

Why had a few of Shane’s words made her start doubting Jonathan?