Chapter 337: A Walk Between Rivals

Shane sat in his wheelchair alone for a long time, then muttered, “As long as Johnathan is around, she’ll never like me.” After saying that, he closed his eyes.

Before long, a few bodyguards entered. “Sir, it’s time.” These were men Jade had assigned to him. All former special forces—well-trained and capable. Their purpose wasn’t just to protect him but to make sure he didn’t stir up trouble. Jade had only recently secured his current position, and he was looking to rise even higher in the next few years. He couldn’t afford any screwups.

Sierra had no idea how much the political climate in Capital City had shifted again in just half a month. She and her team had just made a breakthrough in their research.

“According to the theory, this solution is viable,” Professor Martin said, looking over their report. He gave his verdict: “Go ahead with this approach. Let’s see if we can make it work in practice.”

“Yes, Professor,” Sierra replied. Led by Sierra, the group was elated. After nearly a month of hard work, they finally had some results. Professor Martin looked at them with approval. These students were exceptional—especially Sierra. Her ideas were always a little unconventional, but sometimes those wild paths led to unexpected discoveries.

Sierra couldn’t wait to share the good news with Johnathan. “If this works in testing, we’re getting close. Once it clears clinical trials, we can start using it on Quinn.”

Sierra had been quietly worrying about Quinn this whole time. She’d originally planned to visit her with Johnathan on the weekend, only to find out Quinn had been moved to the Wynn estate under Wayne’s care. Johnathan still took Dora to visit every week, but he never once mentioned bringing Sierra along. Eventually, she stopped asking.

Hearing the update, Johnathan seemed genuinely happy for her. Taking the opportunity, Sierra asked about Quinn. “How is she now? Stable?”

“Yeah,” Johnathan replied. He didn’t seem keen on going into detail. Sierra had wanted to ask more, but seeing his attitude, she let it drop. Johnathan didn’t notice the subtle change in Sierra’s mood—his mind was still on Quinn.

It had been over two weeks, and he still hadn’t figured out what Wayne wanted by bringing Quinn back. Still, the few times he’d gone to visit, Quinn had looked fine. She said she was actively cooperating with treatment.

Johnathan had people at the estate. They’d told him Wayne had only seen her once. Besides that, Chase had met with her twice. No one knew what they’d discussed.

Johnathan stayed deep in thought until they arrived at their destination—only then did he realize he hadn’t said much to Sierra.

12:27 PM

Chapter 337: A Walk Between Rivals

Sierra smiled and got out of the car first. “Let’s go. The party’s starting.” Today was Maddox’s birthday party. As one of his close friends, Johnathan was naturally expected to attend. The event was kept low-key. Only a small group of close friends had been invited. Even so, Sierra still felt there were too many people—and a lot of unfamiliar faces. From the moment she walked in, she could feel subtle eyes on her. Curious. Probing.

Most of these people didn’t know who Johnathan really was. After all, not many had been important enough to attend his birthday party. But the ones who did know—especially those outside of academia—were well aware of the storm Johnathan had stirred in Capital City over the past six months. And right now, Yaeger Corp was the hottest company in town. Maddox and the others only held shares. Johnathan ran the show. Naturally, a crowd gathered, eager to build connections with him.

Johnathan was in business—he couldn’t avoid networking, especially not here, where most of the crowd was second-generation elite. He turned to Sierra and said, “If you don’t like this, go grab something to eat. I’ll come find you in a bit.” He knew how much she disliked these kinds of events.

Sierra nodded and quietly found a corner. She had just sat down when a familiar, excited voice called out, “Ms. Sierra!”

She looked up and saw Quinn standing in front of her. She had no idea when Quinn had shown up. Compared to last time, Quinn looked a lot better. At least now, Sierra couldn’t see any signs of instability.

Sierra smiled, relieved. “You’re okay?”

Quinn looked a little embarrassed. “Much better. I’m sorry for the trouble I caused before.”

Sierra shook her head. “I’m just glad you’re alright. We were all worried about you.”

“Thank you.” Quinn reached out and took her hand. “Johnathan’s lucky to have you by his side.”

Before Sierra could respond, Quinn asked, “Want to go for a walk?”

Sierra didn’t think too much about it and nodded.