Chapter 355: Shadows in the Woods

Quinn thought it through carefully. She was almost certain Sierra must have overheard her late-night muttering and told Johnathan. Still, Sierra likely hadn’t caught much. Otherwise, things wouldn’t be this quiet. She’d thought she’d hidden it well—but Sierra had heard something after all.

Annoyance flashed in Quinn’s eyes. But she wasn’t someone who lost control easily. If she were, she wouldn’t have managed to fool everyone around her for so many years—not even Johnathan had seen through her.

Forcing herself to calm down, she began thinking about her next move.

Meanwhile, Johnathan had already met up with Mateo. Mateo had pulled an all-nighter without complaint. “I tracked the video you sent. Look at this,” he said, pulling up a frame from surveillance footage. It was an image of the man leading Dora into a car.

“Don’t bother,” Mateo added. “The car’s using fake plates. And it vanished once it reached the outskirts—no more footage past that.”

Not every area was covered by surveillance. Out in the rural forests, there were blind spots. Mateo enlarged one frame, showing half the man’s face.

“It’s not Timothy,” Johnathan said flatly. He’d seen Timothy before. This guy resembled him a little, but it wasn’t the same person.

“Then why would Dora go with him?” Mateo frowned, confused.

Johnathan didn’t answer right away. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the table. After a moment, he said, “Check if Quinn made any calls late last night.”

Mateo shot him a startled glance but did as asked. It only took a few minutes.

“Nothing. Her phone’s been inactive since 10 p.m. But Johnathan—what are you thinking?”

“Nothing.” Johnathan rubbed his temples. He hoped he was just being paranoid.

“I mean, come on. Quinn practically grew up with us. You know what she’s like. And we’re talking about her own daughter.”

Ever since Wayne had asked Quinn to recuperate at the family estate, he’d had a vague unease in the back of his mind. But there was no evidence—nothing concrete. Even his suspicions felt unfounded.

“Forget it,” he said. “Let’s just focus on finding Dora first.”

While Johnathan and Mateo worked to trace Dora’s whereabouts, Sierra remained preoccupied at the lab. During lunch, Autumn noticed. “What’s up? You’ve been spaced out all morning.”

“Dora’s missing,” Sierra said quietly.

Autumn had met Dora and adored the sweet little girl. She sat up, instantly alarmed. “What happened?”

Sierra gave her a brief rundown of how Dora had been taken.

“Don’t think the worst yet. Maybe it really was her father,” Autumn said, trying to soothe her.

Sierra shook her head. “Her dad’s not a good person either.” After hesitating, she told Autumn the truth—how Timothy had once used Dora as a test subject. Autumn slammed her hand on the table.

“That monster! That’s his own daughter! What kind of person does that?”

“That’s why I’m so worried,” Sierra murmured.

Autumn was about to respond when Sierra’s phone rang—it was an unknown number. Without thinking, Sierra picked it up. “Hello?”

“Ms. Sierra—help me!”

It was Dora’s voice. Sierra shot to her feet. “Dora! Dora, where are you?”

But before Dora could answer, the call was cut off. Sierra tried calling back, but the number was already unreachable. She didn’t hesitate. She called Johnathan right away and told him everything.

“Stay at the lab. I’m coming to you now. If they call again, no matter what they say—don’t believe them. Just wait for me.” Johnathan’s voice was sharp and commanding. He was afraid it might be a trap, with Sierra as the real target.

12:29 PM

Chapter 355: Shadows in the Woods

What was happening? Was Dora okay?

Johnathan, Mateo, and Stone arrived not long after. Mateo had already traced the call on the way over—it had come from a virtual number. Still, his skills paid off.

“I was able to pinpoint a rough signal location—it came from here,” Mateo said, circling an area on the map. It was in the outskirts—just as they’d suspected.

“I’ll take my team to check it out,” Stone volunteered. His people weren’t ordinary—they knew how to move without being seen.

Johnathan nodded. “Be careful.”

Send Gifts

1:37 PM

When the Flame of Love Fades

Chapter 356: Why Must We Suffer?