Chapter 367: A Dangerous New Player
The Haynes family had strict rules, especially for Stone—even at his age, he didn't go easy when it came to discipline. Mateo, to be honest, was scared to death, but thinking about how Stone had gotten dragged into this because of him, he could only grit his teeth and say, “I’ll go back with you and explain everything to Mr. Haynes.” At worst, he’d get his legs broken.
Stone gave him a disdainful look. With Mateo’s build, he probably couldn’t even survive a single hit from his grandfather’s cane. “What’s that look supposed to mean?” Mateo was upset at being looked down on.
“Enough,” Draven cut in. The man they had fought with earlier was coming out now, too. They hadn’t gotten a clear look before, but now, seeing him up close, they all had the same thought: this guy looks way too clean-cut to be real. They instinctively glanced at Johnathan. Johnathan narrowed his eyes at the man, deep in thought.
The man gave them a look—not quite hostile, but full of disdain, with a hint of challenge—making Mateo’s fists itch all over again. After the man got into his car and drove away, Mateo finally burst out, “You all saw that, right? It’s not my fault. That guy was just asking for it!”
No one said anything. Honestly, the guy’s attitude had been unbearable. They were all used to being top of the heap—who could stand being looked down on like that? All their faces were ugly. But what really surprised them was that Johnathan hadn’t moved. He had been pissed off all day, and he still managed to hold it in.
“Check into his background first,” Johnathan said quietly. The timing of this guy’s appearance didn’t sit right with him. It was too much of a coincidence.
They all left together. Before they even reached the Haynes family estate, they had already pulled up the man’s background. As soon as Mateo got the name, he started digging, and the more he found, the more rattled he became. Looking at line after line of dazzling achievements and an illustrious family history, Mateo finally understood why that man had the right to act so arrogant. His family background wasn’t any weaker than Johnathan’s. He really was mixed-race, and his family was one of the oldest, most prestigious houses abroad, no less powerful than the Wynn family. His nickname was White, and his family had ties across various industries, but he personally specialized in investment.
This time he was in the country on an investment mission, and the Ministry of Commerce was welcoming him with open arms. That was why, even after stirring up trouble with Mateo and Stone, he could still walk away clean. Seeing all those blinding titles and credentials, Mateo felt like his own eyes were going to explode. He couldn’t help muttering, “Johnathan, looks like you’ve got a serious competitor now.”
They still didn’t know if this guy was interested in Sierra—but thinking back to how he acted earlier, Mateo’s gut said yes. And Mateo wasn’t the type to swallow a loss easily. If it were Johnathan or the others beating him, fine—they were family. But an outsider? No way.
Johnathan’s expression, however, was calmer than they expected. He wasn’t sure whether this man, Li Bai, had met Sierra by accident or by design. Today’s fight between him and Sierra had been unexpected. Sierra stumbling into that café had been completely spontaneous. If it was all intentional, then that man’s ability to predict events was terrifying. But Johnathan didn’t believe in coincidences—not so many, not at such a critical moment.
“Keep watching him,” Johnathan said.
“Don’t worry. Even if you didn’t ask, I would’ve kept an eye on him,” Mateo promised. He hadn’t taken a loss like this in ages.
After a quick discussion, they headed to the Haynes family estate. Even though Stone thought it wasn’t necessary, Johnathan insisted on going personally to explain everything to Mr. Homer Haynes. Out of all of them, Mr. Homer had always liked Johnathan the best—not because of his family background, but because of Johnathan’s abilities and decisiveness. The old man had said more than once it was a pity Johnathan hadn’t joined the military.
Meanwhile, Sierra knew none of this. She had been lying in the lab’s small dorm room, tossing and turning, thinking about everything between her and Johnathan. She couldn’t figure out how to face him anymore. At some point, she had fallen asleep without realizing it. The next morning, she was woken up by noise. Autumn and the others had come, along with Professor Martin. When they saw her pale face, their expressions didn’t look good either, especially Professor Martin. He had only learned last night that Sierra had unilaterally decided to suspend the experiment.
“Sierra, I expect a satisfactory explanation,” Professor Martin said sternly. There was no way she could mention anything about Johnathan. Sierra picked the parts she could talk about and said carefully, “I suspect someone might have set a trap.” “Professor, I’d like us to check if anyone’s tampered with our cloud database,” Sierra added.