Chapter 372 Half-Truths and Half-Nods

After thinking for a moment, Sierra carefully asked, “Does your mom… hit you?”

Her heart was in her throat the moment she asked it, terrified Dora might nod.

Thankfully, Dora shook her head.

Sierra let out a small sigh of relief. As they continued walking toward the restroom, she asked again, “Then why don’t you want to be with her?”

This time, Dora didn’t respond.

After a few such interactions, Sierra noticed a pattern. If the question was too complex, Dora might not know how to express herself–or maybe someone had told her not to speak, so she’d just shut down.

Then something struck her. A thought flashed through her mind and she asked, “Dora, the man who took you that day–do you know him?”

She wasn’t sure if she should even bring this up. What if it scared her?

But Dora’s reaction was far calmer than she’d expected. She just trembled slightly, then nodded in response.

Realizing Dora actually recognized the man made Sierra’s breathing quicken.

“You know him? Is he… your dad?” Sierra asked gently.

Dora stared at her blankly. Just as Sierra assumed she didn’t understand the question, Dora nodded–then shook her head.

The mixed signals left Sierra completely puzzled. A nod and a shake? What did that even mean?

No matter how she followed up, Dora didn’t respond again.

Sierra wanted to ask more, but then noticed Quinn walking toward them. She dropped the topic and instead shifted to something lighter.

“Animals are really cute. If you like them, Dora, I could get you a puppy or something else. What kind of animal do you like?”

That was the moment Quinn arrived, catching the tail end of Sierra’s sentence. She smiled warmly and said, “No wonder Dora likes you so much, Sierra. You’re so thoughtful. I’ve actually been thinking of getting her a pet, too. Her doctor said it might help.”

“We’re still deciding what to get.”

“That’s nice.”

After dinner, Quinn once again offered to return to the company to help Johnathan. This time, he didn’t shut her down outright. He simply said, “If you can make the arrangements on your end, of course I’d like to have you back. But Dora has to come first.”

Quinn nodded quickly. “Of course. I was thinking of bringing her with me. She’s quiet anyway.”

Johnathan gave a neutral response, neither agreeing nor objecting.

Once they were in the car, Sierra couldn’t wait to tell Johnathan about her conversation with Dora and the girl’s reactions.

“I think she really doesn’t like Quinn. And I asked her if that man was her dad–she nodded, then shook her head. I don’t get it.”

Johnathan thought about it for a moment before offering, “What if… that man used to be her father?”

Sierra glanced sideways at him. She had to admit, that was quite a leap.

But then Johnathan continued, and it became clear he wasn’t just speculating wildly.

“Assuming what Quinn says is true, Dora was taken by Timothy not long after she was born and used as a test subject.”

“Even though Timothy ran the experiments, he still had to maintain a front as a promising scholar. He couldn’t always be in the lab. And Dora was still a baby—whether as a child or a data point, someone had to be watching her.”

Dora had been so young. She might not have even known what a father was. She could’ve just assumed that anyone who took care of her was her dad.

As that clicked into place, Sierra’s expression darkened. Dora clearly rejected Quinn–but why was she so obedient to someone who drew her blood so often?

Unless she’d been conditioned from the start to obey.

All of this was speculation. They didn’t know if it was the truth. But one thing was certain–Dora’s life had been incredibly tragic.

Noticing her mood worsening, Johnathan gently changed the subject. “Quinn seems really eager to get back into the company. I’ll keep an eye on what she’s up to.”

“Be careful,” Sierra said, unfamiliar with that side of things. “Don’t let her get a hold of anything she can use against you.”