Chapter 375 A Long Game

A few days later, Johnathan found an opportunity to speak with Quinn.

“Having Dora follow you around every day isn’t a long-term solution,” he said. “If she doesn’t want to go to preschool, let her stay home. I’ve found two reliable people–they can move in with you and help take care of her. It’ll take the pressure off you, and Dora won’t have to be dragged around all the time.”

Quinn was caught off guard at first, then seemed touched. “Thank you, but it’s really not necessary.”

“She’s finally not afraid of people anymore–I don’t want her to regress. The two people I found are women with backgrounds in psychology. They’ll be good for her. Dora deserves to grow up in a stable environment–not like this.”

Johnathan’s words left Quinn with no room to argue. In the end, she simply nodded and added, casually, “You’ve changed a lot. Very thoughtful now.”

The old Johnathan would never have considered this sort of thing.

Johnathan replied offhandedly, “It’s all thanks to your sister-in-law. She’s worried about Dora, and that made me pay more attention too.”

That comment left Quinn feeling uneasy–but also slightly relieved.

She’d worried Johnathan might be suspicious, suddenly wanting to plant people in her house. But if he was only doing it for Sierra, then maybe it wasn’t so bad.

Still, having extra people around was inconvenient. She’d have to be more careful.

Not that she was too concerned. She had her ways of making contact when she needed to.

For Johnathan, the main purpose of this arrangement was to ensure Dora’s safety. He wasn’t expecting to catch Quinn in the act.

If Quinn really was what he suspected, then she’d hidden her true self extremely well.

That same day, Johnathan sent the two women to live at Quinn’s and help care for Dora. When Dora learned they were sent by him, she didn’t resist—in fact, that night, she secretly called Sierra in a video chat. Though she said nothing, Sierra could tell she was genuinely happy.

Sierra read her a bedtime story before hanging up, her expression growing serious.

“Johnathan, I really think something’s wrong with Quinn.”

Dora hadn’t said anything directly, but her behavior made it obvious.

She wasn’t afraid of the strangers–in fact, she was happy they were there, especially knowing they were sent by Johnathan and Sierra.

The implication was clear.

Johnathan’s expression darkened. He had always treated Quinn like a sister. But now, it seemed possible that she had been manipulating him for ten years–maybe longer.

“Mr. Yaeger…”

Sierra hugged him, unable to stay silent. Johnathan wanted to say he was fine, but in the end, the words didn’t come out.

Just when Sierra thought he wouldn’t speak, he finally said in a low voice, “When my mom died, I felt like I was the only one left in the world. She was the one who stayed by my side. She put up with so much from me, kept me from becoming worse. Maybe… maybe that’s when it all started.”

“Maybe not…” Sierra didn’t want to think of Quinn as such a terrible person–not just for her own sake, but because she didn’t want Johnathan to look so betrayed.

“Maybe she changed while she was overseas. Maybe something happened to her.”

“… Let’s hope that’s all it is.”

The next day, Johnathan looked as calm as ever. But behind the scenes, he went to Mateo and told him to dig into everything about Quinn’s time abroad.

“No, go back even further. Start from when she was still here.”

Hearing that, Mateo knew something serious was going on. “Are you sure about Quinn?”

“Pretty sure.”

Johnathan then explained Dora’s reaction. Mateo opened his mouth, stunned, and finally managed one word: “Sh*t.”

A child barely over three couldn’t fake something like that. Even if she’d been told to keep quiet, her reactions told the whole story.

Rubbing his face, Mateo said, “I’m on it.”

It was a huge task, tracking down over a decade’s worth of information, but eventually Mateo dug up a few loose threads.

“I found something in the orphanage records. Back then, your mom originally wanted to sponsor another child. But that child fell from a height while playing, was rushed to the hospital, and didn’t survive. After that… your mom turned her attention to Quinn.”

No one had ever connected that incident to Quinn.

But what if…?

Mateo didn’t want to think that way. After all, Quinn had only been ten at the time.