Chapter 393 Tension Beneath the Surface

Sierra went over her memories again. There was, in fact, an upcoming collaboration with a foreign university, an annual global academic exchange involving some of the world’s top institutions.

This year, it happened to be their school’s turn to host, and a large number of scholars would be attending. The event was scheduled to take place in about half a month.

After thinking it over, Sierra decided to mention it. Johnathan’s expression darkened immediately.

His injuries were severe. In half a month, he might not even be fully recovered; he might just be getting discharged. With so many people coming, if someone with ulterior motives managed to sneak in…

Sierra understood what he was thinking. She held his hand and said, “If they really do sneak in, it might actually be our opportunity. We might even get a lead.”

“Sierra.”

Johnathan had just opened his mouth to speak when Sierra turned to him. “Mr. Yaeger, I won’t let them get away with it.”

They had nearly taken Johnathan away from her. She would never let that go.

Her eyes were filled with cold fury.

Johnathan was momentarily stunned, then felt a warm surge in his chest.

Was he… being protected by Sierra?

He had to admit it felt good. Even someone like him couldn’t help but enjoy it.

Off to the side, Maddox thought for a moment and said, “I think Sierra’s right. Instead of staying on the defensive, we should take the initiative. You can’t live your whole life on guard.”

He said it out loud, but they all knew the final decision would rest with Johnathan.

Sierra and the others didn’t expect him to give an answer right away. There was still half a month to go. No rush. For now, the most important thing was for Johnathan to recover.

Since Johnathan had just woken up, Maddox and the others didn’t stay long. They urged him to rest and said that Stone and Mateo would come by in the evening.

“They’re good people,” Sierra said to Johnathan. Whenever something happened, they never hesitated to stand by him.

“Yeah.”

Johnathan didn’t deny it. He trusted them more than anyone.

He had also taken Maddox’s earlier comment to heart. Their enemy was even more deeply hidden and calculated than he had imagined.

If yesterday’s attack had been aimed at Sierra, there would have been no way to prevent it.

As much as he wanted to lock Sierra away somewhere safe, it was impossible to keep her isolated forever. He couldn’t be by her side twenty-four hours a day. Even he could be caught off guard. So the best plan really was to turn defense into offense.

The only problem was, his body might still be too weak when the time came. He was afraid something unexpected might happen.

Sierra knew Johnathan well. One glance was enough to tell what he was thinking.

“Stop overthinking. Right now, what you need most is rest.”

“It’s still early.”

Johnathan nodded slightly.

Over the next few days, Sierra stayed in the hospital with him. She explained the situation to Professor Martin, who told her to take care of Johnathan and said he’d keep an eye on the lab.

They’d already passed the most critical phase. The experiments only required routine monitoring now, and there wasn’t much Sierra needed to do. With Professor Martin overseeing everything, she could rest easy.

He and Autumn had both asked about Johnathan, and Sierra simply said it was a car accident.

During those few days, Chase visited almost daily to check on Johnathan. Though Johnathan remained aloof, he was far less hostile than before. To Sierra, that was a welcome change.

One day, Chase didn’t stay long.

“Jose’s leaving the country tonight. I’m going to see him off.”

He said it deliberately, for Johnathan to hear.

When he heard Jose was leaving, Johnathan furrowed his brows but didn’t say much.

Seeing that he had no particular reaction, Chase sighed. “Then get some rest.”

After he left, Johnathan made a phone call right in front of Sierra; he didn’t try to hide it. She clearly heard him asking someone to look into Jose’s recent activities.

When he hung up, Sierra asked, “You suspect Jose?”

“I know his personality. If he weren’t hiding something, he wouldn’t be leaving.”

Susie had tried to send him away before, and he refused. But now, he was leaving so cooperatively; it was suspicious.

Sierra recalled the way Jose acted the last time they met. He had said he respected Johnathan and saw him as an older brother.