Chapter 405 What Lies Beneath +8 Pearls
But what good is regret? Thereโs no medicine for it. Saying โIโm sorryโ doesnโt erase the past. Forgiveness isnโt yours to demandโit has to be given.
Thankfully, the hospital belonged to the Wynn family, with guards stationed outside. Not just anyone could walk in, or else Johnathanโs hospital room wouldโve been flooded with visitors.
His hospitalization alone was enough to stir attentionโand now with Sierra making waves again, the crowd outside was eager to meet both of them.
The guards could hold off most peopleโbut not Susie.
Two days later, Susie appeared at Johnathanโs door. It was the first time sheโd faced him since that day.
In just a few days, Susie had aged noticeably. As soon as she entered, she said, โI know you donโt need it, but I still wanted to come and apologize. Iโm truly sorry. I failed to raise him right.โ
Although Jose hadnโt been the mastermind behind the car crash, he was still involved.
โIโve already spoken to your father about it. Weโre planning to inform the old man as well. Jose wonโt be part of the Wynn family anymore.โ
Her sincerity was plain to see.
Johnathan glanced at her in surprise. To be honest, ever since heโd overheard the conversation between her and Jose outside the hospital room, his view of Susie had shifted. Now, even more so.
โYou donโt have to do this,โ he said.
He hadnโt intended to tell his grandfather, nor had he planned to have Jose disowned.
Susie gave a bitter smile. โActions have consequences. If he doesnโt face punishment, heโll never learn restraint.โ
With those words, she prepared to leave. She understood Johnathan didnโt want to see her.
But to her surprise, Johnathan called out to stop her.
โWhat really happened between you and my mother?โ
Back then, Johnathan had liked Susie. She was his motherโs best friend, someone he saw often.
But after his motherโs death, everything changed. Thatโs when he learned the woman his mother had trusted had actually been having an affair with his fatherโand even had a child with him.
Susie opened her mouth but only managed to say, โI wronged her. Thatโs all.โ
If sheโd said that before, Johnathan mightโve believed her. But after everything heโd been through, he knew there had to be more to it.
โYou know thatโs not what Iโm really asking. You can refuse to tell me, but Iโll find out on my own. Itโs just a matter of time.โ
His words clearly rattled her. โDonโt. Please donโt look into it. Just let it go, Johnathan. Jose and Iโwe wonโt show up in your life again. Weโre leaving Capital City.โ
Before he could say another word, she hurried away.
Her desperate reaction only made Johnathan more suspicious. What exactly were they hiding?
If Susie and Chase knew the truthโฆ then what about his grandfather?
Noticing how tightly his brows were knit, Sierra gently said, โStop thinking about it. The truth will come out eventually.โ
โSierra, I have a feelingโeverything is different from what I thought,โ Johnathan murmured.
She had sensed it too. Susie cared far too much about Johnathan for someone supposedly guilty of betrayal. Could someone who destroyed a family act like this?
As the days passed and the academic conference drew closer, Johnathan still couldnโt bring himself to make a decision.
He knew it was a valuable opportunityโbut deep down, he hesitated. He was afraid something might go wrong.
Just as he was wavering, a message came from Stone: โQuinnโs gone mad.โ
โNo way.โ
That was both Johnathan and Sierraโs immediate reaction.
โSheโs faking it, isnโt she?โ Sierra asked, frowning.
Quinn was too clever, too manipulative. She had played them all before.
โItโs real,โ Stone replied, his expression grim.
โWeโve been interrogating her this whole time. She was tight-lipped.โ
โBut last night, she suddenly started seizing. We treated her immediately, but it was already too late.โ
โTurns out someone implanted a chip in her brain. Once activated, it scrambles neural signals.โ
Sierra stared at him, her mouth slightly open in shock. It sounded like something out of a sci-fi showโyet it was happening right here, in their reality.