Chapter 449 Underneath the Surface

White was one of the investors, and he held significant influence over the projects. Several of the current research directions had been decided by him.

Since all of this had been filed with the relevant departments, Johnathan quickly obtained the documentation.

He flipped through it and saw that their research focused on two main areas: one was cancer treatment, and the other was gene research.

The topics themselves weren’t an issue—especially the cancer treatment one. They were trying to build on Sierra’s previous work and make a breakthrough.

No wonder he’d thought of Sierra—probably hoping to avoid wasting time and effort on detours.

As for the genetics research, it was much broader. Johnathan skimmed through the documents; they didn’t go into detail. They just mentioned gene fusion between animals and whether it could be applied to humans.

Plenty of companies attempted that kind of research every year. Johnathan glanced over it, then set the file aside.

A short while later, Maddox called.

“Well? Any problems?”

“No,” Johnathan said. “It’s just that his timing feels off, so I looked into it more.”

“He’s definitely been high-profile lately,” Maddox said. “He didn’t just invest in Southpoint Biologies—he’s thrown money into a bunch of small companies too. Different industries, everything from AI to home appliances. He even tried to get into aerospace, but got rejected. Still, the guy’s stubborn—when space didn’t work out, he immediately turned to shipping.”

As Maddox spoke, Johnathan suddenly asked:

“Is his funding clean?”

To invest in this many things, he must be spending a lot. And research burned through cash faster than anything. White was targeting the trendiest and most expensive fields.

“Don’t worry. He was vetted by the government the moment he came over. His funds are clean.”

“Good.”

“I’ll keep an eye on things here too. If anything new pops up, I’ll let you know. Even if the timing’s suspicious, the guy himself checks out. You know how fast the country’s been growing these years—tons of foreign investors want a piece of the action. He’s just one of the more famous ones.”

White was well known internationally. Heads of state from other countries had even met with him, which showed his status.

“Mm. Hopefully I’m just overthinking it,” Johnathan said.

Maddox understood. Too much had happened lately—it was better to be cautious.

After hanging up, Johnathan stood quietly for a moment before heading back upstairs. Just then, his phone rang again. It was Jose.

“Hey. Are you free right now? I’d like to meet with you.”

“Where are you?” Johnathan asked.

After the call, he stepped into the study. Sierra was there, going through some of his old books and journals.

“I’m heading out. Jose wants to talk.”

Sierra immediately looked up. “Want me to come with you?”

She knew Johnathan had asked Jose to look into the past—what had happened between his mother, Chase, and Susie.

“It’s fine. He’s almost here. I’ll just meet him downstairs. I’ll be right back.”

Even so, Johnathan walked over and hugged her. He had a feeling—Jose might be bringing something important.

“Okay,” Sierra said as she hugged him back. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

That one sentence calmed the restlessness in Johnathan’s heart.

He went downstairs to wait. A little while later, Jose arrived, and Johnathan got in his car.

Jose pulled out a photo. “I went back to our hometown yesterday. I found this.”

Johnathan took the photo and glanced at it. It was a picture of three people—Chase, Wendy, and Susie.

But that wasn’t the key point. What mattered was how they were positioned. Chase was clearly closer to Susie, with his arm resting on her shoulder. Wendy stood next to Susie.

Johnathan turned the photo over. There was a date on the back—this had been taken back when they were still in school.

Based on the photo, Chase had clearly been with Susie. So how had he ended up with Wendy?

Even Johnathan was stunned.

Jose had been shocked too. When he found the photo that day, he’d been completely thrown.

He was younger than Johnathan, and because his mother had always shown guilt toward Johnathan and Wendy, he had always believed his mother was the one who had stolen someone else’s husband—and that her guilt came from that.

But now… maybe things weren’t so simple.

He ran a hand through his hair and said:

“You were right. They really have been hiding something. What the hell actually happened between them?”