The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 361

"And I've also heard... that your father sacrificed his life to save Garrison."

Quinn's heart gave a violent tremor.

That was the softest, most untouchable part of her soul. It was the genesis of a lifetime's worth of intertwined indignity and pride.

Seeing Quinn's eyes instantly turn red, Vanessa's tone softened with genuine compassion.

"It breaks my heart to see how Garrison has suspected you. Accusing you of teaming up with David Lancaster, saying you stole The Vitas Strain, claiming you tried to kill Sloane—he isn't just doubting you, and that makes me sick. When he said those things, he conveniently forgot the ultimate price your father paid to give him his life back."

"What kind of malice does it take to think so poorly of the daughter of the man who saved his life? This isn't just an attack on you. I think... it's a total betrayal of your father's memory."

Quinn's pupils contracted sharply.

Her fingers gripped her coffee cup until her knuckles turned stark white. She didn't say a word, but her eyelashes were trembling.

Vanessa didn't push the topic any further. She simply leaned back against the sofa, picked up her Americano, and took a casual sip.

Quinn picked up her own latte. Her fingers were still shaking slightly, but her voice had regained a sliver of composure.

She gently swirled the liquid in her cup, raising her head with a faint, self-deprecating smile that was tinged with resignation and a heavy layer of self-preservation.

"Professor Vaughan, what's the point of telling me all this? What can I possibly do now? I'm already the vicious woman he slapped and cursed out. There is zero chance he will ever trust me again."

Vanessa leaned back, taking another unhurried sip of her coffee. Her tone was effortlessly light.

"I won't lie to you, Quinn. As you know, my research focuses on conquering cancer, too. I desperately want to study The Vitas Strain. I've heard it has miraculous efficacy, especially in targeted therapies. The competition in this field is cutthroat. Whoever gets the complete experimental data first takes the crown. As a researcher, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted."

"Why don't you just study Genesis-1? Isn't it already on the market?" Quinn challenged.

Vanessa smiled, a hint of genuine appreciation in her eyes. "You really do keep up with the industry. But let's be honest, there's a significant gap between Genesis-1 and the original Vitas Strain. There's a rumor in the field, and I'm sure you've heard it..."

"Genesis-1 isn't synthesized from a complete bacterial culture. It's just a sequence extracted from The Vitas Strain (Remnant)."