Chapter 442
Clement’s operation had clearly hit a snag, and Barnard was bound to end up behind bars sooner or later. Calvin had come today specifically to discuss a way to send him away.
“I can’t get out,” Barnard stated flatly. “You must have heard the rumors. The idea for the fishing village was mine. My hands are already covered in so much dirt that I can’t even keep track. Clement isn’t going to let me walk away.
I have no choice but to see this through to the dark end.
As for Camilla, a family like the Charleses will never accept her. As long as none of you slip up, she’ll return to me eventually p>
Barnard’s confession made Calvin’s vision swim. He nearly passed out from the shock. When he followed Zachary, he had only been forced to deal with two traitors to prove his loyalty.
The rest of the time, he ran legitimate businesses.
But Barnard?
How could he be so reckless, casually treating human lives as stepping stones from the very beginning?
With so much blood on his hands, how would he ever get out?
Calvin realized with a sinking heart that Clement would definitely never let him go.
“You… you Calvin pointed a trembling finger at Barnard, stammering for a long time without forming a complete sentence. He was utterly paralyzed by his son’s sheer audacity.
Barnard snapped, “That’s enough. You know what you wanted to know. From now on, we go our separate ways. Don’t come looking for me, or you’ll just bring unnecessary trouble. I can handle my own messes p>
Thinking about the terrifying news he’d heard earlier today, Calvin didn’t dare leave.
He hurriedly asked, “Barnard, since the fishing village incident was exposed, did Clement make things difficult for you? Has he given you any new assignments? Tell me. We’ll figure something out together p>
Having spent so much time around Zachary, Calvin knew exactly how ruthless these people could be.
Since the fishing village was Barnard’s idea, and it had blown up in their faces, Clement was highly likely to take it out on him.
Barnard didn’t hide anything. Frustrated, he explained the situation with the missing test subject. Calvin’s expression morphed from panic to heavy solemnity. Finally, he gritted his teeth. “Let me handle this. I’ll find you a suitable test subject p>
“You p>
“Zachary put me in charge of one of his casinos.
It’s full of deadbeats who can’t pay their debts. No one cares about a degenerate gambler going missing. I’ll figure out a way to plug this hole for you.
But just this once. Barnard, promise me. After this is handled, you need to find a way out. At the very least, you can’t be in charge of something this dangerous anymore,” Calvin insisted.
A calculated gleam flashed in Barnard’s eyes, though he didn’t explicitly agree to Calvin’s terms.
The father and son had seemingly reached a superficial agreement when Laura arrived with Davina. The two women had just returned from a nearby grocery store with fresh ingredients.
Even though she knew Barnard had changed drastically recently, Laura still harbored a deep desire to spend the holidays with him.
At the very least, they should sit down for a family dinner.
But the moment she walked through the door, Calvin barked at her urgently. “Something came up at my place. We need to head back right now p>
“Why? Honey, we finally got to see Barnard, we p>
“That’s enough! Don’t even mention his name to me,” Calvin cursed furiously. “From now on, I’m completely cutting ties with this ungrateful son. Consider him dead to me p>
Since he had made up his mind to help Barnard cover his tracks, he had to put on a convincing show. This way, if anything went wrong, Zachary wouldn’t suspect him.
While Zachary and Clement seemed like old friends on the surface, men in their line of work were steeped in paranoia. They never gave anyone their complete trust.
Though they all had blood on their hands, they were now public figures with reputations to uphold. They couldn’t be caught blatantly trading in human lives like they did in the old days.
He was planning to steal a person right out from under Zachary’s nose to cover for his son. He had to be incredibly careful.
Unaware of the stakes, Laura teared up and tried to reason with her husband. But Calvin forcefully dragged her into the car, acting as desperate as a man fleeing a burning building.
Watching the chaotic scene unfold, Davina muttered resentfully at Barnard. “Barnard, Dad is completely out of line. You didn’t even do anything wrong, and you’re so successful now. How can they be so harsh p>
“Drop it, Davina. Keep your mouth shut,” Barnard commanded. “From now on, we live our own lives. We have nothing to do with them. If you see them, don’t even bother saying hello p>
“But Davina hesitated. She was still eyeing the massive fortune Calvin had scammed from Tessa. Barnard was his only son—shouldn’t they get a cut? What was the point of this sudden falling out?
Davina was entirely too easy to read. The moment her eyes shifted, Barnard knew exactly what was running through her head.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a bank card, and shoved it into her hand. “You’ve been through a lot with me lately. There’s a hundred thousand dollars on here. Go buy yourself something nice p>