Chapter 450
Even though Barnard had never met Mike before, Lance’s comments made the man’s identity terrifyingly clear. Any lingering grief over his father’s death instantly evaporated, replaced by a cold, suffocating dread. He cast nervous glances at the crime boss, his mind racing frantically.
He finally realized Camilla had been wearing a wire. Panic set in as he desperately tried to recall every single word he had just said to her, trying to figure out how to do damage control.
Clement was a ruthless psychopath who feared absolutely no one—except Mike. If Clement found out Barnard had blown their cover and leaked critical information, he would skin him alive. Even if he somehow survived Mike’s wrath today, Clement would hunt him down. He had to fix this. Fast.
Before he could come up with a viable lie, the doors opened again, and Clement was escorted into the room.
The older man froze the second he took in the scene. His eyes flicked to Barnard for a fraction of a second before a wide, easy smile stretched across his face. “Well, look at this! Lance, you didn’t tell me you were coming to Valdoria! I would have thrown a massive welcome party. And Mike… why the sudden gathering? Do we have special plans for tonight p>
His psychological resilience was truly terrifying. Even seeing his secret partner battered and pinned in a wheelchair didn’t make his smile falter for a second. Camilla couldn’t help but marvel at how effortlessly he lied. No wonder Mahoney had spent years hunting him down without ever finding a solid flaw.
“Clement,” Mike began lazily. “You’ve been working under me for what, over ten years now p>
“Yes, Boss. Why the sudden trip down memory lane?” Clement asked, playing the oblivious subordinate flawlessly. He bowed his head, hunching his shoulders to look completely harmless, devoid of any corporate arrogance.
He had been on edge all day, sensing something was wrong without knowing exactly what. The moment he was summoned to the hotel and saw Barnard, the pieces had quickly snapped into place.
Mike leaned back, his eyes narrowing. “Do you remember why you came to me in the first place? Manslaughter, wasn’t it? I took pity on you. When I brought you in, I gave you a very specific set of rules. I told you exactly what you were allowed to touch and what was strictly off-limits. Do you remember that conversation p>
Clement nodded vigorously. “Of course. I remember it perfectly. You gave me a second chance at life. I would never forget your orders p>
“It seems to me like you’ve forgotten every single word,” Mike said, his voice dropping to a dangerous register. “I didn’t even want to take you in. Whether you were forced into it or not, you were dealing drugs. I despise that garbage. But your wife was heavily pregnant, and you had nowhere else to go. I felt sorry for you. I made you swear to me that you were walking away from that life for good, that you would stay clean. Isn’t that right p>
“Yes! And I have been!” Clement insisted, his eyes wide with feigned innocence. “I swear, I was forced into that life back then, but I washed my hands of it the second you took me in. I’ve been completely clean. Why are you bringing this up now? Did someone feed you a bunch of lies about me p>
“Lies?” Mike countered. “Then why don’t you explain the bodies turning up in that fishing village? Why did the cops find employees from The Williams Group crawling all over that place?” He leaned forward, his predatory gaze locking onto Clement. “Tell me exactly what kind of business you’re running that requires murdering innocent people p>
Clement didn’t flinch. “My business is completely legitimate. You know this, you can audit the books right now if you want. As for the village… I admit, I was careless. I hired some locals for clinical trials. They signed legal contracts and were paid a massive sum of money. I have all the paperwork to prove it. My only mistake was not clearing the trials with you first. But the business itself is entirely above board. I already sent my lawyers to bail the men out. Once they’re free, you’ll see I haven’t done anything wrong p>
“Clinical trials aren’t supposed to be death sentences,” Mike said coldly. “And from what I understand, you specifically targeted perfectly healthy people. What kind of sick, twisted experiment are you running p>
Barnard, who had been sweating bullets in silence, suddenly saw an opening and lunged for it.
“It’s not his fault!” Barnard blurted out. “It was my idea! We needed human subjects for a new drug, but it was highly unstable and extremely risky. No one wanted to volunteer. So I went behind his back and targeted the poorest villages I could find. I used the money to tempt them. They were so desperate for cash that they didn’t care about the risks. They signed the contracts voluntarily. Clement didn’t know anything about it! I got greedy and wanted to impress him, so I took a shortcut p>