Chapter 401 Stirring Up Trouble
After mulling it over, Katniss said, "If Dylan reaches out again, I'll meet him."
She didn't want to contact Dylan herself; he made her skin crawl.
Maximilian didn't try to stop her.
Instead, he asked, "Can I come with you when you meet him?"
Katniss looked up at him, surprised and hesitant, when she suddenly heard Maximilian add, "I'm worried he'll try to push you around."
Katniss felt her cheeks flush and her ears burn. She nodded almost imperceptibly.
Night deepened.
Dylan returned to the hospital and found Desmond in Nathan's room.
He frowned.
Even though Desmond was Maximilian's brother, he doubted Desmond could get in touch with Maximilian.
"Dylan, you're back," Desmond said softly, as if afraid of waking Nathan.
He had come back after being played by Dione.
Although he didn't show it, he was utterly exhausted.
Dylan didn't respond, just gave him a look and signaled for him to follow.
Desmond's heart pounded, but he followed Dylan out of the room.
They walked to the end of the hallway.
Dylan stopped and turned to face Desmond, who looked like he had something to say but couldn't get it out.
Sensing something was wrong, Dylan decided to get straight to the point. "What do you want to say?"
Desmond finally mustered the courage to speak. "Clara and Nathan's compatibility test has started. We should have the results in a few days."
Dylan felt like he'd been hit over the head, his ears ringing.
"What?" Dylan couldn't hide his anger. "Who gave you permission to do that?"
Desmond had expected Dylan to be angry, but he was still startled by the intensity of it.
He took several steps back before saying, "Nathan and Ms. Smith agreed, too."
As for Clara, he didn't want her to face Dylan's wrath, so he didn't mention her.
Besides, they hadn't told Clara about the test yet.
Clara's health was poor, and her kidneys were failing.
No one could guarantee she wouldn't have a bad reaction if she found out.
So from the beginning, they hadn't planned to tell Clara.
Even if the test was successful and Clara had the surgery, they wouldn't let her know the kidney came from Nathan.
Dylan's expression was dark.
From the moment Nathan mentioned it, he had suspected Nathan might not want to live, but he hadn't expected him to decide on the test so quickly.
Fortunately, the results weren't out yet.
Thinking of this, Dylan's expression softened a bit.
"Nathan guessed you'd be upset, so he didn't want you involved in the test," Desmond continued softly, seeing Dylan's face relax.
But his words seemed to anger Dylan even more.
Dylan glared at him. "Don't tell Clara about this, and I'll handle the test. Stay out of it."
Dylan had been somewhat satisfied with Desmond, but after finding out Desmond was involved with other women besides Clara, he was very displeased.
Now, he didn't hide his disgust at all.
Desmond, seeing Dylan's glare, wanted to say something, but then he heard Dylan say, "If you don't want Clara to know what you did today, stay out of the Manners family's business."
Desmond was shocked.
He didn't know if Dylan was bluffing or if he knew something.
Seeing the doubt in Desmond's eyes, Dylan mentioned Dione's name.
He had planned to tell Clara about this, but remembering how deeply Clara seemed to care for Desmond, he shook his head.
Telling Desmond now would have the same effect.
"Dylan," Desmond's voice trembled as he heard Dione's name, unable to hold back a cry.
Desmond paused before saying, "I only care about Clara. The rest was just an act."
If Dione didn't have leverage over him, he wouldn't want anything to do with her.
Dylan didn't want to hear his excuses and directly told him to leave. "You can go now. Stay away from the hospital and stop bothering Clara."
With that, he headed straight for Hugo's office.
It was late, and he wasn't sure if Hugo was there.
He knocked on the door, and a resident on duty answered.
Without saying much, Dylan went to see Nathan.
Nathan was awake.
"Dylan." Nathan seemed more alert than during the day and called out to him.
Dylan heard his dry voice and saw his chapped lips. He poured him a glass of water and helped him drink.
He had been so busy lately that he hadn't noticed how much worse Nathan's condition was compared to after Katniss's treatment.
"Dylan, did you go see Katniss again?" Nathan asked, having been in and out of consciousness since leaving the ICU, overhearing bits of conversation.
Dylan didn't deny it, nor did he respond.
Last time, Nathan had told them all not to bother Katniss. Seeing Nathan in good spirits, Dylan had agreed offhandedly.
But now, seeing Nathan in such a dire state, how could he not go to Katniss?
She was the only one who could save Nathan now.
"But even if you go to her, she won't come," Nathan said, coughing a few times. "I said some harsh things to her."
"Why?" Dylan asked.
Nathan paused for a long time before slowly saying, "I'll tell you after the test results come out."
Dylan felt a surge of frustration, especially hearing about the test. He couldn't help but get angry. "Donating a kidney will kill you."
Nathan didn't respond. Dylan knew Nathan was aware of that.
"Clara's kidney donor hasn't been found. If I don't donate, she might die too."
After all, he had offended Katniss with his previous stubbornness.
Seeing Nathan's expression, Dylan felt like he was missing something.
He wanted to ask more, but Nathan said, "Dylan, you should rest. I'm tired and need to sleep."
"Rest well," Dylan sighed, helping him lie down before leaving the room.
Nathan watched him go but didn't fall asleep.
He had slept fitfully all day, and now his body ached all over from the illness, making it impossible to sleep.
The night passed, and the next day was a day off.
Katniss didn't expect that before Dylan could contact Maximilian, someone would come looking for Dylan.
It was people from the casino who went straight to Dylan's place and took him away.
Patrick, who had been keeping an eye on Dylan, informed Katniss and Maximilian about it.
Maximilian took the call, with Katniss right beside him.
They exchanged a surprised look.
Dylan didn't seem like the type to get involved in gambling.
Then Patrick's next words cleared up their confusion—it was Oliver's doing.
Oliver had borrowed money to gamble, couldn't pay it back, and after being beaten up, had people go to Dylan for the money.
Meanwhile, Dylan was already facing a bruised and battered Oliver.
The casino people hadn't said much, just forcefully brought him to a basement where he saw Oliver.
"Dylan, you're here!" Oliver stumbled over to him. "I owe them some money. You have to help me pay it back."
Dylan frowned, looking at the shadowy figure sitting in the corner, feeling tense but appearing calm. "How much does he owe?"
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