Chapter 406 Hoodwink
Dylan broke out in a cold sweat, his carefully prepared speech stuck in his throat.
He was terrified by Maximilian's gaze and even more so by his previous outburst.
What was he thinking?
He just wanted Katniss to treat Nathan's illness.
Why had he suddenly brought up the kidney transplant and Clara's condition?
Dylan himself couldn't understand why he had mentioned the transplant, and his words had sounded like he was asking Katniss to treat Clara.
But he knew full well that Katniss and Clara were like oil and water.
He shouldn't have mentioned Clara.
His head was spinning and aching.
Dylan realized that not only was his forehead drenched in cold sweat, but his whole body was clammy.
He bit his lip hard, trying to keep any more words from slipping out.
Katniss waited a few more seconds, then impatiently glanced at him, making Dylan's pupils contract again.
"Cat got your tongue?" Katniss asked.
Dylan quickly shook his head.
It wasn't that he didn't want to talk; he just didn't dare.
The speech he had prepared was useless.
Katniss would never agree.
Just thinking about how she wouldn't agree made Dylan anxious.
On top of that, he was worried that his mouth would betray him, revealing his true thoughts and mentioning Clara again, offending Katniss.
If he spoke now, he wouldn't just offend Katniss; he'd also offend Maximilian.
Dylan was panicking, his head throbbing, completely at a loss for how to handle the situation.
"It's not that I don't want to talk." Dylan took a few seconds to compose himself, finally managing to get a complete sentence out, but it was only to refute Katniss's question.
Katniss watched him, seeing his face full of conflict and pain, and found it somewhat amusing. "So what do you want?"
Dylan was the one who wanted to see her, and now he was the one stalling. She was curious about what he wanted.
Seeing Dylan in such a sorry state didn't make her feel good, but it was better than feeling stifled as she usually did.
Maximilian seemed to sense Katniss's slight amusement. He stopped looking at the distressed Dylan and gently squeezed Katniss's hand.
Katniss felt his grip and looked up at him, meeting his gentle gaze.
His stern face paired with such a tender look made Katniss's heart flutter.
She liked Maximilian's appearance and the unique gentleness he reserved just for her.
Dylan felt the tension in the room ease a bit and took a deep breath, seizing the moment to speak while his thoughts were still clear. "Katniss, I still want to ask you to treat Nathan. If you can cure him, the Manners family will be forever grateful."
The intimate atmosphere was shattered by Dylan's words, and Katniss and Maximilian broke their gaze.
Katniss clicked her tongue and asked sarcastically, "Is that all you can promise, so now you're trying to con me?"
She had agreed to see Dylan just to make him give up and to see him in a miserable state.
Now that she had seen it, she was satisfied and in a better mood.
Even though Dylan hadn't mentioned helping Clara, she knew the Manners family's true nature all too well.
If she dared to treat Nathan, the Manners family would shamelessly push her to help Clara, too.
She even suspected that Dylan's visit wasn't really about Nathan but about Nathan's kidney.
After all, Nathan was willing to donate his kidney to Clara, and the matching process was already underway.
Dylan probably couldn't stop it.
Remembering how Clara had forcibly taken a kidney from her in a past life made Katniss feel disgusted.
Dylan's face turned red with embarrassment at Katniss's sarcasm, and he quickly explained, "I'm telling the truth."
Even though he didn't believe his own words, Dylan spoke with a determined tone and a resolute expression.
He wasn't used to dealing with such a sharp-tongued Katniss, especially with Maximilian by her side, making it even harder for him to speak.
Katniss had seen enough of Dylan's performance.
No matter how determined he was, she didn't want to respond. She turned to Maximilian and said, "Let's go."
Dragging this out with Dylan was a waste of her time.
"Alright, let's go." Maximilian immediately tightened his grip on Katniss's hand and led her out of the room.
He had been waiting for her to say that.
Maximilian walked quickly, his arm strong and steady as he guided her out of the private room.
"Wait!" Dylan jumped up, trying to stop them, but Maximilian's icy glare made him shrink back and fall silent.
Katniss didn't spare him a glance, and Maximilian, after warning him, led her out the door.
Katniss couldn't help but smile at Maximilian's urgency.
It wasn't until they were in the car that Katniss realized Maximilian was even more eager to avoid Dylan than she was.
But then again, Dylan was indeed annoying.
"Where to now?" Maximilian asked, holding her close.
Conrad hadn't started the car yet and looked at Katniss, waiting for her answer.
Katniss looked at Maximilian and replied, "Should I go with you to the office? Or home?"
Maximilian quickly chose, "To the office, with you."
Katniss smiled warmly.
Back in the café's private room, Dylan slumped against the wall, sliding to the floor as the pressure he'd been under finally lifted.
He needed a moment to recover.
But before he could, the hospital called.
Hanging up, Dylan rushed to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Emma finally received the information her subordinates had gathered on Katniss.
"Is this all?" Emma weighed the two sheets of paper in her hand, looking at her subordinate in disbelief.
The subordinate respectfully replied, "This is everything we could find."
Emma looked through the papers.
Most of it was trivial, but she did learn that Katniss wasn't studying at Starhaven Medical University but was there for a special training program.
"What's this training about?" Emma asked.
The person standing respectfully beside her quickly explained, and Emma learned that the training was not just a simple program but also a selection test.
"Make sure she doesn't pass!" Emma decided immediately.
Her subordinate quickly acknowledged the order and set things in motion.
Once the instructions were given, they brought up what they had found about Desmond.
"You said Desmond is either in class or at the hospital?" Emma asked.
The subordinate nodded quickly, seeing Emma's displeased expression, and asked, "Ms. Kate, should we bring him in for a talk?"
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