Chapter 472 Once and for All
Lucas stopped defending Katniss, and Elodie kept on cursing her.
Nathan sighed and said, "Mom, can we focus on Clara's wedding for a sec?"
Elodie, reminded of Clara's upcoming marriage to Desmond, looked at Nathan with concern. "Desmond was after your kidney before. Doesn't that bother you at all?"
Elodie hadn't slept well for days, troubled by the fact that Nathan's kidney was a match for Clara.
She loved Clara, but she loved Nathan more.
To her, Nathan was already suffering enough from his illness, and donating a kidney would be a death sentence.
But keeping the successful match a secret from Clara also weighed heavily on her.
Nathan glanced at Clara when Elodie brought up Desmond's insistence on the match.
Seeing Clara's calm expression, he said, "The match didn't work out, did it? Besides, it shows Desmond loves Clara."
Elodie retorted, "If he loved her, why didn't he get tested himself? Why make you do it? He just doesn't want you to live!"
"Enough, Mom," Lucas interrupted quickly. "How do you think Clara feels hearing this?"
Elodie turned to Clara, who was already in tears. "Clara, I didn't mean anything by it," she said, trying to comfort her.
Clara's face was pale, and tears streamed down her cheeks, making her look fragile and pitiful. "Mom, I know you don't blame me, but it hurts," she sobbed quietly.
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have said that," Elodie soothed her.
Nathan also tried to calm her down. "Mom spoke too hastily, Clara. Don't take it to heart."
Seeing that everyone was too emotional to continue, Lucas suggested, "Let's all rest for now. We can talk about going back to Luminous City tomorrow."
With that, the conversation ended for the night.
While the Manners family was up late arguing, Katniss had gone to bed early.
The next morning, Katniss planned to leave with Maximilian as usual.
But Patrick showed up at their house with urgent news.
She decided to let Maximilian stay home.
Maximilian was worried. "I'll drop you off and come back. We can talk in the car."
Seeing Patrick's urgency, Katniss said, "Don't worry, besides Conrad, I have four bodyguards with me today."
Reluctantly, Maximilian agreed. "Call me if anything happens."
Katniss nodded.
Once in the car, she told Conrad, "Keep an extra eye out today."
She had finally convinced Maximilian not to accompany her, so she needed to ensure her safety.
She knew he worried about her, but didn't want him to waste too much energy on her.
After watching Katniss drive away, Maximilian turned to Patrick. "What's so urgent?"
Patrick's visit indicated something serious.
"I found the lead we lost before. Do you want to see it now?" Patrick pushed the documents across the table and eyed the unfinished breakfast. "Mind if I eat this?"
Maximilian picked up the documents. "Go ahead."
He frowned as he read through the papers.
After finishing, he asked, "Is there anything else?"
Patrick, munching on a sandwich, rolled his eyes. "Do you know how long it took me to find this? Sometimes I feel like I'm skirting the law."
But the danger matched the value of the information.
Maximilian sat down, acknowledging, "This alone isn't enough for our plan."
Patrick shrugged. "For now, it's all we have. Use it to threaten them; they'll back off a bit."
Maximilian nodded. "Thanks for your hard work."
Patrick, eating, said, "Hearing you say that is rare. I've been up all night; I need a good rest."
"Take it easy," Maximilian said. "By the way, I'm leaving in a few days."
"What?" Patrick was shocked. "Why did you have me investigate Emma if you're leaving?"
They knew Emma, using the Kate family name, was only a threat in Starhaven.
If Maximilian left, he wouldn't need to worry about her.
"It's for Chris. Don't forget he's at my company," Maximilian reminded him.
Though he was leaving, his branch office remained.
To prevent Emma from causing trouble, he needed leverage against her.
Patrick scratched his head. "I forgot."
Seeing Maximilian pack the documents, ready to leave, Patrick asked, "Where are you going?"
Maximilian, busy with preparations, replied, "Not sure yet. But I'll be leaving in a few days."
Once Katniss's test results came in, their destination would be clear.
Meanwhile, Katniss was also thinking about the test.
It was scheduled for tomorrow, and she hoped nothing would go wrong today.
As she pondered, Conrad, sitting in the front seat, said, "Mrs. Hamilton, someone's following us again."
Katniss remembered yesterday's followers, Emma and Lucas. "Turn around and see who it is."
Her conversation with Lucas hadn't ended well, and she doubted he'd come after her so soon.
Conrad instructed the driver to turn around while he kept an eye on the trailing car.
"It's Ryan," he said.
"Ryan?" Katniss recalled Ethan telling her that Clara had bailed Ryan out.
She hadn't expected Ryan to come after her again.
Thinking of Ryan and Clara together, Katniss knew Clara must have sent him.
"He got off too lightly last time," she remarked.
Conrad agreed. "Yeah, they didn't even get close before we dealt with them. They're useless."
Katniss, amused by Conrad's comment, decided to make sure Ryan faced serious charges this time.
"Let's stage something to get him locked up for a while," she suggested, tired of Ryan's persistent harassment.
Conrad, puzzled, asked, "Mrs. Hamilton, how do we stage it?"
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