Divorced the Cheat Married the Fleet (Camilla and Lance) novel Chapter 405

Camilla didn't get any useful information out of Magee, but she certainly didn't expect to run into Calvin at the business mixer she attended with Carol.

He was shadowing a wealthy businessman, acting incredibly cautious and sycophantic. The bowing and scraping was a far cry from his usual arrogant demeanor.

To his side was a scantily clad female companion who was definitely not Laura.

The woman kept intentionally pressing herself against Calvin, but he rigidly dodged her every advance.

Camilla's business hadn't expanded into Valdoria yet, so she wasn't familiar with the local power players. However, when Carol saw the man Calvin was trailing, her brow furrowed sharply.

She quickly pulled Camilla into a secluded corner, her expression growing grave.

"Carol, what is it?" Camilla's focus had been entirely on Calvin, but seeing Carol's tension made her heart jump.

"Something isn't right," Carol whispered. "The man with him is a prominent figure in the local underground syndicate.

"You should know that the factions in Valdoria are different from those back home. That guy takes orders directly from Mike. And the person we're trying to track down is currently suspected of seeking refuge with Mike."

Camilla instantly understood Carol's implication. They were at this mixer to rub shoulders with Mike's associates and gather intel.

Yet here was Calvin, who had just fled to Valdoria, already networking with that exact crowd. There was definitely something shady going on. It was highly likely Calvin had gotten his hands dirty.

Camilla couldn't help but think about how desperate Calvin had been to cut ties with Barnard the moment they arrived.

Perhaps he had done something unforgivable and needed to distance himself from his son to protect him—or use him as a scapegoat.

After Carol explained the situation, she looked at Camilla with a conflicted expression.

Getting an audience with Mike's people was notoriously difficult. If they missed this chance, who knew when they'd find another excuse to make contact?

But Calvin was practically glued to the man's side.

Given Camilla's extremely hostile history with the Carter family, approaching them right now might completely backfire.

Just as Carol was trying to figure out an angle to introduce themselves, a sudden commotion erupted near the entrance, accompanied by the distinct squeak of wheelchair tires against the marble floor. Davina was pushing Barnard into the ballroom.

Barnard's face was deathly pale. A thick blanket was draped over his legs, and his eyes carried an indescribable, suffocating gloom.

Davina looked absolutely terrified beside him. Although they were both dressed in formal attire, their presence in the glittering ballroom felt distinctly pathetic.

Barnard clearly hadn't known Calvin would be here. The moment his eyes landed on his father, stark shock registered on his face.

All the grievance and resentment he had swallowed over the past few days erupted at once.

Barnard looked down at his severed legs, then up at Calvin. "Dad, how could you be so heartless?" he snarled furiously.

"I'm your son! I just got out of major surgery, and you're already desperate to find another woman to give you a do-over kid?

"Did you even consider my feelings? Did you even think about Mom?"

Davina, who had been completely clueless up until this point, felt a sudden lightbulb go off in her head at the mention of another baby. Panic instantly set in. "Dad, is that really what you're thinking?" she shrilled.

"Barnard only lost his legs, he didn't lose his manhood! We can still have children of our own! Do you really need to rush out and have another baby?

"Besides, at your age, you can't possibly do something so disgusting and break Mom's heart!"

Calvin had been about to explain himself to Barnard, but hearing Davina's ridiculous outburst made the words lodge in his throat like a block of concrete.

What did she mean, 'at his age'? If they were getting technical, Davina wasn't that much younger than him!

He finally realized why his previously sharp son was suddenly coming up with such psychotic, delusional theories. He had definitely spent too much time with Davina and had caught her sheer, unadulterated stupidity.