Divorced the Cheat Married the Fleet (Camilla and Lance) novel Chapter 411

Barnard's exact motives remained a mystery to Camilla. Lately, neither she nor Carol had found a suitable opportunity to make contact with Mike's inner circle.

Coincidentally, Dahlia called and asked Camilla to accompany her to scout locations for her new pet shop. Having no other pressing matters, Camilla readily agreed.

The two women spent the entire morning touring the city. After viewing several properties, they finally settled on a quiet, albeit less bustling, neighborhood.

At noon, Dahlia insisted on treating Camilla to lunch. Over their meal, Dahlia casually mentioned a shocking piece of news: Barnard, who was nowhere near fully recovered from his surgery, had abruptly discharged himself from the hospital the day before.

It was entirely unexpected.

Even Magee had no idea why Barnard was in such a rush to leave.

He had seemingly vanished into thin air, a disappearance that felt eerily reminiscent of the way Calvin had gone off the grid.

"Don't you think it's weird?" Dahlia asked, swirling her drink. "Before this, he was incredibly volatile about his leg, throwing tantrums and acting like his life was over. Then, in the blink of an eye, he just checks out. Magee is his attending physician and his childhood friend, yet Barnard didn't breathe a word to him."

Camilla's gaze darkened. She strongly suspected that Barnard had used Calvin's connections to link up with the criminal syndicate.

Still, something didn't add up. Knowing Barnard's arrogant nature, the moment he made any progress, he would have eagerly paraded it in front of her, trying to use it as leverage. Why was he keeping such a low profile this time?

Noticing Camilla's silence, Dahlia assumed she had struck a nerve. "Camilla, I'm sorry if I'm overstepping. I'm just worried he's brewing up some underhanded scheme. You need to be careful."

Ever since the ordeal with Pamela, Dahlia had become far more sensitive and protective. Camilla offered her a reassuring smile and quickly steered the conversation back to the pet shop.

These were her own battles to fight. There was no need to drag Dahlia into her constant state of anxiety.

By evening, Magee arrived to pick Dahlia up.

Camilla received a last-minute call from Carol, who told her they were attending a high-stakes dinner party.

Pressed for time, Camilla couldn't go back to her place to change. Carol brought a formal gown directly to the venue. By the time Camilla emerged from the dressing room, the banquet was already in full swing.

His words sparked another chorus of praise, and several guests immediately stepped forward to introduce themselves to Barnard.

Barnard cast another subtle glance in Camilla's direction, lifting his chin as he basked in the intoxicating rush of their admiration.

Camilla didn't approach. Instead, she followed Carol to a quiet corner.

"That's Clement," Carol whispered. "He's the one we're after. After arriving in Valdoria, he founded The Williams Group. On paper, it's a glamorous corporate entity, but in reality, it's under Mike's protection."

Carol's expression grew cold. "According to Mahoney's intel, he used to be a core member of that drug cartel, operating under the alias 'Monkey.' His public record has been scrubbed completely clean, so we don't have hard evidence yet, but The Williams Group is definitely a front. And for Barnard to earn his trust so quickly... I suspect..."

She trailed off, glaring at Barnard's smug posture in the crowd.

Camilla didn't need her to finish the sentence. To get that close to a ruthless criminal, Barnard must have blood on his hands by now.

A flash of sheer hatred crossed Carol's eyes. "I used to think the Carter family was just morally bankrupt. Now I see they truly have no bottom line."