Kapitel 18: [First Meet-5] Bait.

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As Claire walked to the library, thoughts churned in her mind. *Why would someone so powerful bother coming here just to taunt her?* The idea unsettled her. *Unless… he's here to warn his team about the exposure of their illegal operations.* Claire bit her lip, nerves tightening. *What if they decide to kill me to keep everything under wraps?*

Distracted, she barely noticed her surroundings until— *Ouch.* She stumbled forward, her head colliding with something solid. Lifting her gaze, she met Cain's cold, devouring eyes staring down at her, his intense gaze quickening her breath. *He wouldn't kill me here, right? Not in broad daylight… would he?* She swallowed her fear, parted her lips, and stammered, "I… I'm sorry, Mr. Wilson."

But—

"Oh? What made you say sorry, Miss Claire?" His sharp tone jolted her.

"I… I accidentally bumped into you," she replied anxiously.

"Is that so?" His brow raised as he took a step forward, leaning in close. "Funny, Miss Claire didn't bother apologizing when she barged into my car yesterday and even kicked my assistant." A sardonic smile played on his lips, his gaze unyielding as he waited for her response.

*What a jerk.* Claire cursed under her breath, gritting her teeth.

"Perhaps you misunderstood, Mr. Wilson. I… never did that." She forced a tight smile, but the panic in her chest was impossible to ignore.

He leaned closer, his gaze more piercing. "I have a camera in my car, Miss Claire. It captured every second of you assaulting my assistant and—"

"Mr. Wilson, we got the details." Mark's voice cut through the tension, approaching with a file in hand.

As Cain turned to inspect the file, Claire's heart sank as she noticed the empty library around her. *No witnesses.* Without thinking, she dropped to her knees with a thud. "Please… Mr. Wilson, I only stumbled upon your… your secret operation by accident. I swear, I won't tell a soul about this. Please, I'll disappear from this hospital—no," her voice wavered, "from the city, the country… the world, if I have to!"

Amusement flickered in Mark's eyes as he added mockingly, "The world?"

Glancing between Cain and his assistant, Claire felt the weight of her mistake sink in. She'd trapped herself in the lion's den.

Mark took a leisurely step forward. "You should have thought about the consequences before getting involved with us."

"I-I thought… you were good people," she murmured, pressing her lips together. Her naïveté sounded painfully foolish now.

Her response seemed to intrigue Cain, who paused, his gaze shifting from the file to her. "You never fail to amuse, do you?" He smirked, then continued flipping through the information.

As he scanned the document, a name caught his eye—Dr. Hensley. Suspicion prickled in his mind, his jaw tightening. "Tell the authorities to meet me in the boardroom in five minutes. I need everyone present," he ordered Mark, his tone steel-edged.

Mark, his trusted right-hand man, was feared and respected for his loyalty and ruthlessness, a man who never failed Cain and acted as his voice and knife. Without hesitation, he moved to carry out the order.

Meanwhile, Claire remained on the floor, trembling. "I've brought my own death," she muttered under her breath.

Cain's gaze returned to her, a sharp glint in his eyes. He stepped closer, studying her with a strange mixture of annoyance and fascination. *How can someone be so foolish yet so… brave?*

"Get up." He tapped his fingers impatiently on a nearby table.

Snapping to attention, Claire quickly scrambled to her feet, her fear still palpable. But as he advanced, her heart pounded faster, her breath catching as he backed her against the wall. Cain placed his hand on the wall beside her, caging her in.

"Who do you work for?" His gaze held a ruthless edge, suspicion darkening his expression.

"P–people?" she stammered, her eyes wide with confusion.

Rolling his eyes, he rephrased his question, his tone cold. "You're a spy, aren't you? Who sent you here? Out of all the staff, how is it that *you* managed to uncover such a sensitive issue in the hospital's restricted area?"

He was relentless, his accusations cutting into her, assuming her presence was part of some elaborate scheme. Everything about her story seemed too coincidental, too calculated to trust.

But Claire's frustration boiled over. Glaring up at him, she found her voice. "You're an ungrateful bastard, that's what you are!" Her voice trembled with a mix of fear and anger. "I risked my life to uncover the truth because I believed in you, that you might actually be someone who'd care enough to act. I thought… you were an upright man worth trusting. But you—" her eyes filled with tears, face flushed with fury. "You'd rather assume I'm a spy?"

Cain froze, taken aback by her outburst, watching as she struggled with her emotions.

"Go to hell, Cain Wilson," her voice seething with anger before she turned and stormed away, leaving him standing there, momentarily at a loss for words.

Cain strode into the boardroom with a commanding presence, his gaze sharp as he surveyed the small group of head doctors and senior staff members seated around the large table. They straightened in their seats, attentive as he began.

"Thank you for assembling on short notice," he said, his voice calm but firm. "I have decided to initiate a series of medical camps in S City to expand our outreach and services in underserved areas. This will be a significant project, and I expect everyone to give it their best effort."

A low murmur of acknowledgment passed around the room, and Cain continued. "Each of you will be assigned a specific sector. Select only your most capable staff members—those you trust to handle high-pressure situations and who can manage patient care efficiently in challenging conditions. I want people who will represent this hospital with integrity."

Dr. Sbrina a senior head, cleared his throat. "Mr. Wilson, are there particular departments you'd like us to focus on for the camp?"

Cain nodded, glancing down at the file Mark had prepared. "Yes. The priority will be emergency care, pediatrics, and general medicine. We'll be working with limited resources, so it's critical we cover these essential services. Each department head should work closely with Mark to finalize your team by the end of the week."

Dr Hensley's, was taken back. Tension hoverd his face, "Is it okay if we refuse to participate, As some of us have some important surgeries coming in till next month." He smiled nervously.

"That'd be a no!" Cain directly rejected to his objection. He knew Dr Hensley's was in no position to negotiate, and he made up this event to bait him, so how can he miss the main villain's absence.

Dr. Ramirez, one of the newer department heads, spoke up hesitantly. "Mr. Wilson, will there be additional resources allocated to us for this project?"

Cain's eyes turned cool. "Resources will be allocated based on necessity, Dr. Ramirez. This is not an opportunity for excess. I trust each of you can operate with the essentials. Let me be clear—I expect results, not excuses."

A chill settled over the room, and heads nodded in compliance. Satisfied, Cain closed the folder in front of him, signaling the meeting's conclusion.

"Once you've finalized your teams, Mark will oversee the logistics. Be prepared to mobilize within by tomorrow. Dismissed."

As the doctors filed out of the room, Cain turned to Mark, who stood silently by his side.

"Mark," he said, his tone lowering but carrying a hint of intensity, "arrange everything according to the plan. I don't want any loose ends. Make sure that you take out each and every information that is being buried in the abandoned area of the hospital. And also try to keep Dr Hensley's staff and workers from discovering your activities."