Chapter: 1723

“What do you mean?"

Shayla faltered under his intense gaze, struggling to speak.

Observing the situation, Barnett took a step closer and reassured, “Klein, don't misinterpret it. Shayla's not trying to cause trouble."

"Trouble?" Klein scoffed coldly.

"Are you two afraid of offending Rachel? Feel free to leave if that's the case. I can manage this meeting with them on my own. And rest assured, if there are any consequences later on, I won't place the blame on either of you."

Barnett furrowed his brow, clearly not appreciating Klein's sarcastic remark.

"Klein, our intention was just to show some courtesy by letting Rachel know, even if we decided not to include her. But since it's come to this, we only mentioned it briefly. We didn't say anything more or imply that we'd run away due to fear of being associated with you. Your comments are unnecessary." Barnett's tone carried a sense of annoyance.

Klein glanced at him briefly, then lowered his gaze to the contents on his computer. He spoke coldly and without reservation.

“Only you know what your true motives are."

Barnett clenched his hand into a fist at his side, his eyes blazed with anger, as though he was on the verge of confronting Klein physically in the very next instant.

Shayla noticed the escalating tension and swiftly rose, placing herself between Barnett and Klein to prevent any potential confrontation.

“Shayla, you..."

“Barnett, let it go." Shayla shook her head, her gaze complicated as she looked at Klein. Then, she turned to face Barnett.

"Let's finish the meeting first, and we can talk about everything else later."

Barnett gazed at her for a prolonged moment, maintaining silence, and then eventually released a sigh. While a trace of displeasure lingered in his voice, he conceded, "Fine."

Precisely at three o'clock, the Health Bureau delegation arrived.

The meeting room door opened, and they walked in. Rowell Newman, the leader of the delegation, was impeccably dressed, with a genial smile that showed no sign of bargaining intentions.

"Klein, good to see you again." He warmly greeted Klein.

Klein stood up from his seat, flashing a rare smile after a morning filled with tension.

"Yes, it's been a while.”

"It looks like we have some familiar faces here today. You are.

Rowell paused, trying to recall names. They were right on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite remember, leaving him briefly stumped.

Shayla and Barnett simultaneously introduced themselves, "I'm Shayla Webster."

"I'm Barnett Anderson, Mr. Newman. A pleasure to see you again."