Chapter 1024: Wry

Chapter 1024: Wry

Camille raised an eyebrow, a faint smile still playing on her lips as she

said, "Sure, let's see if Mr. Simpson can afford to provide for me. I can

be quite expensive, you know!"

“I like a challenge. If you're too easy to handle, it wouldn't be

interesting, right?"

Their gazes locked, and he leaned down slightly, resting his forehead

against Camille's. Their eyes met, and in that moment, there was only

each other in their eyes.

After Ayan left, Camille went upstairs, took a shower, and as she came

out of the bathroom, her phone rang.

She walked briskly to the bedside and picked up her phone. It was a

call from Grace.

Camille furrowed her brow slightly, answered the call, and immediately

heard Grace's voice from the phone. She said, "Cami, are you... okay?"

“Yes, I'm fine," Camille replied calmly.

Grace said, "I just heard from Horace what happened. I'm sorry; I didn't

think they would dare to do this. I..."

"Grace Simpson!" Camille called out Grace's full name and thanked her

directly. She rarely used the term “sis,” and she rarely addressed Grace

by name like this. Her tone was somewhat stern as she said, "I feel the

need to remind you once again. You're not here to apologize or

apologize on behalf of anyone else. Why are you saying sorry to me?

Did you make me a target for them to scheme against?"

Camille's frustration was evident because Grace always seemed to act

this way. Regardless of the situation, Grace consistently apologized on

behalf of the Armstrong family, even when it wasn't clear whether an

apology would make any difference. She had a tendency to apologize

reflexively, and Camille couldn't understand why she felt the need to do

s0.

Camille felt incredibly frustrated, and she made it clear that she disliked

Grace's way of handling it. She narrowed her eyes slightly and took a

silent deep breath. Her words left Grace silent, and Camille wasn't sure

what Grace was thinking. She didn't care either way. Camille continued,

her tone unwavering, “The Armstrong family has indeed wronged me,

but this situation isn't something that can be resolved with a simple

apology. You, better than anyone else, know how they treated me. If

they genuinely wanted to apologize, I could handle it. Even though

they're my parents, I believe I can bear it. But I don't need you to speak

on their behalf. You can't represent them."

Camille's tone was icy, and Grace certainly felt her anger.

Grace quickly said, "Cami, I didn't mean anything by it. I just thought

that it might make you feel better to hear it. Of course, I'm not trying to

excuse or explain anything because I know this is not something that

can be resolved with a simple apology. I don't know what to say, I just

don't want you to grow distant from me. So, I..."

“You're different from them. They are who they are, and you are you.

You don't need to be say sorry to me."

Camille had a vague feeling that Grace lacked self-confidence, which

was why she tended to apologize unconsciously. Although Grace was

excellent in this circle, as Page had carefully trained her, there was an

underlying sense of humility in her, as if she always placed herself in

the lowest position, no matter when or where. This aspect of Grace

troubled Camille.

Camille pursed her lips, her expression somewhat muted, her brows

furrowed tightly. Her voice was not as harsh as before, and she said,

“You're very good, and you haven't done anything wrong. So, you don't

need to be so humble. I hope you can be more confident."

Grace was shaken by Camille's words, and her facial expression turned

blank. After a long while, she let out a soft "yes."

Then Camille said to Grace, “I don't know what Ayan will do, but I won't

stop him. Based on what I know about him, he might make things

difficult for Armstrong Corp or the Armstrong family just to stand up for

me. So, I hope you won't come to me pleading because of any softness

or reluctance in your heart. I won't agree. The reason I'm telling you in

advance is that I don't want you to bring this up. It might affect our

relationship.”

Camille was straightforward in expressing her thoughts, and in doing

so, she closed the door for Grace. She didn't allow or want Grace to

speak on behalf of Brody and Page, and she especially didn't want

Grace to come to her.

Initially, she had only intended to remind Grace, so she didn't really

expect any response. However, Grace's reaction turned out to be quite

significant. She reassured Camille by saying, "Don't worry, I definitely

won't do that. I understand the situation and know right from wrong.

Cami, trust me!”

"Okay, I trust you," Camille replied warmly, and a faint smile appeared

on her lips.

They talked for over ten minutes before ending the call. Camille put her

phone down and sat on the edge of her bed. It was already past ten,

and there was no news from Ayan. She wondered what he was doing

right now.

After leaving Franklin Bay, Ayan went directly to the club.

The Wesley family members had been brought over by Ayan's people

as soon as they were caught. Although Ayan hadn't done anything

overly harsh to them, being watched by his bodyguards restricted their

freedom. Mr. Wesley and Mrs. Wesley were not pleased at all. When

they saw Ayan arrive, Mr. Wesley immediately questioned, “Mr.

Simpson, what's the meaning of this? We don't understand your

relationship with Camille. The Armstrong family informed us that you

two are already divorced. Based on that fact, she can choose to marry

someone else. Besides, we have already made an agreement with the

Armstrong family. What you are doing now amounts to imprisoning us.

We have the right to accuse you and hold you responsible.”

This was spoken by Mr. Wesley, who seemed quite agitated. His face

was flushed, and his eyes were fixed on Ayan, expressing his

displeasure and emotions.

However, Ayan just smiled faintly, his gaze indifferent. He seemed

rather unimpressed by the words. He casually asked, "Do you need my

help in reporting this to the police? Or would you prefer me to directly

contact the media in Chesen City and have them report this matter?"

Mr. Wesley and Mrs. Wesley were both taken aback. Their expressions

turned grave. They probably didn't want Chesen City's media or more

people to know about their visit to Hance City and the details of it.

Ayan squinted slightly, and the smile on his lips disappeared. He spoke

in a dispassionate tone, "You want someone else to maintain your

reputation, and that's none of my business. But you shouldn't harbor

any thoughts about my woman. I've already warned you. If you persist

in doing this, the consequence will be the loss of both your wealth and

freedom. Speaking of which, what you're doing isn't much different from

human trafficking. If I report this to the authorities, the two of you might

not leave Hance again, and it might even affect the entire Wesley

family, including your comatose son."

Mr. Wesley's expression shifted slightly, and Ayan's words made him

feel a sense of dread. He seemed to be contemplating the real

consequences behind these words. After a brief silence of more than

ten seconds, he raised his eyes to meet Ayan's gaze and asked, "What

do you want?"

"It's not about what I want, it's about what you want. At this point, what

is your plan?” Ayan sat in the center of the sofa, his gaze unwavering

as he stared at the two of them. His presence was formidable, and he

exuded an undeniable aura of intimidation. Even Mr. Wesley, who had

been in the business world for many years and was older than Ayan,

had never encountered someone with such charisma.

Mr. Wesley remained silent, pondering what he should do next.

Mrs. Wesley gently tugged on Mr. Wesley's sleeve, her expression

becoming increasingly anxious. However, Mr. Wesley didn't

immediately respond. Mrs. Wesley couldn't wait any longer and asked,

"We gave money to the Armstrong family. Now, you won't allow us to

take Camille with us. Does that mean our money has gone to waste?"

"Did I take the money, or did Camille?" Ayan asked with a wry smile.