Chapter 1030: Dominance

Chapter 1030: Dominance

Camille took the initiative to lift Ayan's hand away from her chin. She

then leaned closer to him, wrapping her arms around his, tilting her

head gently on his shoulder. She spoke softly, “Ayan, don't be in such a

hurry. It's just a piece of paper. Is it really that important? Even without

that piece of paper, isn't our relationship the same as before?"

Camille's soft words began to make Ayan feel something was off,

though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He felt that Camille's words

were a bit peculiar.

So, he subconsciously furrowed his brows and asked with skepticism,

"Do you think there's no difference?"

"Of course, there's no difference. Look, you told me earlier that we

were already divorced. Did anything change between us during that

time? Isn't it the same as now? We even have a better relationship than

when we weren't divorced, don't we?"

"Is that so?"

"Of course, didn't you notice?"

Ayan remained silent, his sense of unease growing.

Kian, who had been driving and listening to their conversation, couldn't

help but think that Camille was toying with Ayan. Kian had to admit that

Camille was quite skilled in language art.

Trying not to laugh out loud, Kian clenched his teeth and kept quiet.

The journey continued to Simpson Group's office building. After Camille

left the car, Kian reminded, "Mr. Simpson, Mrs. Simpson, we've

arrived.”

Camille came back to her senses and instinctively released her hold on

Ayan's arm. She said, "I'll get off now."

"Alright. I'll pick you up tonight. If you finish work early, go back with

Sienna, okay?"

"Sure, sounds good."

Camille nodded and got out of the car. Ayan didn't rush Kian to drive

off. Instead, he watched Camille enter the company building before

instructing Kian to continue.

As Camille's absence settled in the car, the atmosphere grew unusually

quiet.

Ayan sat in the back seat, gazing calmly out the window. In a warm and

gentle tone, he asked, "Did you find her words strange just now?"

Kian tensed up. Wasn't this like being asked to walk into a trap?

If he honestly answered yes and told Ayan that Camille was playing

with him, what if Camille found out he spilled the beans? He might lose

his job, not to mention Yessica's wrath.

After thinking for a couple of seconds, Kian quickly responded, "Mr.

Simpson, what do you mean?"

“I mean her words just now. Did you find anything odd about them?"

"Odd? No, not at all"

"Really, nothing strange at all?" Ayan was unsure, as he felt that

Camille's words had given him an uncomfortable feeling. He wondered

if Camille was trying to manipulate him in some way.

Kian, however, shook his head and said, "No, really."

Ayan dropped the subject but continued with more questions. "You're

not married yet, and you've been with Yessica for a while now, right?

Don't you have any plans to get married?"

Kian quickly responded, "Mr. Simpson, I've only been with Yessica for a

few months, and we're still in the honeymoon phase. We haven't

discussed marriage yet."

“You don't want to get married?" Ayan pressed on. "You only want to

date and not be responsible to the girl?"

These questions were like soul-searching, making Kian break into a

cold sweat.

Kian denied quickly, “Mr. Simpson, that's not what I meant. What I

meant is that we're still getting to know each other. My relationship with

Yessica is very stable so far, and we will definitely get married. Please

trust me; I will be responsible for Yessica."

"That's good. Don't let her down. Otherwise, we won't spare you," Ayan

warned with a nonchalant tone.

Kian nodded fervently, "You can count on me."

Ayan fell silent, and Kian didn't say a word either. The car continued to

move, but there was still some distance to reach Simpson Group. It

was the morning rush hour, so the traffic was naturally slow.

After about twenty minutes of driving, they were approaching Simpson

Group. Ayan's voice suddenly broke the silence, "Is Yessica reluctant to

marry you? Have you not given her enough security? Didn't you buy

two houses in Hance City?"

Kian was taken aback for a moment and then explained, "No, it's not

that. We haven't discussed marriage yet, Mr. Simpson. Don't worry;

Yessica doesn't have any issues with me. I have enough confidence to

provide her with a good life."

"That's good. But a girl's youth doesn't last long. It's better to get

married sooner.”

"Alright, I will."

With that, Ayan finally stopped discussing the topic. He rarely delved

into an employee's marital status or gave them relationship advice.

However, his conversation with Kian was different. Kian had been with

him for a long time, and their relationship transcended the typical boss-

subordinate dynamic; they were also friends.

For Kian, this "care" came with its own set of pressures. Being pursued

for marriage by your boss was not much different from being pressured

into marriage by your parents.

Thankfully, they soon arrived at Simpson Group. Otherwise, Kian felt

like he might want to jump out of the car.

Upon reaching Simpson Group, Ayan had just returned to his office. He

had barely settled in when Kian urgently knocked on the door and

entered.

Kian wore a grave expression as he looked at Ayan. He said in a low

voice, "Mr. Simpson, something has happened.”

"Hmm?"

Kian continued, "Your conversation with the Armstrong family and their

side was recorded and released online. The headlines are all about you

threatening your father-in-law and putting on a show for the Simpson

family's benefit. Even the Armstrong family is implicated.”

Kian handed over a tablet with the pre-opened trending topics. Ayan's

gaze remained calm as he skimmed through the content. There was an

audio recording of the conversation, as well as surveillance footage of

Ayan talking to Brody and Page in the Armstrong family's living room.

However, the surveillance footage was intact, but the audio recording

had been selectively edited. It only included Brody saying that he and

Camille were already divorced and, since they were divorced, they

should try to cooperate for their child's sake. Ayan's response was that

even if they were divorced, Camille was still his, and no one could

change that.

Now, the Armstrong family had deliberately taken these out-of-context

snippets and released them online to make it appear as if Ayan were

acting high-handedly for his own benefit.

In the comments section, netizens accused Ayan of possibly

threatening Camille, forcing her to cooperate with him. Ayan couldn't

help but feel frustrated by these comments. The Armstrong family

seemed determined to escalate their conflict, and Brody believed that

by doing so, Ayan would be too occupied to continue bothering the

Armstrong family.

Ayan put down the tablet and looked at Kian with a warm but distant

gaze. He asked, "Have you identified which media outlet released

this?"

"We have, it's a media outlet we've suppressed in the past. Since Brody

personally handed over the information, they believed it to be true. If we

take action against this media outlet, the public might accuse you of

overreacting and bullying as Simpson Group."

Kian replied in a hushed tone. The situation was indeed tricky, and no

matter how they explained it, it seemed inappropriate. So what should

they do now?