Chapter 870: Tumbling

Chapter 870: Tumbling

In the evening, Camille returned to Maple Leaves Mansion after having

dinner with her colleagues from the museum project.

It was already 7:30 pm.

When she entered the house, it was pitch-black with no light in sight.

Ayan hadn't returned yet.

Camille didn't think much about it and simply turned on the lights.

Everything inside was just as it was before she left yesterday, indicating

that Ayan hadn't been back.

She checked the time. Ayan would usually be back by this time, but he

was nowhere to be seen today.

Without asking or dwelling on it, Camille drank a glass of water and

rested for a while before heading to take a shower and wash her hair.

Unbeknownst to Camille, Ayan had actually returned earlier than her.

But he didn't come back home until seeing Camille enter the building.

After all, Jenson worked for him, and he naturally knew every move

Camille made.

After Camille went to take a shower, Ayan remained seated on the sofa

in the living room.

At that moment, Camille's phone, which was left on the coffee table,

started ringing.

Ayan casually picked up the phone and glanced at it. It was Jordan

calling.

With a slight squint, Ayan hesitated for a moment before answering the

call. Jordan's voice came from the other end, "Miss Armstrong, good

evening. Have you had dinner?"

“It's me, Ayan. Camille is taking a shower. Do you need anything from

her?" Ayan's expression remained emotionless, and his voice was cold,

devoid of any warmth.

After hearing Ayan's voice, Jordan fell silent for a couple of seconds

before speaking again, "Oh, Mr. Simpson, there's nothing urgent. I just

arranged to have dinner with Miss Armstrong after she returns from

Dane to Hance. Please let her know."

Jordan's tone and attitude remained mild, and his words were simply

expressing the purpose of the call without any other intentions.

Although Ayan understood this, he still felt dissatisfied.

His face remained calm, but his expression was cold as he had no

desire for Camille to have too much contact with other men, especially

considering the mess behind the Bailey family. He didn't want Camille

to be involved and certainly didn't want them targeting her because of

her relationship with Jordan.

After hesitating for a moment, Ayan decided to speak up.

He said, "Jordan, Camille might not know what kind of people the

Bailey family is, but we both do. If you truly consider her a friend and

are grateful for her unintentional help to your mother, it would be best to

minimize your contact with her. Although I can protect her, you know

better than I do how the Bailey family are like. If they find out that

Camille is close to you, they might do something. You should know,

right?"

Ayan's candid words made Jordan slightly taken aback, and he

immediately understood the meaning behind them. Ayan didn't want

innocent people, especially Camille, to be affected by his problems.

This had happened to him many times before, and he couldn't let it

happen again.

Jordan responded, "Ayan, I understand what you mean. You're right,

and I appreciate your concern. I'll be mindful of my interactions with

Camille. If that's the case, there's no need to tell her about this call.”

"Good," Ayan acknowledged.

Jordan then said, "Alright, if there's nothing else, should I hang up

now?"

"Yeah," Ayan replied.

Jordan hung up the phone, and Ayan deleted the call log, not wanting

Camille to know about it.

Meanwhile, Jordan stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in the living

room for a long time without moving. Mrs. Bailey saw him standing

there without reacting and couldn't help but ask, "Jordan, what are you

doing there?"

Only then did Jordan react. He walked towards Mrs. Bailey, who had

been chatting with him about his meeting Camille in Dane City and

inviting her to dinner after returning to Hance City. He told her that

Camille was busy with work and might not be available for dinner.

Mrs. Bailey looked at him and asked, "What did Camille say?"

"She's busy with work and won't be able to make it for dinner at the

moment," Jordan explained nonchalantly.

Mrs. Bailey didn't overthink it and simply nodded with a hint of

disappointment, saying, "Well, that can't be helped. We'll have to

reschedule for another time. It's just that I'm bored and wanted to chat

with her. I really enjoy her company.”

Mrs. Bailey liked Camille a lot because she treated her like a friend

rather than an elder. Although Camille was respectful and polite, she

made Mrs. Bailey feel comfortable and at ease, as if they were the

same age.

Observing Mrs. Bailey's smile, Jordan's expression turned complicated.

Ayan was right; the Bailey family had too many troubles and

complicated relationships. He couldn't involve innocent people because

of his problems.

Such situations had occurred before, and Jordan understood Ayan's

concer.

Looking at Mrs. Bailey, Jordan maintained his gentle demeanor and

said, "Let's try to have less contact with Miss Armstrong in the future.”

Mrs. Bailey looked puzzled, "Why?"

“The Bailey family is watching us closely. If we have too frequent

contact with Camille, it might affect her. So, it's better to minimize our

interactions," Jordan explained.

Mrs. Bailey's expression turned serious too. She didn't respond

immediately but seemed deep in thought. After a while, she said,

“You're right. Let's not cause trouble for good people. I didn't consider

everything thoroughly this time."

Jordan's gaze was serious, and his emotions were low. He didn't want

to put Mrs. Bailey in a difficult position. He responded, "It's getting late.

Why don't you watch TV for a while and then rest? I need to go out for

a bit."

Mrs. Bailey nodded and made no further comments. It was only when

Jordan was about to leave the house through the foyer that she spoke

again, saying, "Jordan, you should find a suitable time to visit your

father. The strain between you two won't do any good. You don't need

to sacrifice yourself for my sake, you know?"

Jordan didn't want to burden Mrs. Bailey, so he agreed and left the

house.

He drove away alone, aimlessly wandering the roads without a

destination in mind.

Meanwhile, after finishing her shower, Camille came out of the

bedroom. She didn't know that Ayan had returned, so she was casually

wearing a bathrobe, her hair still dripping wet. Upon seeing Ayan sitting

on the sofa, his face inscrutable, she greeted him, "You're back.”

Her tone was indifferent, devoid of any emotions.

Ayan raised his gaze to look at her, and his emotions were warm and

gentle. He asked in a low, hoarse voice, "Why didn't you answer my

call?"

“I didn't hear it," she quickly came up with an excuse and avoided

looking at Ayan.

Her response came naturally, catching Ayan's attention. He squinted

slightly, his expression showing a hint of stiffness as he asked, "Cami,

are you angry with me?"

"No," Camille denied immediately, though her face remained devoid of

any extra expression. It was evident that she was upset, but she

wouldn't admit it, and Ayan couldn't do anything about it.

Ayan furrowed his brow, his voice husky as he continued, "Do you think

I'm just going through the motions with this remarriage?"

Camille stayed silent.

He went on, “I have never thought that way, nor would I act that way.

Remarrying was something I fought hard for, and there's no way I

wouldn't treasure it."

Camille lightly pressed her lips together, her face calm as she looked at

him. She asked, "Is that so? But the way you make me feel doesn't

seem like you genuinely want to remarry with me. Ayan, do you really

want to remarry me, or do you feel challenged because I haven't given

in and you want to feel accomplished by making me agree?"

As Camille's words landed, the air seemed to hit the pause button.

The atmosphere became tense, and their gazes locked, the emotions

in their eyes swirling like turbulent waves.