Chapter 913: The Line

Chapter 913: The Line

The water wasn't scalding, but half a cup was enough to dampen

Eileen's clothes, especially her white chiffon blouse which was now

quite transparent.

Camille spoke up immediately, “Miss Khan's clothes are wet. It's better

to change before leaving. Otherwise, if others see you walking out

through that door, they might misunderstand.”

Camille's words were delivered with an air of practicality. She then

turned to Ayan, unreservedly asking, “Do you think my arrangement

was thoughtful?"

Ayan appeared helpless, his deep gaze devoid of emotion, but tinged

with obvious indulgence. He nodded slightly, signaling his agreement.

Eileen, drenched by the water, couldn't believe her eyes. Eileen looked

at Ayan with disbelief and said, "Ayan, isn't Camille being too rude?"

Camille, propping her chin, coolly observed Eileen. "Is it too rude?"

Eileen's face alternated between pale and flushed. Ayan didn't respond

to her protests, seemingly oblivious.

Biting her lip, Eileen took a deep breath and reluctantly inquired,

"Camille, why are you treating me like this? *

Camille countered, "Don't you know why I'm treating you this way?"

Eileen couldn't come up with an answer, and could only stare at

Camille without blinking.

Camille, however, didn't intend to continue the conversation. She just

squinted her eyes and looked at Eileen with indifference, saying, "Let's

change your clothes first!"

Turning her head, Camille looked at Ayan again. "Have the assistant

prepare a set of clothes to come in. It wouldn't be good if she catch a

cold later."

Ayan could only get up and call the assistant to prepare a set of

clothes. The assistant acted quickly, bringing in a set of clothes in the

same color. Camille personally placed them in front of Eileen. "Put

these on. We wouldn't want you catching a cold.”

The weather was neither too cold nor too hot, and it was just a glass of

water. Eileen wouldn't really catch a cold, but Camille's eyes conveyed

an undeniable message: resistance was futile. Eileen's gaze

involuntarily shifted to Ayan, who was still sitting there. He showed no

reaction, seemingly uninterested in getting involved. Everything was

being decided by Camille.

Eileen was making one last attempt to resist. She said, "Camille, why

are you treating me like this? I haven't done anything. How can you be

like this?"

"Maybe I'm unreasonable, so don't bother trying to reason with me. And

don't ask me why, got it?" Camille's raised eyebrow and frustrated

demeanor seemed to convey her bad mood. Regardless of what Eileen

said, Camille remained unresponsive, leaving Eileen with no option but

to change in the presence of her and Ayan.

Throughout, Camille stood guard, ensuring Eileen wouldn't be left alone

in the dressing room.

Once Eileen was changed, Camille confiscated her wet clothes. “I'll

have the assistant clean these for you before returning them."

Eileen's brow furrowed, and though she was reluctant, she didn't want

to continue arguing with Camille. She simply asked, "Can I leave now?"

Camille gazed at her impassively before replying, “Eileen, there are

things I haven't pursued yet. You should be grateful I haven't obtained

evidence to incriminate you. Otherwise, we wouldn't be standing here

talking right now. So, you should keep your distance from me, rather

than deliberately coming near."

Eileen's face remained composed as she addressed Ayan, "Ayan, isn't

Camille being too hostile towards me? If it's just because she's jealous

of my contact with you, isn't that trivial? I came to see you only for work

matters. Can't I even talk to you as a woman?"

Ayan shot Eileen a disapproving look, a warning that seemed to say,

"Choose your words carefully, don't cross the line." His expression

revealed no trace of emotion, and he didn't respond to her comment.

Eileen bit her lip in frustration, then uttered, "If there's nothing else, I'll

leave."

After Eileen left, the office atmosphere settled into quietude once more.

Camille remained standing, her gaze fixed on the office door. Ayan

waited for a while, but when he saw no movement, he finally stood and

walked over to her.

Just as his hand reached out to take Camille's, her back hand flinched

away, creating a tangible distance between them.

With a firm grip on her hand, Camille cast a dispassionate look at Ayan,

her gaze void of emotion. Her words were matter-of-fact, "Mrs. Bell just

met with me."

Ayan furrowed his brow slightly, tracking her movements with his gaze.

He watched her every motion, his expression betraying no hint of

emotion. His deep eyes flicked over her and he finally inquired, "Was

she discussing matters from the meeting?"

Camille nodded slightly, meeting Ayan's gaze. She waited for his

response.

He lingered a few paces away, his handsome face revealing a faintly

enigmatic smile. His voice, neither light nor heavy, posed a question,

"Did she approach you because of what was mentioned in the

meeting?"

Camille replied, "Yes, she wanted me to relay a message. She's not in

favor of Mr. Mikkola's proposal to Mr. Bell, but Mr. Mikkola has leverage

over them. She wants me to ask if you're confident enough to control

Mr. Mikkola. If you are, she'll follow your lead. If not, then they'll have to

go along with Mr. Mikkola's suggestion from today's meeting."

Sitting in her previous spot, Camille raised an eyelid and looked at

Ayan, awaiting his response.

Ayan remained still a few steps away, his attractive face bearing a

subtle and mysterious smile. He asked, "What leverage is that? Did

Mrs. Bell tell you?"

Camille's expression grew a touch more serious. She nodded slightly

and truthfully conveyed Mrs. Bell's words to Ayan.

Ayan, upon hearing this, didn't immediately respond. His profound eyes

glimmered with a faint expression, his face betraying no unnecessary

change. He stated, "So, what's their plan? Will they continue to be

controlled by Mr. Mikkola, or are they considering using me to fully

resolve this matter?"

Camille's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. She looked at Ayan with

a puzzled expression and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Ayan let out a soft hum. "If they're being coerced, why didn't they tell

me right away? Even if they believed I couldn't be trusted completely,

they should understand that when interests are entangled, only those

who are truly bound together and have a common goal are reliable. So,

what I don't understand is why they told you to tell me instead of telling

me themselves."

Ayan couldn't quite wrap his head around this logic, and thus, there

were some things he couldn't convince himself of.

His questioning expression caused Camille's face to grow heavier.

Clenching her eyebrows, her voice took on a slightly hoarse tone as

she asked, "So, you think there's more to this than what Mrs. Bell

said?"

"What Mrs. Bell told you is probably true, but she likely withheld some

details.”

Ayan was looking at this from a businessman's perspective. He didn't

believe that choosing to tell Camille was better than telling him directly.

His words left Camille feeling even more tangled and confused. Deep

down, she had to admit that what he said made sense.

Although Camille had a close relationship with Mrs. Bell, that closeness

was built on a lack of personal gain. But would it still hold true when

personal interests were involved?

Camille fell into silence, her thoughts growing increasingly chaotic.

Ayan approached her at this point, moving to sit on the coffee table in

front of her. His gaze held tenderness as he looked at her, and his

voice was incredibly gentle as he asked, "If I hadn't said what I did just

now, what would you have thought after hearing Mrs. Bell's words?"