Chapter 979: Saving Face

Chapter 979: Saving Face

Franklin Bay, Camille and Mrs. Bell sat across from each other on the

living room sofa. A table in front of them held fruit and tea.

Camille, maintaining her composure, gave Mrs. Bell a slightly warm but

probing look. "You seem quite urgent to see me. Is there something on

your mind?"

Mrs. Bell's face displayed a deep concern, with furrowed brows and a

heavy heart. She asked, "Cami, have you seen what's been happening

online?"

Camille nodded gently, her expression remaining calm. "Yes, I've seen

it."

“The audio recordings weren't manipulated by us or posted online by

us. I found out about them online as well and immediately called him.

Based on what I know about him, he genuinely doesn't seem to have

any knowledge of this."

Camille's expression didn't change much. She spoke in a tempered

tone, "So you believe that he's truly not involved? But he has lied to you

before, hasn't he?"

“I know he has lied to me before, but I prefer to take things as they are.

While I may not trust him in matters of the heart, in this situation, I

believe him."

Camille responded coldly, "So, why did you want to see me? Were you

hoping I'd speak to Ayan on your behalf, asking him not to investigate

or harm Mr. Bell in any way?"

Her tone was somewhat cold, given her irritation with the audio content.

After all, both Ayan and Simpson Group had been quite friendly toward

Mr. and Mrs. Bell and their project, so the current situation seemed like

ingratitude.

Mrs. Bell's face showed a momentary stiffness in response to Camille's

words, but she remained composed. Her voice carried a sense of

apology as she explained, "I didn't mean that. I simply wanted to clarify

things with you, to prevent any misunderstandings or concerns. I have

no intention of having you speak to Ayan on my behalf, as I've already

talked to him. I'll withdraw from this project. Initially, I thought of settling

this matter before discussing it with you, but now I don't want to wait. I

don't want you to think I'm two-faced.”

Mrs. Bell's words were exceptionally honest, leaving Camille somewhat

at a loss. Such candidness caught Camille off guard, making her feel

unsure since she had initially assumed the worst.

Camille pursed her lips, her gaze softened as she looked at Mrs. Bell.

She admitted in a hushed tone, "I appreciate your openness with me,

but the truth of the matter is still unclear. I don't want to jump to

conclusions at this moment. My thoughts on this situation don't matter.

What's important is to discover the truth.”

Mrs. Bell nodded in agreement. "You're right. We should base our

judgments on the facts. I understand your doubt.”

“I don't doubt you; I just don't trust Mr. Bell and Mr. Mikkola's

relationship. It's too close now, and Mr. Bell has something that Mr.

Mikkola can use against him. Such a relationship is far more stable

than mere financial interests.”

Camille couldn't help but feel that Mr. Bell's precarious situation, given

the leverage Mr. Mikkola held, would likely deter him from acting as he

wanted.

Mrs. Bell was serious. She hesitated for a moment before finally asking,

"Cami, in the current circumstances, do you think there's any chance of

changing things?"

Camille: "What are you referring to?"

"Mr. Mikkola's threat.”

"You shouldn't ask me about that. You should ask Mr. Bell if he wants to

be threatened,” Camille replied with a faint smile. She didn't see this as

a real question because she wasn't directly involved, and she couldn't

know what Ayan's thoughts were.

In fact, the best way to eliminate threats was not to indulge those who

wished to threaten you in the first place. Once there was any hesitation

or backing down, the other party would seize the opportunity and not

leave any room for negotiation.

Of course, during this process, the person making threats would likely

to say many enticing words, and make various promises. If you

believed them, then you deserved to be threatened.

Camille sighed silently, and Mrs. Bell fell into silence again after hearing

her words. She thought Camille was right-they were worried their

divorce would be exposed, which gave Mr. Mikkola an opportunity.

Although they appeared as a loving couple in public and had even set

an example with their charitable work, it didn't mean their marriage was

without issues. They could still be friends and business partners even if

they were no lo9nger a married couple. So why should they allow

someone to threaten them?

Mrs. Bell nodded in agreement, saying, "You're right. As long as you

don't want to be threatened, everything will work out.”

"Cami, thank you!" Mrs. Bell expressed her gratitude once more before

leaving.

It wasn't even 9 pm yet, but Sienna called right after Mrs. Bell left.

It was a video call.

Camille shook her head and smiled, answering the call right away.

Sienna's voice came through, "She's gone, right?"

Camille looked at her phone, knowing that Sienna was just outside in

her garden, a stone's throw away. Camille walked out of the house, and

they were now separated only by a garden wall. She didn't need a

video call to speak to her neighbor. So, Camille hung up and walked

over to Sienna.

Sienna laughed, "Done talking? Did she say anything unpleasant?"

"If she did, could you have stopped her from leaving?" Camille replied

nonchalantly, showing no intention to interfere.

Sienna took a few steps away but then turned back. "Aren't you going

to hold me back? I can be pretty relentless. If I catch up to her, I won't

be merciful.”

"Well, I know. So, go ahead.”

Sienna pouted in annoyance, turned back, and returned to her original

spot. They were now standing on opposite sides of the garden fence,

looking at each other. Sienna asked, "What did you talk about? Was

everything okay?"

"Everything was fine,” Camille replied calmly.

Sienna rested her chin on her hand and asked, "Hasn't Ayan told you

the current situation regarding the online rumors? I heard from Rex that

if this matter is confirmed, it might have a significant impact on Simpson

Group. While a single rumor might not cause a big storm for a large

company like Simpson Group, it's still not a good situation.”

Camille fell into silence, her expression growing solemn. She sighed

softly and said, "I don't know how to ask, so I think it's better not to. I

trust he will handle it."

Sienna nodded and didn't press further on the topic. Instead, she

asked, "I miss Timmy. If you don't have time to look after him, can you

leave him with me?"

“Let's leave him at the Simpson's mansion for now. Grandpa and the

family are coming back soon, and with all that's happening, it's better to

leave Timmy there with Nanny."

Camille didn't want Timmy to be out in public too much during this time,

and he hadn't even gone to daycare today. There were many people

watching over Simpson Group and the Simpson family right now, and

Camille wanted to avoid any potential issues.

Sienna understood Camille's explanation. She looked at Camille's

furrowed brow and softly said, "Then how about I keep you company

tonight? Can you give me a chance to be with you?"