Chapter 981: Deadlock

Chapter 981: Deadlock

Ayan squinted his eyes, gazing out of the window with indifference. His

voice remained dispassionate as he said, "Let's see how he handles it.

If he doesn't adjust his attitude, Simpson Group will withdraw from this

project completely, and we won't need to cooperate with him again.”

Kian nodded lightly, "Do you think Mr. Bell will really take your warning

to heart? Won't he worry that after he offends Mr. Mikkola, you might

also ignore him?"

His face remained cold, and his voice was as cool as water, "That

depends on whether he has any basic trust in me."

If Mr. Bell couldn't understand, then he would continue to be threatened

by Mr. Mikkola, after all, the choice was in his hands.

It was getting late, and Ayan pushed the door open and got out of the

car. He gave Kian a gentle reminder, "If Mr. Bell contacts you, make

sure he shows sincerity."

"Alright," Kian replied softly.

Ayan headed towards the entrance of the building, and Kian revved the

engine, making a U-turn to leave Maple Leaves Mansion.

That night, the online world was buzzing with gossip. Those keyboard

warriors who loved drama hastily issued apologies and pinned them to

the top of their posts.

However, some were still fearful, while others remained unafraid.

Those who refused to apologize were adamant, “I don't believe

Simpson Group is innocent. I don't believe that all of this has nothing to

do with Simpson Group. They're just trying to confuse us with this stunt.

They want us to shut up, and then Simpson Group can get away with

everything."

These resolute non-apologists were prepared to confront Simpson

Group, but sometimes, confrontation came with costs. If they lacked the

means and money, then this kind of confrontation would lead to their

own demise.

However, most people immediately apologized and claimed they were

just venting, with no evidence in their possession.

These were the typical “talk but won't walk the talk" type of people.

While the online world was in turmoil, the atmosphere in a certain

luxury hotel suite was also heated.

Mr. Bell was smoking, his face extremely grim as he stood in front of

the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room. His phone on the coffee

table kept ringing incessantly, but he showed no intention of answering.

Mrs. Bell glanced at the notes on the phone screen from the corner of

her eye, her expression subtly tense. She spoke in a cold, detached

tone, “You should answer the phone first."

Mr. Bell showed no sign of moving or any intention to answer.

Mrs. Bell's voice remained calm, "Not answering the phone won't solve

anything. If she's in a hurry or does something you wouldn't want to

see, that wouldn't be good, right?"

Mr. Bell hesitated briefly, then extinguished his cigarette and picked up

the phone to answer.

On the other end, an anxious female voice spoke, "Why did it take you

so long to answer my call? Is the situation on the internet still not

resolved? Could it be related to you? I'm worried about you. Will

Simpson Group cause trouble for you? You can't afford any problems,

or what will happen to me and the baby?"

The woman's voice sounded gentle, but in moments of impatience,

even gentle individuals paid no attention to their tone.

Mrs. Bell listened attentively to their conversation, not missing a word.

Her expression grew even colder as she waited, anticipating what Mr.

Bell would say next.

Mr. Bell placed the phone down after the call and sat in the empty seat

opposite Mrs. Bell. Their gazes met, and his expression remained icy.

He asked, "Is this Ayan's decision, or is it Camille acting on her own?"

“They are married, so what's the difference?" Mrs. Bell asked with a

hint of indifference.

Mr. Bell, however, remained unconvinced. He said, "If it's Ayan's

decision, then I would definitely do it because that's what Ayan wants.

But now, it's only Camille who's saying it. That doesn't mean it's Ayan's

choice, right?"

"Why do you just not understand what I mean? They are a married

couple, Camille's thoughts are Ayan's thoughts, what's the difference?"

Mrs. Bell's tone grew colder as she looked at Mr. Bell. "Actually, I have

nothing to do with everything that's happening now. I just don't want

everything we've built together to end up with nothing. As for what you

decide, it's your business, and it has nothing to do with me."

Having said her piece, Mrs. Bell stood up from the sofa and looked at

Mr. Bell with a faint, distant gaze. "I've said everything I needed to say.

What you do next is up to you."

Mrs. Bell left the room. She had come to see him after her conversation

with Camille, simply because she didn't want him to sink even deeper.

In truth, Mrs. Bell agreed with what Camille had said to her. She

understood very well that in this world, the person who could truly help

you was yourself.

If you weren't willing to help yourself, how could you expect others to

help you?

As for whether Mr. Bell had taken her words to heart, she no longer

cared. After returning to her room, she immediately booked the nearest

flight back to her home country. Once she had taken care of her

personal matters, she intended to settle down in Hance for a while.

She liked Hance very much, especially since she had met Camille.

Despite the significant age difference, she found Camille to be a girl

worth befriending.

Mr. Bell was unaware of what she was planning to do. After all, she had

no intention of telling him.

The unrest of this night was inevitable. Both individuals and media were

busy issuing apologies and crafting statements. Some were trying to

distance themselves. However, could this kind of busyness really

absolve them of responsibility for what they had said?

The answer was, of course, no.

Don't think that just because it's on the internet, you can say and do

anything without consequences. The internet also has a memory, and

Simpson Group had collected enough evidence to shut up those who

had spoken recklessly. Some with weaker nerves might even decide to

quit the internet altogether.

This night was indeed eventful. In just a day and a night, it felt like the

world had gone through half a century.

Early the next morning, Kian arrived at Maple Leaves Mansion to pick

up Ayan, as usual. As they got into the car, Kian drove while saying,

"Mr. Simpson, last night at around one in the morning, Mr. Bell called

me."

Ayan didn't react strongly, as he had anticipated this. His voice

remained warm and calm as he asked, "What did he say?"

Kian replied, "He's willing to cooperate and has decided to make this

matter public. However, he hopes to use our Simpson Group's public

relations team."

"Alright," Ayan said, looking out of the window. There was no visible

emotion in his deep gaze as he continued, "Then tell him that if he's

already decided, there's no need for further delay. It's better to resolve

this matter sooner rather than later."

Kian nodded and said, "I've already told him. He hopes to do it today."

"Very well, you can arrange it."

"Okay," Kian acknowledged with a nod.

A while later, Ayan arrived at the company. The online situation had

been resolved, and he had no intention of responding more. However,

a few media outlets with good relations with Simpson Group wanted to

interview him regarding what happened yesterday. Ayan instructed Kian

to handle the interviews, considering it as a way to boost Simpson

Group's publicity.

As Kian handled these matters on Ayan's behalf, he found himself with

some free time. He sat at his desk with his phone, lost in thought for a

while.