My Ex-husband Begs Me Back
Chapter 812: Moving Forward

Chapter 812: Moving Forward

Camille asked seriously, disentangling herself from his embrace andstaring at him intently.

Her eyelashes fluttered gently, and a hint of indifference flickered in hereyes. If his only goal was to punish Cora for taking Timmy and injuringthe old Simpson, he had the means and background to make the policeoverlook her claimed mental instability.

Even if Austin tried to fight back, even if he revealed Cora's condition tothe public, she would still face the consequences of her actions.

But he didn't do that.

Instead, he kept Cora captive in his hands. Did he really do it just topunish her?

Since Austin's last phone call, Camille had been harboring thoughtsthat were more than just a passing notion.

It was hard for her to convince herself not to dwell on these thoughts.She didn't know how to justify not thinking about it.

Camille pursed her lips, maintaining her silence.

Similarly, Ayan kept his unwavering gaze on her and spoke in a lowvoice, "Did Austin say something to you?"

Camille replied, "When Austin had me abducted, I never saw him inperson. I only knew it was him from the two men who were watchingme. So I haven't met Austin, and I didn't have the chance to talk tohim."

"These are just my thoughts. So, are you keeping Cora in your handsonly to punish her for what she's done?"

"Don't you think it might be better to hand Cora over to the police? Ormaybe let her experience the feeling of helplessness and not knowingwhat to do? I don't want to dwell on it anymore, I don't want to pursue itfurther. It's been a long time since it happened, and now I only haveone thought- to draw a clear line with them. I really, really don't wantsomething like this to happen again. This time it was me, but who will itbe next time?"

Camille's emotions grew somewhat agitated, and her agitation waseasy to understand.

As the person who experienced such an incident, she knew what it feltlike to be in a state of panic. Not knowing where she was, devoid ofeven the slightest sense of security- it was an indescribable feeling,extremely unpleasant. She truly didn't want the people around her to gothrough the same thing.

She took a silent breath, her eyes still fixed on Ayan, waiting quietly forhis response.

Likewise, he fell into a brief silence.

Then he said, "I understand what you mean. I have also consideredyour suggestions. Initially, I did intend to hand her over directly to thepolice. However, Austin used her health condition as leverage, claimingthat he could bring her out unharmed at any time. I didn't want thetrouble, so I decided to keep her under my control. I'm doing this onlybecause she did something wrong. If someone makes a mistake, theymust face the consequences. There are no other emotions or intentionsbehind it. But because of my mishandling, you got hurt, and I'm trulysorry for that.”

His expression was sincere, his gaze fixed on Camille, reflecting asense of honesty that made her sigh silently.

Camille asked, "So what's your plan now?"

"First, we need to replace Austin, and then I'll take you to meet Cora. It'snot about proving anything, just to let you see that I didn't deceive youand that I'm keeping my promise to you."

After Ayan finished speaking, Camille remained silent.

At that moment, Kian's call came in.

On the other end of the phone, Kian spoke in a low voice, "Mr.Simpson, we've caught Austin’s assistant, but we haven't found Austinhimself. He's probably hiding somewhere. Despite the large number ofpeople searching in Sienna, it's easier for someone to hide during thenight. So, should we continue searching?"

"No need to search in Sienna anymore. We have surveillance camerasat every intersection. Just monitor those, and no matter what, I mustsee him."

A cold chill flickered in Ayan's eyes, and his determination was evidentin his unwavering words.

After sending Ayan and Camille back to Maple Leaves Mansion, Kianimmediately rushed to the scene. He couldn't afford to take it lightly,considering Ayan's instructions. He implemented all of Ayan's plans andjoined the search. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night. IfAustin couldn't be found, nobody would rest.

As for Austin's bodyguards and assistants, they had all been restrained.Kian immediately asked Ayan how to handle them.

Ayan said, "Hand over the two bodyguards who were with Austin to thepolice as an explanation. Take the other three with us. As for Austin'ssituation, you can inquire with his assistant. As for the other two, I haveother plans for them. I'll let you know tomorrow once I've decided."Ayan deliberately avoided saying it in front of Camille. He didn't wantCamille to dwell on what happened today or suspect anything. Aftergiving a few instructions to Kian, he ended the call.

Following Ayan's orders, Kian promptly took charge. He personallyhanded over Austin's people to Logan, and they both understood eachother without the need for excessive words.

Kian took multiple precautions, fearing that Austin's assistant mightremember the route. He even blindfolded them before finally bringingthem back to the villa.

Kian separated the three individuals and assigned guards to watch overthem before leaving himself.

At the scene, Ayan's men and the police were everywhere. Althoughthe incident hadn't been reported in the true sense, the presence of somany people and the investigation in Sienna caught the attention ofsome nearby residents.

However, no one knew what had happened. They could only speculate.No one suspected it had anything to do with Ayan or Camille. Theywere merely speculating about whether it was a murder or some shadyaffair.

Others might be unaware of what exactly had transpired, but oneperson knew exactly why it happened.

Preston also saw the news and knew immediately that Austin hadkidnapped Camille.

He had called Austin earlier, but Austin denied it. Preston had thoughthe was overthinking it, but now he realized Austin had been lying.

He sneered, a coldness filling his eyes. He had thought he could pushall the blame about Louise's death onto Sean, so he could move on toother matters. But now Austin had stuck his nose in. Austin was askingfor trouble.

Ayan wouldn't let him off the hook.

Therefore, Preston needed to rethink his plans.

Continuing to confront Austin might only result in Austin dragging himdown.

He picked up his phone and called Quintus Sarrius, the secretary whohad worked for Camille's company before resigning and joiningPreston. With Sean gone, Preston entrusted Quintus with some tasks.Quintus had been with him for a long time, so he was trustworthy.

But only Preston knew his ultimate goal and what he needed to dobecause he only trusted himself.

Preston called Quintus and instructed him, "Contact Norman Groupimmediately and terminate all our collaborations. Also, cancel myposition within Norman Group. Mr. and Mrs. Bell's project will continueunder my personal name."

"Mr. Baxter, will Norman Group agree to this?" Quintus asked.

"Just convey my intentions for now. You can directly contact Austin'ssecretary."

Jeremiah had been in charge of Austin's work at Norman Group sinceAustin arrived in Hance City.

When Jeremiah received the news, he naturally refused. He believed itwas simply absurd.

Jeremiah knew about the relationship between Preston and Austin andunderstood that it was just temporary cooperation. So it was impossiblefor him to agree. He immediately tried to contact Austin, but Austin wasunreachable. Jeremiah had no choice but to call Preston himself.

With a touch of hidden meaning, Jeremiah asked, "Mr. Baxter, what doyou mean by this? The project was originally Mr. Norman'sresponsibility, and it still belongs to Norman Group. Does Mr. Baxterwant to claim it for himself?"