My Ex-husband Begs Me Back
Chapter 974: Politeness

Chapter 974: Politeness

Mr. Mikkola's expression also displayed a hint of displeasure betweenhis brows before he put on a slightly amused smile and said, "SinceAyan wants you to come, then go ahead. With so many eyes watchinghim now, what could he possibly do to you?"

Mr. Bell narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression remaining quiteserious. Eventually, he decided to set out for Simpson Group.

Mr. Mikkola personally saw him off into the car. Before the car startedmoving, Mr. Mikkola bent down slightly and said through the window,"Take this with you. If you need anything, you can contact meimmediately. If Ayan shows any disrespect, I will definitely rush over.”Mr. Bell nodded and reached out to accept what Mr. Mikkola handedhim.

Then Mr. Mikkola added, "Don't worry or feel rushed. There's no needto be nervous either. Currently, all the control is in our hands, and Ayancan't do anything to us. The reason he's asked you to be there isprobably to discuss sharing responsibility for this matter. You don't needto agree to it. Emphasize that it has nothing to do with us; it's someoneelse picking at the small faults of Simpson Group. We certainly won't letourselves be dragged into this mess, right?"

Mr. Mikkola's words made Mr. Bell's expression freeze for a moment.He hesitated and asked in a hushed voice, "Wouldn't this bedetrimental? It's like tearing off all pretenses and confronting himdirectly. How can we continue to cooperate in the future?”

"Do you think going along with him would ensure continuedcooperation? The project has reached this point; we don't needSimpson Group anymore. With our publicity and marketing, we don'thave to worry about the later stages of operation. So, you really don'tneed to be concerned. You're spending more money now than before,and your career also needs someone to inherit it, right? Therefore, it'sonly natural for things to thrive and provide a more stable foundation forour next generation, isn't it?"

Mr. Mikkola's words made it abundantly clear to Mr. Bell that everythingshould be done according to his wishes and plans. If he didn'tcooperate, there was no guarantee that Mr. Bell's personal matters,particularly regarding his child, wouldn't be exposed to the public.

Mr. Bell's face showed a hint of indifference. There was also a chill inhis eyes. Since Mr. Mikkola had discovered his secret a few monthsago, he had been threatened by Mr. Mikkola numerous times-no lessthan ten times by now.

In just a short three to four months, the situation had escalated to thispoint. If it continued like this, what would happen in the long run?

Mr. Bell's eyes revealed a touch of apathy. He looked deep into Mr.Mikkola's eyes. Mr. Mikkola had a meaningful and threatening smile onhis face. After locking eyes with Mr. Bell, he said fearlessly, "I'm doingthis for the sake of a more stable cooperation between us. You won'tblame me, will you?"

Mr. Bell averted his gaze without changing his expression and replied ina tone of indifference, "Of course not."

“That's good. You should hurry to Simpson Group now. It's almost timefor the meeting with Ayan. Go there and have a good discussion. If youhave any issues, let me know."

"Alright."

Mr. Bell raised the car window without another word. His face remainedcold as he drove away.

About half an hour later, Mr. Bell arrived at the Simpson Group'sparking garage.

He drove directly into the garage. In times like these, the security in thegarage would scrutinize every vehicle to ensure no reporters or mediapersonnel could sneak in.

Mr. Bell took the elevator up, and Kian was already waiting at theelevator as planned. Both of them chose to set aside their previousunpleasantness, putting on a facade of politeness instead.

Kian politely greeted him, saying, "Mr. Bell, thank you for making aspecial trip."

Mr. Bell just nodded slightly and replied, "Kian, no need to be so polite.It's the least I can do.”

The two of them exchanged glances, but there was no warmth in theireyes-only a cold and distant emptiness.

Kian made a polite gesture and said, "Mr. Bell, Mr. Simpson is waitingfor you in his office. Right this way.”

Mr. Bell nodded and followed Kian, taking steps toward Ayan's office.Upon reaching the office door, Kian raised his hand and knocked, thenpushed the door open. He looked inside and said, "Mr. Simpson, Mr.Bell is here."

"Please, Mr. Bell, come on in." Ayan rose from his desk and met Mr.Bell's gaze as he spoke gently, "Please have a seat.”

Both men took a seat on the sofa, and Kian poured them some teabefore standing quietly to await Ayan's instructions.

Mr. Bell looked at Ayan and asked, "Mr. Simpson, you asked me tocome over. What's this all about?"

Ayan leaned back comfortably on the sofa, his demeanor calm. Hefixed his gaze on Mr. Bell and his voice remained mild, "You've seenwhat's been happening online, haven't you?"

Mr. Bell hesitated briefly, his expression turning somewhat chilly as helooked at Ayan. He nodded and said in a subdued tone, "Yes, I have.""Do you have anything to say about it?"

"What do you mean by that, Mr. Simpson? I'm not quite following."Ayan simply smiled and said, "No need to be nervous, Mr. Bell. I don'tmean anything else. I was just casually asking if you had any thoughtsafter seeing all the online discussions.”

Ayan's gaze felt like that of a hawk, unrelenting and prolonged. Such agaze could make one feel incredibly uncomfortable and even guilty.Mr. Bell averted his eyes, not meeting Ayan's stare. He spoke in a cooltone, “I don't have anything to say. Regarding this matter, it seems thatit's aimed at Simpson Group, probably because your competitors arekeeping a close eye on you and Simpson Group, which is why it cameto light."

Ayan chuckled and asked, "Do you think this matter is related toSimpson Group?”

"This matter is directed at Simpson Group. Naturally, it's related.”

"But, Mr. Bell, have you forgotten a fact? This matter is currently underyour and Mr. Mikkola's purview. Why would it be my responsibility tobear this burden?" Ayan's face stiffened, and a cold expressionemerged.

Mr. Bell was also taken aback, and his gaze at Ayan softened. Hespoke in a low voice, "Mr. Simpson, I did mention before that thismatter has nothing to do with Simpson Group. However, given thecurrent circumstances where it's clearly targeting Simpson Group, do Ialso need to step up and clarify that it has nothing to do with yourcompany but it's my responsibility? That would make it seem like we'rejust using it as an excuse to evade responsibility.”

Mr. Bell continued, "Mr. Mikkola and I are not shirking responsibility, butthis matter wasn't aimed at us, nor was it due to any negligence on ourpart. So why should we bear the responsibility for it?"

Mr. Bell's words were earnest, and his expression showed hisdetermination. He had only one stance: if they wanted him to takeresponsibility, he could, but the prerequisite was that the matter had tobe directed at them. However, at present, it had nothing to do withthem, so why should they be held accountable?

After Mr. Bell finished speaking, Ayan responded with a faint smile,seemingly not angered by his words. In fact, there were no ripples ofemotion on his face at all.

Then, Ayan spoke calmly, "Mr. Bell, considering your close friendshipwith Mr. Mikkola, why didn't you propose to collaborate with him fromthe beginning? Instead, you came to me."

Mr. Bell's face turned pale, and he avoided looking at Ayan. His voicequivered slightly as he replied, "Collaboration doesn't just happenbecause of a good relationship. It was because it was the right choiceat the time. Ayan, we've been working together for quite some time,always on the same front. If you had supported our proposal from thebeginning, then the responsibility would naturally be shared among us.”Mr. Bell's words were sincere, but Ayan didn't seem moved at all.Instead, he gave a cold, mocking smile.

He coldly remarked, "Is everything Mr. Bell said true?"

"Of course, it's true.”

"But what I heard seems to be a different version. Would you like tohear what I know?" Ayan asked.