She said, “Callum, I want to ask you something. It’s something serious. Please don’t hide it from me. I already know most of it, but I just want to confirm with you.”
Camille didn’t beat around the bush, telling the old man how much it mattered to her.
Her sudden seriousness caught Callum off guard. He was stunned for a moment and then asked, “What is it?”
Camille smiled faintly and asked in a low voice, “I’m not really a child of the Armstrong family, right?”
Callum’s face immediately darkened, and his cloudy eyes instantly became somber. He furrowed his brows and wore an unusually grave expression.
His reaction was too intense to ignore.
Callum remained silent for a long time, lost in thought.
Camille continued, “Callum, I think you and Ayan probably know something about this, but I’m just not sure who knows more, you or him?”
“Camille…” Callum’s emotions were somewhat stirred up. He furrowed his brows tightly and looked extremely serious and uneasy.
Camille quickly added, “Callum, please don’t worry. Don’t get worked up. This matter isn’t a bad thing actually. I’m not a child anymore. I’m already grown up. I think I have the right to know. Right?”
Callum didn’t say anything. He was probably still immersed in surprise and hadn’t come to his senses yet.
Camille smiled lightly as she took his arm, continuing to walk with him. She ate a bit more for lunch today because she was happy, but she was worried about indigestion, so she had been walking with him.
But Callum followed along like a puppet, his expression extremely grave.
He remained silent and allowed Camille to lead him as they walked.
Camille didn’t stop. She told Callum everything she knew. “I haven’t told Ayan yet. For now, I don’t really want to because he’s always afraid that I’ll suffer or be upset due to this matter. But I’m already an adult. I’m a mother too. Timothy is a boy boy now, and I want to set an example for him.”
“Of course, I know Ayan does this for my sake. I understand that in my heart. But keeping things from me isn’t entirely for my benefit either. I don’t want to be left in the dark. I want us to share everything together. We’re family, right?”
Camille expressed her thoughts and emotions without holding anything back.
As they walked toward the backyard, the distance from the front allowed them to speak freely without being overheard.
Once Camille finished sharing everything on her mind, the old man let out a heavy sigh. His gaze toward her was filled with concern, and he spoke softly,
“Camille, I didn’t realize you knew so much or that you had such deep thoughts. But you’re absolutely right. You’re no longer a child. You shouldn’t be kept in the dark. That’s not fair to you. What you said is very true. As for Ayan, he’s only trying to protect you from hurt by keeping things hidden. Part of it is my suggestion. I wanted him to clarify everything before discussing it with you.”
Callum worried that this situation might create tension between Camille and Ayan, so he took it upon himself to shoulder the blame, hoping to avoid any misunderstandings between them.
But this time, he was overthinking it. Camille had no such intentions. Her thoughts were quite straightforward.
“Callum, don’t worry. I’m not upset with him. I don’t see anything to be angry about in this situation. I just wanted to share my feelings with you, to let you know that no matter the outcome, my thoughts remain simple. I want things to stay as they are right now. As for those who abandoned me, I don’t have much thought or concern about them.”
Camille told Callum about her decision and hoped he wouldn’t hide anything from her anymore.
After a brief silence, the old man spoke slowly, “Camille, I apologize for keeping things from you, but until we understood the situation, I didn’t know how to approach it. Ayan and I don’t know as much as you do. Ayan likely knows more than I do. I just knew you had ties with the Bill family, but the identity of the person who married into that family is hard to trace. They’ve always kept a low profile, possibly due to circumstances beyond their control, which is why they had to tell you the truth.”
Camille nodded and smiled lightly. “You truly have a keen eye, Callum. That’s exactly how it is. I want to share my plans with you as well.”
She conveyed the conditions she had set for Kathleen to Callum as well, and the old man was momentarily taken aback, his eyes lighting up. “You’re really clever! That’s a great idea. It’s time they realize that the Simpson family isn’t easily bullied. They’ve not approached you for so many years, and they’re only coming back to acknowledge you now because they have no other choice. That’s unfair to you.”
“Callum, thank you for understanding me,” Camille said, clapping her hands in excitement. “But I want to make them aware that I won’t go back. Nothing can change my mind.”
Their wealth and power meant nothing to her.
As for Kathleen’s thoughts, she didn’t want to get too caught up in them.
However, Camille did share Kathleen’s thoughts with Callum. “Grandpa, I’m telling you this not to make you worry. I just fear that my insistence might provoke them one day, and if that happens, I worry they might use that to create discord between us.”
Callum scoffed, “Do they think they can sow discord in our family? We’re family, and they are the outsiders.”
“Exactly! That’s the mindset we need to maintain.” She mainly worried about the old man since Callum’s health couldn’t handle too much stress.
As Camille and Callum headed back, they noticed a man on the second-floor balcony, holding a child and watching them.