Female Novel
Chapter 1466 Valuable
Chapter 1466 Valuable
Derek expressed his apologies and mentioned multiple times, "It's my affection for her that led tothis. I pursued her for a long time before she accepted. We've been together, but it wasn't publiclyannounced until tonight. It wasn't intentional to keep it from you."
It was a fear of instability, so they decided not to say anything.
As for Derek's feelings for Aria, it wasn't a secret, but Ayan hadn't expected them to be together.
Now that they were together, well-wishes were the only thing left to express.novelbin
"Take good care of her, be patient with her. If she upsets you, you can confide in me, but if you hurther, I won't spare you," Ayan warned indifferently. It wasn't an idle threat but reflected his truefeelings, indicating his full support.
Derek smiled and reassured, "Don't worry, I'll treat her well."
With this matter settled, Derek would now have to prepare for their families to meet.
Before that, Derek wanted Ayan to inform their families in advance to avoid shocking them whenthey met.
In truth, both families were aware of Derek's feelings for Aria, having known each other for manyyears and grown up together. Even though he hid it well, Aria's eyes had long betrayed his feelings.
But Aria was too aloof, too busy. No one had seen her show any interest in a man, so they allthought they couldn't be together.
Now that they were together, Fletcher and Talia were naturally very surprised.
Ayan only called Fletcher the next morning after the meeting at the company. Fletcher was withTalia, and they both took a while to react to the news.
Knowing their parents' thoughts, Ayan continued, "If you have any questions or things to say, youcan ask them face to face at dinner or have mom call Aria. If you have any opinions, you can alsodirectly express them."
Both families were close friends, and conflicts were unlikely. Any issues that arose were likelyspecially courteous, fearing the other might suffer.
Dinner was scheduled for next Friday, in five or six days.
During this time, Page's funeral took place.
As the Armstrong family had few relatives, and the relationships with those who worked withArmstrong Corp had drifted apart, some maintained a surface relationship out of respect forSimpson Group and came to the funeral.
Page's funeral went smoothly, managed solely by Camille and Grace. Ayan naturally attended,doing so only for Camille's sake.
Page was buried in the graveyard where her grandmother had lain. It was Camille's decision, asomewhat revengeful act, as Page had always wanted to distance herself from her grandmother inlife but ended up being laid to rest where her grandmother had been. This ensured that theboundaries between them could never be cleared.
Grace understood her sister's intentions but had no objections.
During the funeral, both uncles also came, along with their wives and children.
It was likely due to Ayan's presence that everything proceeded without any surprise or incident.
After all arrangements for the funeral were completed, it was already 5 pm.
Normally, the family would have dinner together, but it was only Grace and Camille now. They didn'twant to dine with the uncles.
So there was no dinner, only Camille accompanying Grace to the Armstrong family.
All the household staff had been dismissed, and the two sisters stepped into the living room.Everything was the same, yet everything had changed.
Ayan didn't follow them but waited outside with Horace.
Both men lit cigarettes. Earlier that day, Horace had attended the funeral as the CEO of ArmstrongCorp, so nothing caused any speculation.
Ayan's voice broke the silence, "Now that the funeral is over, have you made plans about yoursituation with her?"
"Soon, when my parents come from overseas, we'll have a formal dinner with you, and based onGrace's opinion, we'll probably register our marriage. She probably doesn't want a wedding for now,especially with everything that's happened to the Armstrong family. Maybe in a couple of years,"Horace said. If it weren't for the Armstrong family's troubles, the matter of Horace and Grace wouldhave been moved up in the agenda.
Ayan nodded lightly, "Speak up if you need anything."
Knowing Camille's family only consisted of Grace, Ayan was aware that she would unreservedlywant her sister to be happy. So, as her husband, he would also have to put in the effort.
Horace didn't hesitate to agree.
The two men then talked a bit about the current situation at Armstrong Corp. It seemed to be stable,with no impact from Brody Page's actions.
Meanwhile, Camille and Grace had returned to their parents' room.
Everything looked normal inside, yet the man was gone.
Grace sighed, "I thought we would be reunited as a family, giving them the chance to make up fortheir past mistreatment of you. But it seems there's no longer any opportunity."
Grace felt regret, the only thing she regretted.
She had yearned for a harmonious and happy family. However, her parents' favoritism andselfishness had ruined that simple wish.
Camille's response was not very clear, so Grace decided to change the subject, "Let's keep the villafor now. Even if no one lives there, let's keep it."
"All right, I don't mind," Camille replied.
Grace nodded, saying, "Our uncles may covet Armstrong Corp's shares and the property under ourparents' names, so we need to be prepared."
"I know, but you don't have to worry. I don't think it's too difficult to handle this matter. Our unclesjust want money, but they're not inheritors, so they have no right to the inheritance. Everything is inyour hands now. I'm worried they might threaten you, so I'll ask Ayan to find you two bodyguards.You should also mention it to Horace. Aren't you planning to study abroad? It's time after this period.Be safe overseas," Camille assured her. Being abroad was the safest option, as the uncles'influence wouldn't reach that far. As long as they couldn't reach Grace, there was no need to worryabout her safety.
Grace nodded, agreeing that she was also worried about this.
The two sisters then sorted out Page's belongings and financial assets. There was around a millionin savings that Page had accumulated over the years, as well as some properties. They weren'thigh-value assets as they were bought with limited funding and had average locations, so theywouldn't sell for a good price. Besides these, Page's remaining possessions were jewelry, valued ataround tens of thousands.
When Armstrong Corp faced trouble, Page hadn't taken out this money, likely knowing that Brody'sattention was elsewhere. It was her safeguard for her remaining years, not expecting such anunforeseen event.
Looking at these assets, Grace felt especially desolate.
Tears welled in her eyes, her voice low and heavy as she said, "I can't accept what Dad did. AndRegina, I hate her. My mother was overbearing and selfish, but her heart wasn't as cruel. Why didshe treat her like this?"