Chapter 330

Camille Hartwell had relatives visiting from Lucerne, and they'd come to Westbridge specifically to see her.

That morning, just as she wrapped up a meeting, Marianne called asking her to join them for lunch.

She stood waiting by the elevator when Peter Lockwood - the newly appointed general manager of NovaSight Labs - approached with Damien Harrington and Colin Keaton.

Peter greeted her first. "Ms. Hartwell."

Camille gave a curt nod.

Peter wasn't certain if Damien and Camille knew each other. Though Damien had been at NovaSight Labs for days negotiating a collaboration, their paths had never crossed.

Noticing Camille didn't acknowledge Damien, Peter assumed they were strangers. "Ms. Hartwell, this is Mr. Harrington of Harrington Group."

Then to Damien, "This is Ms. Hartwell from NovaSight Labs's R&D department."

Without glancing at Damien, Camille stated flatly, "We're acquainted."

Damien smirked at Peter. "No introductions necessary. We know each other... intimately."

Peter blinked, looking between them.

Intimately? That's not the impression I'm getting.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ah, I see."

Camille remained silent.

Damien chuckled but said nothing more.

Peter finally understood - Camille was deliberately snubbing Damien. Just like Gabriel Ashcroft would.

He wondered what history existed between these three.

But Damien wasn't someone to take lightly.

With a major collaboration pending, both Camille and Gabriel treated him with icy indifference. Stranger still - Damien didn't seem to mind.

Peter wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or concerned.

As he debated breaking the silence, Damien's phone rang.

"I'll be right down," Damien answered before stepping into the elevator.

Peter forced a smile. "Ms. Lancaster picking you up for lunch again? You two seem close."

Damien opened his mouth to respond when another call interrupted him.

When the elevator doors opened, Camille strode out without a backward glance.

Outside in the parking lot, she spotted Selene Lancaster waiting by a car.

Their eyes met.

Selene's gaze was glacial.

Camille quickly looked away, heading to her own vehicle.

Selene only softened when she saw Damien emerging from the building.

As Camille started her car, she noticed Selene handing her keys to Colin before getting into Damien's car.

She drove off without another glance.

At the restaurant, after seeing Marianne's guests off, Camille was about to leave when she spotted Everett Mercer exiting.

His brows immediately furrowed at the sight of her.

The last time he'd seen her was when Damien had gone to NovaSight Labs looking for her. He didn't know how things stood between them now, but he'd heard about the Harrington-NovaSight Labs collaboration.

Would this rekindle old flames?

His expression betrayed his thoughts.

Without acknowledging him, Camille drove away.

Everett returned to his office where negotiations with the Lancaster family were underway.

At 3 PM, his secretary announced, "Mr. Mercer, Ms. Lancaster is here."

Everett paused. "Ms. Lancaster?"

"Yes. She said Mr. Lancaster is ill, so she's representing him for the collaboration discussion."

Everett's eyes lit up. He hurried to the meeting room.

Selene apologized immediately. "My father isn't feeling well, so regarding our collaboration-"

Everett waved it off. "Perfectly understandable."

He couldn't hide his delight, which Selene noted with a faint smile.

After their discussion, Everett seized his chance. "Ms. Lancaster, would you care to have dinner?"

Selene declined politely. "I have training for an upcoming race. Perhaps another time."

Everett knew of her racing career, though he'd only seen recordings. He longed to watch her compete live.

But if she was training today, Damien would undoubtedly accompany her.

With that thought, he dropped the subject. "Another time then."

After Selene left, Elliot Mercer called. "Felix Rhodes is free tonight. Want to meet up?"

Everett had an idea. "Let's skip the bar. How about something more exciting?"

Elliot sounded intrigued. "What did you have in mind?"

"Let's go watch some car racing."

"Racing?" Elliot's interest was piqued. "Now that sounds like fun!"

After learning Selene's training location, they had dinner before heading to the racetrack with Felix.