Chapter 428

Everett Mercer also attended the summit.

His seat was positioned in the second row, slightly behind and to the side of Camille Hartwell and Damien Harrington.

He arrived fashionably late.

Just as he was taking his seat, he caught Damien leaning slightly toward Camille, initiating conversation.

When Camille deliberately ignored him, the way Damien's smile faltered...

Everett's expression darkened imperceptibly.

For some inexplicable reason, he'd always sensed Damien treated Camille differently.

Over the past few months, their interactions had remained strictly professional, leading Everett to believe Damien had moved on.

But now—

Everett's piercing stare was so intense that Damien couldn't possibly miss it.

Turning his head, Damien acknowledged him with a polite nod. "Mr. Mercer, what a pleasant surprise."

Everett schooled his features into neutrality, responding with a curt hum.

At this prestigious Enterprise Excellence Summit, Hugh Rhodes stood as one of the keynote political figures. After delivering his opening remarks, Hugh and other dignitaries began announcing the list of distinguished enterprises.

Naturally, NovaSight Labs made the cut.

Camille, Damien, and Tristan Rutherford, along with several other company representatives, ascended the stage to receive their awards. As they accepted their certificates, Hugh inquired, "Would any representatives care to share a few words?"

Following Damien's eloquent speech, Camille took the microphone. "NovaSight Labs's current success stems from our relentless pursuit of innovation and cultivating teams that embody this philosophy..."

Watching from the audience, Selene Lancaster found the scene mildly amusing.

Really?

While NovaSight Labs had indeed flourished, its achievements hardly correlated with Camille's contributions.

Yes, she'd published that groundbreaking paper that caused waves—but only after NovaSight Labs had already established its global reputation.

Listening to Camille now, one might think she'd single-handedly built NovaSight Labs from scratch through sheer determination.

Though she stood on stage accepting the award as the company's representative, everyone knew she merely served as Gabriel Ashcroft's proxy.

In truth, this honor had absolutely nothing to do with her.

After the speeches concluded, Camille, Damien, and the others descended from the stage.

The summit lasted approximately three hours in total.

As it concluded, Camille prepared to depart.

Noticing her movements, Tristan maneuvered past Damien to approach her. "Leaving so soon?"

"Yes."

However, Camille had cultivated a respectable reputation in business circles, and numerous entrepreneurs now sought her attention.

Thus, her departure was delayed.

Both she and Tristan found themselves surrounded by well-wishers.

Damien, too, had drawn his own small crowd.

Everett, aware of Selene's presence and noting Damien hadn't immediately sought her out, decided to approach Selene himself.

Spotting his approach, Selene greeted him. "Mr. Mercer, I didn't see you earlier. I'd begun to think you might have skipped the event entirely."

"Unexpected matters detained me," he replied.

As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Damien, who had somehow positioned himself beside Camille again. Everett's brow furrowed.

Selene, who monitored Damien and Camille's interactions even more closely than Everett, had naturally noticed as well.

Just as she prepared to comment, Everett suggested, "Shall we join them?"

Selene offered a practiced smile. "I still have several matters to discuss with others here. If you have business over there, please don't let me detain you, Mr. Mercer."