Chapter 66

Camille's thoughts snapped back to the present at Chloe's words.

Yesterday, when she'd fallen, Damien hadn't lifted a finger to help.

When she'd been hurt, his indifference had been palpable.

His behavior wasn't just about not caring—it was about ensuring Selene wouldn't misunderstand.

In his heart, only Selene's feelings mattered.

Whether Camille lived or died was irrelevant to him.

Otherwise, how could he have been so cold when she'd fallen and injured herself?

Her expression hardened. Just as she was about to refuse, Damien spoke first.

"Ask your mother," he told Chloe.

Chloe turned to Camille. "Mom, Dad wants to know if you'll talk to him."

Camille pressed her lips together briefly. "No. I'm busy."

Chloe relayed this to Damien. "Dad, Mom said no."

"Okay," came his clipped response.

Chloe sighed. "Okay, Mom. Bye."

"Bye."

After hanging up, Chloe set down her phone and turned to Damien. "Dad, I think Mom's upset about something." Her voice wavered slightly.

Damien barely glanced at her. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Yeah. I don't know why, but I just feel it."

"Okay."

And that was that.

Over the next few days, Camille continued working from home.

Chloe called daily to check on her injury, but as Camille expected, she never mentioned visiting.

The project she and Gabriel had submitted was reviewed by Graham two days later.

Their core technical analysis—something most would treat as confidential—was torn apart by Graham and dismissed as worthless.

For the next few days, Camille and Gabriel revised their presentation based on Graham's scathing feedback while juggling their regular workload.

By Monday, Camille's ankle had mostly healed. Though driving still made her wince, she returned to the office.

There, Gabriel said, "It seems Damien genuinely wants to collaborate with us."

Damien hadn't reached out personally, but someone from his team had contacted Gabriel last week.

Gabriel had kept it from Camille, worried it might upset her.

Later that day, a representative from Damien's company was scheduled to visit their office. If discussions went well, they could finalize the initial partnership terms.

Wesley Caldwell, Damien's technical director, represented his private tech firm—not the Harrington Group.

It was Camille's first time meeting him.

Learning Camille was also in tech, Wesley greeted her politely. "Hello, Ms. Hartwell."

"Hello," she replied.

The meeting progressed smoothly.

At noon, NovaSight Labs hosted lunch for Damien's team.

As they stepped out of the car at the restaurant, they collided with Damien and Selene, who had just arrived.

Camille froze.

Gabriel rubbed his temples. This was one coincidence he hadn't anticipated.

Wesley's face lit up. "Mr. Harrington!"

Damien and Selene turned.

Both seemed mildly surprised to see Camille and Gabriel.

After a brief nod to them, Wesley hurried over to Damien and Selene.

Since they'd been spotted and had an ongoing collaboration, Camille and Gabriel reluctantly followed.

Wesley clearly knew Selene. "Ms. Lancaster," he said warmly.

"Hello," Selene replied coolly.

Wesley didn't mind. Given Selene's status as Damien's favored companion—and likely future wife—her aloofness was expected.

Turning back to Damien, Wesley explained, "I was at NovaSight Labs discussing our collaboration. Mr. Ashcroft and his team invited us to lunch."

Damien nodded and shook Wesley's hand. "Thank you for your hard work."

"My pleasure," Wesley said with a smile.

Damien's gaze shifted to Gabriel and Camille. He acknowledged Gabriel with a nod. "Mr. Ashcroft."

He didn't address Camille.

Gabriel returned the nod, then suddenly suggested, "Since we've run into each other, why not join us?"

Damien declined. "No, this is a personal outing. Next time, I'll treat you to a proper meal."

A personal outing—code for his date with Selene. Clearly, he didn't want interruptions.

Gabriel internally scoffed but outwardly smiled. "You're too kind, Mr. Harrington."

Selene, meanwhile, was pleased. While she wouldn't have minded more time with Gabriel, her priority was always Damien.

His protectiveness of their date thrilled her. She said nothing and left with him.

After they'd gone, Gabriel asked, "Wesley, you know Ms. Lancaster?"

"Only met her a few times," Wesley replied. "As you know, Mr. Harrington dotes on her. He's brought her to the company several times."

So that was it.

Despite being married to Damien for years, Camille had never once visited any of his companies. He'd never allowed it.

But for Selene, there were no such restrictions.

While Wesley was distracted, Gabriel leaned closer to Camille. "Since the charity gala fiasco and last week's tech expo, the Lancaster family has gained quite the network in Lucerne. Rumor has it they've secured several major projects in days."

Once those projects were completed, the Lancasters would be firmly established in Lucerne.

Thanks to Damien's backing, they'd achieved in days what took others years. Envy was inevitable.

Camille lowered her gaze. "I see," she murmured.