Chapter 108

Camille subtly raised her hand to cover her nose for a brief second before stepping back, creating more space between them without being obvious.

Damien didn't seem to notice her slight movement. He opened the invitation and glanced at it. "70th birthday?"

"Yes." This time, she didn't ask if he was free that evening or beg him to make time. She simply stated, "Please inform your parents."

It was unclear whether Damien picked up on her changed approach.

He gave her a brief nod, set the invitation aside casually, and said, "Understood." Then he turned and walked into the bathroom.

Camille watched his retreating figure for a moment before putting away the hairdryer and heading to Chloe's room to help her bathe.

By the time she finished washing Chloe's hair, drying it, and tucking her into bed, nearly an hour had passed. Chloe clung to her arm, snuggling close as she asked, "Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?" Given the current tension between her and Damien, the answer was obvious.

Camille returned to the master bedroom to gather her things. As she prepared to leave, she told Damien, "I'll be sleeping in Chloe's room tonight."

Damien was reading a book. At her words, he merely hummed in acknowledgment without looking up, neither questioning her decision nor attempting to stop her.

The next morning after breakfast, Camille took Chloe to school as requested before heading to the office.

Marianne's birthday was approaching, but Camille had been so swamped with work over the past month that she hadn't even bought a gift yet.

During lunch, she called Elise and asked her to go shopping that evening to pick out a present. When Elise heard it was for Marianne, she immediately agreed.

Meanwhile, Camille still hadn't delivered the invitation to Selene.

After ending her call with Elise, she tried calling Selene.

The call connected, but no one answered.

Camille knew Selene disliked her - in fact, the woman seemed to dislike everyone from the Hartwell family. It was entirely possible she was deliberately ignoring the call.

Still, out of respect for Helena, Camille had to go through the motions.

When the call disconnected, she tried again. This time, it was declined immediately. The message was clear - Selene was intentionally avoiding her.

Camille didn't care. She was just following protocol.

She sent Selene a text explaining the reason for her call and asking when she'd be available to receive the invitation.

After sending the message, she didn't bother checking for a reply and returned to her work.

That evening after dinner, Camille and Elise spent hours shopping but couldn't find a satisfactory gift.

Suddenly, Elise suggested, "There's a charity auction the night after tomorrow. Maybe we could find something there? But I don't have an invitation..."

She hesitated. The invitations had gone out weeks ago. Getting one now would be difficult. "Unless..."

The implication was clear - she was suggesting Camille ask Damien for help.

Around nine, after parting ways with Elise, Camille returned to Damien's villa.

When she arrived, she found him already home - busy working in his study.