Chapter 157

Camille paused briefly before taking Hugo's test papers from him.

Hugo had always been a bright student with solid fundamentals. She quickly scanned through the questions, offering him a few pointers. He grasped the concepts immediately.

"Wow, you're incredible! Thanks, Camille!"

Once he understood, Hugo casually crouched by the coffee table and started scribbling down his answers.

The moment he finished, he shoved the papers and pens aside. "Done! Now I can finally check my phone!"

Camille smiled faintly, setting aside the newspaper she had nearly finished. Feeling slightly more energized, she decided to head upstairs to grab a book to pass the time.

Then Hugo leaned in, lowering his voice. "My dream girl competed in another race recently, Camille. She was even more amazing this time. I got the footage. Want to see?"

The smile on Camille's face dimmed. "No, thanks. I'm not really into racing."

"Oh?"

Hugo looked surprised. He'd brought it up because he thought she was interested. "You were watching the race through binoculars for so long that day. I assumed you liked it."

Camille replied coolly, "I wasn't watching the race. Just some people I knew."

Seeing her clear disinterest, Hugo dropped the subject. He turned back to Selene's race replay, muttering to himself, "I heard she's skipping the next one. Shame. I was hoping to see her compete again. When will I get another chance if she's not racing this time?"

He sighed dramatically.

"I'm going upstairs for a book," Camille interjected.

"Okay!" Hugo beamed. "Glad you're feeling better, Camille, but don't push yourself too hard!"

"Thanks. I won't."

Without another word, she stood and headed upstairs.

Damien wasn't in the room when she returned.

She noticed the book he'd borrowed lying on the table. She picked it up and tucked it back into her bag.

She usually brought one or two books whenever she stayed overnight.

But she couldn't find the others in the room. Assuming they might be in Chloe's, she turned and walked toward her daughter's room.

Chloe hadn't closed the door.

Just as Camille approached, Chloe's voice drifted out. "I'm so bored, Selene! Stay and chat with me a little longer."

Camille froze, leaning against the wall.

"Seriously," Chloe giggled. "Don't worry, Selene. I'll make sure to have the soup ready!"

"Okay, bye, Selene!"

She even blew kisses into the phone.

Chloe didn't leave her room immediately after hanging up.

Camille's throat still ached from her illness. She coughed lightly before stepping into Chloe's room. Only then did Chloe finally look up.

She was sprawled across the bed, swinging her legs happily. When she spotted Camille, she bounced up. "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"Looking for a book," Camille replied flatly.

Chloe skipped over and grabbed her hand. "Nana said the soup's ready. Want to go downstairs together?"

Camille pulled her hand away. "I've already had mine. If you haven't, go ahead."

Still riding the high from her call with Selene, Chloe didn't notice anything off about Camille's tone.

"Alright, I'll head down now!"

Camille only gave a quiet hum in response.