Chapter 201

Elliot continued, "Why don't you talk to Gabriel? You two have some history, don't you?"

Felix shook his head. "I could try, but I doubt Gabriel would listen."

From the way Camille had agreed to switch dance partners that evening, Felix had sensed there was nothing romantic between her and Gabriel.

Yet it was equally clear Gabriel held Camille in high regard.

Felix didn't believe that even if he helped Everett reconcile with Gabriel, the tech CEO would suddenly agree to collaborate.

"So we're back to focusing on Ms. Hartwell?" Elliot tapped his fingers on the table. "But we know so little about her. How should we approach this? Should we investigate her background?"

Everett waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. I'm done wasting time on her. I'll just call in an old favor."

Felix's eyes sharpened. "You mean reaching out to Mr. Bellamy?"

"Exactly."

Since Gabriel was Graham's protégé, Everett believed the mentor's word would carry weight.

Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone to call Marcus.

As Everett left the restaurant, his finger hovered over Marcus's contact. Before he could dial, his phone rang with an incoming call from his father.

Marcus got straight to business. "How did the negotiations with Axiom Systems go?"

Everett decided honesty was best. "They fell through. I was actually about to ask for your help."

"What happened?"

"I offended one of Axiom Systems's engineers, and because of her, Gabriel—"

Marcus interrupted sharply. "What's her name?"

Everett blinked at the unexpected question but answered automatically, "Camille Hartwell."

A long exhale came through the line, followed by a dry chuckle. "Remarkable. You managed to alienate one of their key technical staff before negotiations even began."

Everett opened his mouth to argue that Camille wasn't truly essential—just someone with an unclear relationship to Gabriel.

But Marcus didn't let him speak. "I'll handle this," he said abruptly.

"Thanks, Dad!" Everett responded immediately.

"Shameless."

"When's your next break?" Everett saw nothing wrong with asking for family assistance this time.

In his mind, he could have secured the Axiom Systems deal through merit alone. Personal grudges shouldn't interfere with business.

Marcus's voice turned sardonic. "I was planning time off next week. Now I think I'll cancel. Seeing you might give me a heart attack."

The line went dead.

As for Camille? Marcus didn't even mention her. Sometimes life needed obstacles to keep things interesting.

Hanging up, Marcus immediately dialed another number.

Camille's gaze shifted from her computer screen. Seeing Marcus's name, her fingers paused before answering. "Mr. Mercer."

Marcus chuckled. "You're clever enough to guess why I'm calling, aren't you?"

Camille made a noncommittal sound.

Even though her silence confirmed she understood, Marcus asked anyway, "Will you agree to work with Everett? Consider it a personal favor to me. What do you say?"

Business was business. With enough mutual benefit, even rivals could become partners.