Chapter 212

Camille responded with polite grace. "That's very generous of you."

Damien glanced at the group with a teasing smirk. "Seems like you all need to catch up."

Just then, Hugh arrived with Gabriel Ashcroft and Marianne Hartwell in tow.

He turned to the elderly Emmett Rhodes. "Father, allow me to introduce the youngest Ashcroft. His company, Axiom Systems, has shown exceptional growth and is now on the government's priority list for future funding."

Hugh continued, "This is Camille Hartwell, the lead technical developer at Axiom Systems and a rare talent in the industry. The company's success owes much to her brilliance."

The older generation often prioritized the nation's future above all else.

Hearing Hugh's words, Emmett's expression softened. "Impressive. With minds like these, the future looks promising."

Hugh then took the opportunity to introduce Marianne to Emmett.

Soon, Emmett and Marianne were deep in conversation about art.

Raised in an aristocratic household, Marianne had practiced calligraphy and painting for years. Though not on Emmett's level, she had a refined understanding of the craft and spoke with genuine insight.

Their discussion stretched on for quite some time.

Selene noticed how Hugh's praise for Camille echoed Gabriel's words from the previous banquet. She assumed Hugh admired Gabriel and was merely repeating his sentiments.

As Camille and Marianne basked in the Rhodes family's favor, Nora and the Lancasters struggled to hide their discomfort.

Having missed the last banquet, Nora and the others had no idea Gabriel had already spoken highly of Camille before.

Surprised by Hugh's glowing remarks, Sabrina pulled Selene aside and whispered, "Is Camille really that remarkable?"

Selene shrugged. "Hardly."

She repeated Gabriel's exact words about Camille from the banquet.

"She only joined Axiom Systems recently. How could its current success have anything to do with her? But Gabriel clearly favors her—enough to share credit."

Sabrina blinked. "Oh. I actually thought she was brilliant."

Selene smirked. "She's just an undergraduate."

"True. Whether it's her education, credentials, or anything else, she's nowhere near your caliber. The way Mr. Rhodes praises her, you'd think she surpassed Gabriel himself."

Helena's expression, which had briefly faltered, quickly returned to its usual icy composure after hearing Selene's words.

Moments later, Damien returned.

His gaze flickered toward Camille and Marianne, who had unexpectedly moved to the front, but after a brief glance, he looked away.

Selene noticed him and smiled. "Business call?"

"Just some overseas matters."

"About the expansion?"

Damien nodded.

Seeing them engrossed in conversation, Tristan averted his eyes, settling instead on Camille standing nearby.

He realized she wasn't even looking at Damien or Selene.

It was as if she no longer cared about Damien at all.

The Lancasters, however, were beaming.

After all, no matter how much favor Camille and Marianne gained from Emmett, it wouldn't elevate the Hartwell family's standing.

There was no way the Rhodes family would consider pairing Camille with Felix.

It simply wasn't plausible.