Chapter 306

Selene set her phone down and turned to Rosalie. "He might be busy. I'll try again later."

Nearly forty minutes passed before she dialed Tristan's number once more. This time, he answered. "I hope I'm not interrupting?" she asked.

"Not at all," Tristan replied smoothly.

Truthfully, he had seen her first call. He simply hadn’t picked up.

"What do you need?" he asked.

Selene explained the situation. After listening, Tristan questioned, "Why not have her apply at Damien’s company?"

A faint smile curved Selene’s lips. "They aren’t hiring at the moment."

A brief silence followed. Then Tristan asked, "Her name?"

"Cora Finch."

"How do you spell that?"

"J-O-S-E-P-H-I-N-E W-I-N-S-L-O-W."

"Got it. Have her submit a resume through the standard process in the next few days."

"Thank you, Tristan," Selene said warmly.

Before he could respond, she added casually, "What have you been up to lately? Keeping busy?"

Tristan never got the chance to answer.

A soft, melodic female voice drifted through the line. "Tristan, who are you talking to?"

"Nothing important," Tristan replied, his tone instantly cooling. Then, to Selene, he said, "I have to go."

The call ended before she could say another word.

The moment that woman’s voice had appeared, Tristan’s demeanor had shifted. His abruptness suggested he didn’t want Selene overhearing too much—perhaps worried she might misunderstand his relationship with the woman.

Selene arched a brow at the thought. She set her phone aside and turned to Rosalie. "Tristan agreed."

Rosalie nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Selene."

Giselle smirked at Cora. "See? I told you. If Selene speaks, Tristan won’t refuse." Cora hesitated, then glanced at Selene again, curiosity flickering in her gaze.

That evening, after dinner, Camille returned to her apartment from the Hartwell estate. She had just powered on her laptop to resume work when Damien’s call lit up her screen. She ignored it. Instead, she turned her phone off completely.

It wasn’t until the next morning that she switched it back on. Several messages from Damien awaited her.

[We need to talk.]

[It’s about Grandma’s birthday.]

[I’d like you to attend.]

When she didn’t respond, the messages stopped.

Camille still didn’t reply. As she prepared breakfast, Damien called again.

She frowned and let it ring out. He tried two more times before finally giving up.

Camille headed to NovaSight Labs as usual.

That same day, Everett Mercer happened to visit the company for business. Gabriel Ashcroft was the one who received him.

Around noon, Everett—persistent as ever—tried to invite Gabriel to lunch. As usual, Gabriel declined. Left with no choice, Everett left with his colleagues.

In the parking lot, he spotted Damien leaning against his car, clearly waiting for someone.

Everett paused, then approached. "Mr. Harrington."

Damien glanced over with a faint smile. "Mr. Mercer. Here on business?"

"Yes."

Recalling Damien’s recent overtures toward Camille, Everett kept his expression neutral. "And you? Here to…?"

"I’m here for Camille," Damien said, his gaze lifting to the office building. "She’s inside, I assume?"

Everett pressed his lips together but didn’t respond before Damien sighed. "She won’t answer my calls or texts. I had no choice but to come directly."

Just as Everett was about to speak, Camille and Gabriel emerged from the building. Spotting both men in the parking lot, they halted.

Gabriel briefly considered turning right back inside. But of course, that wasn’t an option. They continued forward, walking past Damien and Everett without acknowledgment, heading straight for Gabriel’s car.

Damien stepped forward. "We need to talk."

Gabriel, unaware of Damien’s embrace with Camille after the press conference, only knew that Damien had gone to great lengths to hide their marriage.

Now, seeing Damien approach Camille so openly—without a care for who might see—Gabriel frowned at her in silent question: What the hell is he doing?

Camille had known the moment she saw Damien that he was here for her. She hadn’t expected him to be so bold, showing up at NovaSight Labs in broad daylight.

Her voice was ice. "I’m not interested."

Damien held her gaze. "Don’t decide yet. If you have conditions, name them."

"There’s nothing to discuss," Camille said flatly. "If I need to talk, I’ll reach out."