Chapter 328

Camille ignored him, so Damien didn't press further.

Declan emerged from the opposite end of the parking structure. Spotting them, he strode directly toward Camille.

"Morning."

Camille gave a curt nod. "Morning."

Declan hesitated briefly before turning to acknowledge Damien with a detached greeting. "Morning."

Damien's lips curved slightly. "Morning."

Today's meeting at NovaSight Labs was to negotiate a potential partnership. As a key executive, Camille should have been the one extending professional courtesies to their prospective collaborator.

Yet after Declan's exchange of greetings, Camille never once glanced back at Damien. She marched forward with purposeful strides, showing no intention of fulfilling her hosting duties.

Was this coldness stemming from Damien's past entanglement with Selene?

The thought made Declan steal another look at Damien.

Surprisingly, the billionaire showed no visible reaction to Camille's blatant disregard.

Declan decided not to comment.

The trio entered the elevator in heavy silence.

Inside the confined space, Declan positioned himself beside Camille.

Her stiletto heels clicked against the metal floor. The subtle floral notes of her perfume mixed with the crisp scent of her pressed blazer. Even in minimal makeup, she carried an effortless elegance that commanded attention.

Declan found his gaze lingering on the delicate curve of her jawline.

Only when he noticed Damien observing him did he abruptly look away.

Damien merely arched an eyebrow but remained silent.

The elevator chimed as they reached NovaSight Labs's executive floor.

Camille exited without sparing Damien a backward glance. Declan, needing to discuss urgent R&D matters, followed closely behind.

Damien watched their retreating figures before turning toward the reception area, where an assistant guided him to the conference room.

Twenty minutes passed before Gabriel finally arrived.

"Apologies for the delay, Mr. Harrington." Though the words were polite, his tone carried distinct indifference, his expression carefully neutral.

Colin, standing beside Damien, stiffened slightly. In all his years serving the Harrington empire, he'd never witnessed anyone treat his employer with such blatant disregard.

Damien, however, simply extended his hand. "No trouble at all."

Gabriel disliked Damien intensely, but business was business. He wanted this meeting concluded with maximum efficiency.

They dove straight into negotiations about NovaSight Labs's next-generation chip requirements for advanced computing and AI inference capabilities.

While NovaSight Labs already partnered with Vertex Dynamics through previous agreements, those had been handled by Damien's subordinates. This marked their first direct business discussion.

At Marianne Hartwell's birthday gala last year, Gabriel had overheard Damien's conversation with Graham Bellamy and gained some insight into his technical knowledge.

But today's three-hour deep dive revealed the true extent of Damien's expertise.

No matter how complex the topic Gabriel raised, Damien engaged with flawless comprehension. His questions demonstrated profound understanding of semiconductor architecture and neural network optimization.

By the third hour, Gabriel found himself reluctantly impressed. The man's grasp of AI hardware might even rival his own.

The realization irritated him more than he cared to admit.

Damien checked his watch. "Shall we reconvene after lunch?"

Gabriel gave a terse nod. "Fine."