Chapter 347

That same afternoon, Camille's phone buzzed with Damien's call shortly after she arrived at The Meridian headquarters. Vertex Dynamics stood to lose millions if their partnership dissolved.

Seeing his name flash across her screen, she instantly knew his purpose. Her finger hovered over the decline button.

Two more attempts. Two more ignored calls. Then Gabriel's phone lit up instead.

Gabriel answered on the second ring, cutting straight to the chase. "Let me guess - this is about Vertex Dynamics?"

"Correct." Damien's voice carried through the line. "Name your price, Mr. Ashcroft."

"Not happening, Mr. Harrington. Selene crossed a line no business partner should ever cross." Gabriel's tone turned glacial. "Unless you have other matters to discuss?"

"Is there truly no room for negotiation?"

"None." Gabriel's response brooked no argument. "My legal team and I will be handling this personally. I suggest you refrain from harassing my employees. Any further attempts would only prove you share Selene's poor judgment and disrespect for professional boundaries."

"Under those circumstances, continuing our partnership would be impossible."

Damien couldn't touch Camille directly, but the Hartwell family remained vulnerable. While Gabriel and Camille could protect them, unnecessary collateral damage was best avoided.

Gabriel's warning served dual purposes - shielding Camille from harassment while simultaneously protecting her family through veiled threats about their ongoing collaboration.

"Consider how this might escalate," Gabriel continued, "if our partnership suffers unexpected complications that attract...unwanted attention."

The unspoken implications hung heavy between them. Calder Group's high-profile project against their international competitors had been publicly announced months ago. National pride rode on its success, with The Meridian as their ideal partner.

If news broke that Damien prioritized defending Selene over this flagship project? The shareholder backlash alone would drown him. The reputational damage would be catastrophic.

Gabriel didn't need to spell out the domino effect - plummeting stock prices, investor lawsuits, boardroom mutiny. Damien could connect those dots himself.

A humorless chuckle came through the line. "Message received, Mr. Ashcroft."

Satisfied his point landed, Gabriel delivered his parting shot. "Any further questions?"

"None."

The call disconnected. Gabriel immediately dialed Camille, who answered before the first ring completed.

"Damien just called."

"I know. I declined his calls. Did he reach you?"