Chapter 358

Everett barely got a word out before Marcus interrupted. "Let me guess—you think Gabriel's taking Camille's side against Selene again?"

Everett's eyes widened. The old man had nailed it. "How did you know? Did someone already tell you what happened?"

Marcus snorted. "No. Figured it out myself."

When Camille and Damien had agreed to work with his stubborn son for his sake, it was obvious they wouldn't sabotage him professionally.

His son wasn’t the type to stir up workplace drama either. Even if they weren’t friends, their business relationship should’ve remained smooth.

If Everett wasn’t clashing with Damien or Camille directly, the problem had to involve someone he cared about—likely Selene.

Earlier that year, during a dinner with Graham, Camille, and the others, they’d run into Selene at the restaurant entrance.

Back then, seeing how attentive Everett was to her—her poise, manners, everything—Marcus had been impressed.

But after the meal, Hugh dropped the bombshell: Selene was Damien’s ex.

Marcus didn’t know the full history between Camille and Damien, but that day, the way Camille and Gabriel reacted to Selene and her father spoke volumes.

Their dislike was palpable.

Camille wasn’t the type to feud without cause. If Everett was butting heads with her, Selene had to be the reason.

Suspecting as much, Marcus had called Everett that same day to confirm. And sure enough—Selene was at the center of it.

Then, hearing Everett claim Camille was targeting Selene out of jealousy—that Gabriel was blindly siding with her—Marcus nearly laughed in disbelief.

Remembering that now, Marcus let out a sharp chuckle. "So what? You want me to call Graham, explain everything, and have him rein Gabriel in?"

"Yes," Everett said firmly. "Gabriel’s gone too far this time. If this continues, I genuinely think—"

Marcus cut him off.

He had no intention of spelling out the truth. Instead, he said flatly, "That’s not a conversation I’m starting. If you want to help Selene, talk to Graham yourself."

Everett frowned. "This isn’t just about helping her. I respect Gabriel—I don’t want to see him keep acting like this—"

So he still blamed Camille?

Marcus’s temple throbbed. "Gabriel’s the reckless one? Funny, I think you’re the one being irrational, letting your bias for Selene cloud your judgment."

"You don’t even know what happened," Everett shot back. "How can you be so sure I’m the one in the wrong?"

Marcus paused. "Fine. Explain it to me."

Everett gave a rough summary.

When he finished, Marcus said coolly, "This mess is entirely Selene’s fault. As a company leader, she handled things poorly from the start."

"Instead of addressing the issue, she joined her employees and family in berating NovaSight Labs’s staff. If I were Gabriel, I’d be furious too."

"Beyond that, her family showed terrible judgment and zero respect for their business partners. If they weren’t afraid of contract penalties, I doubt they’d have apologized at all."

"So from Gabriel’s perspective, cutting ties is completely reasonable."

Everett rushed to defend her. "That’s not true. They apologized quickly, and Selene personally called Gabriel to make amends. She was sincere."

In his mind, if not for Camille’s grudge, Gabriel wouldn’t have considered terminating Vertex Dynamics’s contract over something so minor.

"That’s surface-level," Marcus said, done arguing. "Selene already has a boyfriend. You told me you knew that."

"At first, I didn’t know much about her. She seemed impressive. But now? Her character’s lacking. The way she handles things—she’ll never go far."

"Honestly, son, you and Damien both have terrible taste in women."

Everett stiffened at the harsh words.

He opened his mouth to defend Selene, to make Marcus see how exceptional she really was—but Marcus cut him off again.

"Look, if you want to help her, I won’t stop you. But if you’re expecting my help? Forget it."

With that, Marcus hung up.