Chapter 391

Camille gave a slight nod and settled onto the sofa near the coffee table.

Damien turned to his assistant. "Get us some coffee."

Caleb responded immediately. "Already arranged."

The door opened as Phoebe entered with a tray of coffee cups.

Her steps faltered when she saw Camille. "Ms. Hartwell?"

Phoebe had replaced Camille at Harrington Group after her departure. They hadn't crossed paths since.

Camille offered a polite smile. "It's been a while."

"Indeed it has." Phoebe returned the smile but kept it brief, sensing the professional setting wasn't appropriate for small talk.

She carefully placed the coffee before both Camille and Damien. As she turned to leave, she suddenly remembered something and turned back to deliver a quick work update.

Damien listened briefly before responding. "Understood. I'll be available after two. Have him come by then."

"Of course."

Phoebe gave Camille another polite nod before exiting quickly.

Camille watched her go, absently stirring her coffee.

As head of the executive support team, Phoebe's direct access to Damien's office was standard procedure.

But during Camille's tenure in the same position, she'd been restricted to communicating only through Damien's two personal assistants.

In her entire two-year tenure, she'd only been permitted in Damien's office when Colin and Caleb were swamped - and even then, just to deliver beverages.

Direct work reports? Never.

Damien had kept her at arm's length completely.

The memory brought a wry smile to her lips as she took a careful sip.

Before leaving the company, Phoebe had begged her for coffee-making lessons, which Camille had provided in detail.

The first sip told her Phoebe hadn't quite replicated her technique. A second taste confirmed it - different, but still excellent.

When she set her cup down, she noticed Damien drinking his with evident satisfaction.

There was a time when Camille had taken secret pride in being the only one who could make coffee to Damien's exacting standards.

Now?

Just coffee. Preferences changed. Nothing significant.

Looking back, her younger self seemed almost laughably naive.

Damien's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Did Gabriel brief you on our last discussion points?"

"Yes." Camille straightened. "We can resume where you left off."

"Good." He nodded. "Regarding the mixed-precision architecture we discussed, particularly the parameter scaling issue - your proposed solution was exceptional. I've developed some complementary ideas."

"Of course." Camille launched into a detailed explanation of their latest inference speed improvements.

Their technical discussion quickly dove into proprietary details of their joint project.

The specialized terminology left Colin and Caleb completely lost, reduced to silent observers.

Meanwhile, Damien and Camille engaged in rapid-fire technical dialogue.

As their discussion progressed, Colin noticed something remarkable - Damien's gaze held genuine professional respect when he looked at Camille now.

An expression Colin had never seen directed at her before.

More surprising still - Damien wasn't just focused. He seemed to be enjoying their exchange, the ghost of a smile playing at his lips.

Colin exchanged a stunned glance with Caleb.

After over an hour of intense discussion, Hugh and Dorian arrived.

Camille had met Hugh once before.

Dorian she knew better - Gabriel had introduced them at a tech conference last year after she joined NovaSight Labs.

Dorian, aware she was Graham's protégé, had sought her out at an exhibition where they'd spoken at length.

He was well acquainted with her professional capabilities, having recently read her published paper.

"Ms. Hartwell, what a pleasure." Dorian greeted her warmly.

"Dorian, always good to see you."

After brief pleasantries, they dove straight into business.

They were deep in discussion when the door suddenly opened.

Selene stood frozen in the doorway.

Camille's expression remained perfectly neutral.

Realizing the meeting in progress, Selene quickly apologized. "My apologies - I didn't realize you were in session. The office seemed empty so I didn't knock—"

Both Hugh and Dorian knew of Selene's relationship with Damien.

As his girlfriend, her unannounced entries were hardly surprising.

They offered polite smiles, clearly unfazed.

Before anyone could speak, Selene added, "Please don't let me interrupt—"

Hugh waved a hand. "We're nearly finished anyway."

Most of the critical agenda items had already been addressed.