Chapter 254

Camille Hartwell handed in her thesis with a satisfied sigh. That evening, she and Gabriel Ashcroft invited Graham Bellamy to dinner.

For once, Tristan Rutherford didn't decline the invitation.

The trio arrived at The Meridian, stepping out of the car together. None of them noticed Tristan's sleek black sedan parked just twenty feet away.

But Tristan saw them. His hand froze on the door handle as he watched Camille standing between Gabriel and Graham, laughing at something the older man said.

Two minutes passed before he finally exited the vehicle, carrying a sleepy Iris Rutherford in his arms.

Arlo Calloway had already arrived. "You're late," he remarked, raising an eyebrow at Tristan's uncharacteristic hesitation.

Tristan merely nodded in response.

Just as Iris began stirring awake, Damien Harrington arrived with Chloe Harrington, Selene Lancaster, and Giselle Lancaster in tow.

Tristan's gaze darkened when he spotted Giselle.

"Tristan!" Giselle squealed, rushing forward with outstretched arms. "I didn't know you'd be here!"

He stared right through her, leaving an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air.

Chloe broke the tension by approaching Iris. "You look exhausted," she observed with concern.

Iris shook her head. "Just sleepy..."

Tristan's expression softened when he addressed Chloe. "She's fine. Just needs to wake up properly."

Now fully alert, Iris slid from Tristan's arms and joined Chloe on the plush sofa, their heads bent together in quiet conversation.

Selene took a seat beside Damien. Accepting the glass of water he offered, she pulled a thick textbook from her designer bag. "Don't mind me," she announced. "I've got some studying to do."

Arlo knew about Selene's apprenticeship under Lucas Caldwell. "Bringing work to dinner?" he teased. "That's dedication."

Giselle, now seated uncomfortably close to Tristan, added, "She's been like this for weeks. Obsessed, really."

Tristan knew exactly why Selene was working so hard - she wanted Graham Bellamy as her mentor. The irony wasn't lost on him, considering Graham was currently dining just three doors down.

He kept this information to himself.

His mind kept returning to the sight of Camille earlier - standing confidently between Gabriel and Graham, engaging the renowned professor in animated conversation. If this were just a social dinner through Gabriel, wouldn't she have positioned herself differently?

Camille had never been one for small talk, yet she'd appeared completely at ease with Graham.

The timing struck him suddenly. NovaSight Labs's two major projects had launched in recent months. Camille had left Harrington Group to join NovaSight Labs around the same time.

Then there was Lucas Caldwell's recent comment about Camille's skills surpassing his own.

And when Selene had applied to NovaSight Labs, Gabriel had rejected her outright - because of Camille.

At the time, both Arlo and Tristan had assumed personal reasons motivated Gabriel's decision. That his preference for Camille over Selene stemmed from something other than professional merit.

Now...

Tristan's gaze shifted to Selene, who was flipping through her textbook, pestering Damien with questions.

The realization hit him like a physical blow, freezing him in place.

Then, as if electrocuted, Tristan suddenly stood up, knocking over his chair in the process.