Chapter 343

Selene Lancaster and Helena Lancaster's expressions darkened at Camille Hartwell's words. Under normal circumstances, they would have forced Giselle to apologize immediately to prevent the situation from escalating and damaging their reputation.

But Camille had thrown down an unexpected challenge - offering them the freedom to terminate their contract with NovaSight Labs if they truly believed her team was incompetent.

This bold statement shifted the entire dynamic. Suddenly, the focus wasn't on Giselle's misbehavior, but on whether Camille actually held decision-making power at NovaSight Labs.

The Lancasters had assumed they could handle the apology after establishing Camille's lack of authority. They never anticipated she'd turn their own strategy against them so effectively.

Neither NovaSight Labs's technical team nor Vertex Dynamics staff were privy to the longstanding feud between Camille and the Lancasters. To these outsiders, the argument appeared simple: the powerful Lancaster family was defending their spoiled relative despite her clear wrongdoing, then trying to undermine Camille's professional credibility.

Gabriel Ashcroft and the others watched in shock. While Giselle's unpleasant nature was no surprise, Selene, Helena, and Rosalie had always presented themselves as refined, reasonable women. This public display of pettiness shattered that carefully cultivated image.

Selene recovered first. "My apologies, Ms. Hartwell. Damien and I value our partnership with NovaSight Labs immensely - we wouldn't have initiated it otherwise. We have complete confidence in your team's capabilities."

She continued smoothly, "Our family has always indulged Giselle, and old habits die hard. We spoke out of turn, but meant no disrespect. I hope you'll overlook this momentary lapse."

Camille arched an eyebrow. "So you expect me to pretend this never happened?"

"Name your terms," Selene conceded. "Within reason, we'll comply with whatever you require to make amends."

The ball was back in Camille's court. "Shouldn't you be the one proposing appropriate reparations, Ms. Lancaster?"

Selene hesitated. "Of course. Allow me to host lunch for your entire team as a gesture of goodwill—"

"We're on a tight deadline," Camille interrupted. "Save your business lunches for Mr. Ashcroft." With that, she turned back to her work, dismissing the Lancasters without another glance.

After offering perfunctory apologies to the remaining NovaSight Labs staff, Selene led her family away. Once out of earshot, Giselle exploded.

"This was never about some stupid technical error! That witch is still bitter Damien gifted Vertex Dynamics to Selene. She deliberately blew this out of proportion to humiliate us!"

Helena's voice turned icy. "Her motives don't concern me. What matters is your reckless behavior. You're not a child anymore, Giselle. Start acting like an adult."

Selene's expression remained stormy as they walked away, the weight of this public defeat settling heavily upon her shoulders.