Chapter 413

Camille didn't utter a single word as she strode past Damien and Colin into the conference hall.

Several attendees had witnessed her brief exchange with Damien at the entrance.

Since most were unaware of their complicated history, they dismissed it as mere professional courtesy.

But Gabriel Ashcroft knew better.

The moment she returned to her seat, he leaned in discreetly. "Did you two—"

"No," Camille cut him off with a firm shake of her head. "We didn't argue."

Even during their most strained moments, she and Damien had never resorted to shouting matches - certainly not now when their companies had just formalized their partnership.

The collaboration between Harrington Group and Axiom Systems kept Camille occupied at Harrington headquarters the entire day.

At precisely 5:17 PM, an excited shout erupted across the conference room.

"Holy mother of code! It actually works!"

"What? What happened?"

"Ms. Hartwell identified flaws in our previous model last week. We implemented her structural modifications to the algorithm and data framework these past three days."

"The efficiency improvements are staggering! That bottleneck that's haunted us for twenty-three months? Gone like yesterday's coffee!"

Another engineer chimed in, "And the alignment issues we've struggled with? Major breakthroughs. I'm telling you, Ms. Hartwell operates on another level entirely."

This praise carried significant weight - Harrington Group boasted the industry's brightest minds, each recruited at considerable expense.

These were professionals who didn't suffer impostor syndrome lightly.

Yet now they collectively recognized that no matter how skilled one became, there would always be someone operating at a higher altitude.

The entire tech team regarded Camille with newfound admiration.

One particularly enthusiastic engineer rushed forward to shake her hand. "No wonder you're the lead author on that groundbreaking paper! Your insights are revolutionary!"

Camille's lips curved into a modest smile just as her gaze landed on an unexpected observer - Selene Lancaster.

Her smile faltered momentarily.

The engineers finally noticed their visitor. "Ms. Lancaster! How long have you been standing there?"

Before Selene could respond, Dorian Hartwell chuckled. "She's been observing for quite some time. You were all too engrossed to notice."

Selene's tight-lipped smile didn't reach her eyes.

Dorian spoke truth - she'd witnessed the entire exchange where Harrington's top engineers hung on Camille's every word.

While Selene could follow the technical discussion at surface level, Camille's contributions operated several tiers above everyone else's comprehension.

Her ability to pinpoint core issues and propose elegant solutions left even the senior engineers scrambling to keep pace.

Let alone someone with Selene's more... generalized skill set.

The engineers, still buzzing from their breakthrough, were about to dive into technical specifics when Damien's voice cut through the excitement. "Someone want to explain the commotion?"

Normally deferential to their CEO, the engineers barely tempered their enthusiasm.

Just as one opened his mouth, Selene interjected. "Finished with your meetings?"

Damien acknowledged her with a nod before his attention shifted to her pallor. Concern creased his brow. "You look unwell. Should I call medical?"