Chapter 817: Meddling

Chapter 817: Meddling

Camille glanced at him for a moment before lowering her gaze to the

desk, maintaining a silence devoid of any sound.

Preston's actions stirred up restlessness within others. After all, he was

the high and mighty project manager. How could he not be forgiven

when he humbled himself to apologize?

Preston's demeanor was gentle and humble, his expression and words

sincere. For everyone else, this matter wasn't his doing, so why should

he apologize?

He had generally been good to everyone, including Sophie, Summer,

and the other architects. They all nodded in agreement, saying, "Mr.

Baxter, we believe in you."

Preston smiled warmly, gratitude evident in his eyes. "Thank you all for

your trust. I will not let you down and hope you will supervise to ensure

our project continues to progress for the better.”

"Yes, we will," everyone except Camille replied, nodding firmly,

expressing their determination.

While everyone spoke up, Camille remained silent.

Preston's gaze remained fixed on her, but Camille gave no response,

avoiding any eye contact with him.

The others present also noticed Camille's silence and Preston's gaze

upon her. The true nature of their relationship wasn't entirely clear to

everyone, but this incident almost caused Camille to take the blame.

They assumed Camille was perhaps upset with Sean, causing her to

avoid any unnecessary involvement with Preston.

Because Camille was Ayan's wife, no one worried that her coldness

would provoke any negative sentiments from Preston.

After a brief moment of quiet, Jenson interrupted, saying, "Since

everyone has spoken, let's review all the design plans and proposals.

We'll have lunch together and take the afternoon off. We'll officially

begin work tomorrow."

Taking the afternoon off was the most joyous thing for every

hardworking individual.

Sophie couldn't contain her excitement and exclaimed, "Mr. Evans,

you're awesome! Mr. Baxter, you're awesome too!"

Others echoed, creating a lively atmosphere in the office.

In order to finish work quickly, everyone worked in harmony. By around

11 o'clock, they had completed their tasks and proceeded directly to

the restaurant.

Jenson and Preston rode the elevator together, but when they reached

the parking garage, Preston didn't head to his car with Jenson. Instead,

he said, "Mr. Evans, you go ahead with the rest. I might be a little late.”

Jenson asked, "Is there something else, Mr. Baxter?"

“No, it's just that I want to have a chat with Miss Armstrong. We've been

friends for many years, and the reason I didn't tell everyone about our

relationship in the project was to avoid influencing Miss Armstrong's

work. So I hope Mr. Evans can keep it a secret for me."

Preston confessed that he had known Camille from the beginning and

specifically mentioned their long-standing friendship.

Jenson only slightly hesitated before smiling and said, "Mr. Baxter, don't

worry. I'm not one to meddle. Since that's the case, I'll take the team

and head to the restaurant first.”

Without pausing for another second, Jenson walked directly towards

the car.

Camille, being the last one to come down from the conference room

floor as she had gone to the restroom, saw Preston standing in the

waiting area outside the elevator door.

Their gazes met briefly, and she instinctively furrowed her brow. Before

she could speak, Preston's voice sounded.

Preston said, "Cami, is it that you don't want to see me?"

Camille's expression remained calm and her voice was low as she

said, "Why would you think that?" She looked down, no longer meeting

Preston's gaze, and after silently taking a breath, she continued, "Aren't

you going to the restaurant? Everyone has gone.”

“I'm waiting here for you."

He spoke directly, without any hint of gentleness.

Camille narrowed her eyes slightly and asked calmly, "Is there

something you need?"

"Did you see the message I sent you yesterday?"

"Yes, I saw it."

"Then why didn't you reply?" he continued to press, clearly wanting an

answer before letting go.

Camille furrowed her brow slightly, her eyes devoid of any emotion. Her

voice carried no warmth as she replied, "I didn't know what to say to

you. You asked for my forgiveness, but I didn't know what I should

forgive you for. Did you do something wrong and want my

forgiveness?"

"If you're hoping for my forgiveness because of Sean, then I have to tell

you it's probably unlikely." Camille gave a wry smile, but her eyes held

no amusement, instead revealing a touch of indifference. She said,

"Although Sean hurt Louise, I have no connection to Louise, and we

may even have some conflicts. But even so, it shouldn't have escalated

to this point, right? If you're apologizing because of Sean, then it

shouldn't be to me."

“It's not solely because of Sean.”

"Then what else is it? Is it because of the incident where I was

kidnapped the day before yesterday? But what does that have to do

with you? Preston, you wouldn't tell me that you actually knew about it

from the beginning, would you?"

Camille stared calmly at Preston, her gaze fixed on him without

blinking, with a hint of a shallow smile playing at the corners of her

eyes.

She waited for Preston's answer, quietly watching him.

Her direct question caught Preston off guard, and he hesitated for a

moment before responding in a low voice, “I didn't know at first. Ayan

came to me and blamed me for kidnapping you, and then he attacked

me, with some of his people present. Cami, you know me. I've always

been a reasonable person. I want people to speak their mind directly,

without resorting to violence or accusing me of things I didn't do. I'm not

good at explaining myself, but I won't admit to something I didn't do. If I

really wanted to take you away from him, do you think I would have

waited until now? You know that better than anyone. You know me, and

I wouldn't do something like that, right?"

A trace of sadness flickered in Preston's eyes, seemingly genuinely

aggrieved and distressed. When he mentioned Ayan coming to punch

him, Camille was surprised and shocked.

Her expression became dazed, and even her heart felt a sense of

astonishment.

Was Preston the first person to be suspect by Ayan after she

disappeared?

And did he get attacked by Ayan?

Camille blinked lightly, her expression still dazed, and for a while, she

didn't react at all.

Her silence made Preston's expression stiffen, and he asked in a low

voice, "Cami, are you silent because you don't believe me?"

Only then did Camille react, shaking her head lightly and saying calmly,

“No, it's not that. I just found your words surprising earlier. I apologize

on his behalf. He was probably too worried, which led to this impulsive

behavior. I hope you can forgive him. As for him attacking you, did he

hurt you? If you feel uncomfortable in any way, I can take you to the

hospital for an examination. That way, you can be reassured. And if

there are any further problems, you can..."

Camille wanted to say that if there were any further problems, they

would take full responsibility, both her and Ayan.

But before she could say these words, Preston interrupted her.

Preston's face turned extremely dark, carrying a touch of displeasure.

He said flatly, "Cami, is your main concern whether Ayan will be held

responsible for hurting me? Aren't you worried about whether I'm

actually hurt or if there are other issues?"

Camille furrowed her brow, puzzled. She said, "Preston, I don't quite

understand what you mean. Aren't those two things the same?"