Chapter 165 I Don't Mind Having More
"Your mother has been severely delayed over the years."
This sentence made Camilla's heart sink.
Elmer wanted to arrange a meeting with Bella.
But Camilla said Bella was in Starlight City, and with her contract with Debra still in effect, she didn't want to disrupt her mindset, which could affect her creativity.
As soon as Elmer heard about the contract, he immediately asked Camilla for an electronic copy.
"There's no rush. I'll first study your mother's contract. Keep in touch if anything comes up. Your mother, I've got her signed!"
Camilla didn't hear the last sentence clearly.
It seemed like Elmer said that, but Elmer never signed people, only works, right?
Camilla thought it was either a slip of the tongue by Elmer or she misheard.
So she didn't dwell on it.
Seeing Camilla suddenly so serious, Alistair couldn't help but stop what he was doing, "What's wrong, Camilla? Is there something going on with your mom and that editor?"
"A bit, but it's not a big deal. We're already working on a solution. Let's not tell my mom for now; she's easily influenced by external factors."
"Okay, I'll keep an eye on it."
The video call ended, and they finished their meal.
Camilla cleaned up the kitchen and went downstairs to take out the trash.
It was still early, so she took a walk around the neighborhood to help with digestion.
The evening breeze carried moisture, softly and gently brushing against her face, making her feel comfortable.
As it got darker, Camilla still felt uneasy about the last time she was stalked by a creep, so she didn't stay out too long and returned home promptly.
After taking a shower, she sat at her desk, reading papers and taking notes.
Her nightly mandatory course, never to be missed.
Suddenly, her phone chimed with a few message notifications.
Camilla opened it.
Marcus: [Still busy?]
Camilla: [What's up?]
Marcus: [Can't I just check in on you?]
Camilla hesitated for two seconds on how to respond.
Unexpectedly, Marcus didn't care about her reply and immediately sent another message: [Can we talk on the phone?]
Camilla straightened up: [Sure.]
Soon, Marcus called.
No jokes or flirting, he even skipped the small talk and got straight to the point.
"The creep who was stalking you last time has been caught. The evidence is solid, and he's definitely going to jail."
Camilla was slightly surprised. "How did you catch him?"
Marcus chuckled lowly. "As long as I want to."
He could catch him.
A bit arrogant, but understandable.
Because Marcus indeed had the means.
"Although the threat is resolved, you should still learn from this. Try not to go out late at night."
Camilla softly replied, "Got it."
After a pause, she added, "Thank you."
Marcus sighed, "Why always thank you?"
Camilla whispered, "I don't know what else to say."
"You do, you just don't want to."
"Since you know, why do you still ask?"
Marcus was helpless.
Camilla yawned, "Anything else?"
She was getting sleepy.
"Yes."
"It's about Felix. It's too complicated to explain over the phone. Let's meet tomorrow."
Camilla thought, 'Meet?'
Camilla frowned. "I have to go to the lab tomorrow."
"I know. You have a lunch break, right? Can you spare fifteen minutes?"
"Fifteen minutes? That short?"
Marcus shrugged, "Of course, if you can spare an hour or half a day, even better. I wouldn't mind."
Camilla said, "Then fifteen minutes it is."
"Alright, see you tomorrow."
Ending the call, Camilla put down her phone, closed her papers, turned off the lights, and lay down.
A dreamless night.
The next day, she got up early, made breakfast, and prepared lunch, then headed to the lab.
At 7:30, Camilla arrived.
No one else was there yet. Suddenly, there was a noise from the break room.
Accompanied by footsteps, Sebastian walked out.
Their eyes met, and both were stunned.
Sebastian, recalling his hasty retreat yesterday, felt a bit awkward.
Camilla, remembering her guilty pretense of sleeping and the scene she accidentally witnessed, also felt uneasy.
"Morning," Sebastian spoke first.
Camilla nodded slightly, "Morning."
Then she quickly slipped to her lab bench and buried herself in work.
She even forgot to put her lunch in the fridge.
Sebastian said, "I'm heading to the break room. I'll put it in the fridge for you."
Camilla said, "Thanks."
During lunch break, Camilla left the lab.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw Marcus standing not far away with his hands in his pockets.
Marcus wore his shirt casually, with the collar slightly open, paired with dress pants. It didn't look bad; it had a unique charm.
"Sorry, have you been waiting long?"
Marcus replied, "Just got here."
Camilla asked, "What's up with Felix?"
Marcus took out a file and handed it to her, "This is the final exam paper Felix made for his students. He was too lazy to write it himself and asked me to do it and create a reference answer for his grad students to grade."
Felix really didn't want to do any work!
He pushed it all onto him!
But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was.
"I finished the questions and the reference answers. When I gave them to him, he said he wasn't confident and wanted you to check them to make sure they were correct!"
These questions were the ones Camilla had made last time.
Felix asked Marcus, "What's wrong with having her check?"
Marcus replied, "Can't you check it yourself?"
Felix thought about it and agreed. He heard from Aurora that Camilla had been busy with experiments and writing papers lately, so she probably didn't have much time.
Just as he was about to agree, Marcus suddenly changed his mind.
He nodded seriously, "You're absolutely right. Having Camilla check is the best."
Then he suggested, "Since you're so busy, I'll take it to her."
Felix said, "No need to give it in person. There's an electronic version. Just send it to her."
"Of course not. Online communication isn't as convenient as face-to-face."
Felix was puzzled. What needed to be communicated?
Marcus said, "It's settled! I'll take it to her tomorrow."
With that, he took the materials and left happily.
Felix was puzzled. Why was Marcus so agreeable today?
Usually, if anyone questioned his ability, he'd get upset. But now he was willing to let someone check his answers?
Something was off!
Something was very off!
Camilla couldn't help but twitch her mouth after hearing the explanation.
Getting the questions for free was one thing, but now they wanted the answers for free too?
Typical Felix.
She checked the time on her watch and opened the file bag, "Does it have your reference answers?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll check it now. It should take about ten minutes?"
"Okay. There's a pavilion over there. Let's go there to block the sun; it's quite bright."
Camilla was curious, "Men are afraid of the sun too?"
Marcus nodded, "Yes."
But the truth was, in the two minutes they stood there, Camilla looked up at the sky at least five times and frowned more than ten times.
These small, unintentional actions were all noticed by Marcus.
Sebastian finished his lunch and walked back to the lab from the cafeteria.
Suddenly, he stopped and looked at the pavilion across the way.
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