Chapter 320 A Burning Blush Across Her Face
As night descended, a biting wind cut through the air.
Camilla walked to the laboratory entrance and glanced back over her shoulder. "Titan, lights off," she commanded.
"Voice authentication required, Camilla," a mechanical voice responded from nowhere.
Camilla looked up expectantly.
"Authentication successful. Powering down lights."
Three seconds later, darkness engulfed the entire laboratory as all lights simultaneously shut off. Camilla exited, and the door automatically closed and locked behind her.
'Smart labs,' she thought with satisfaction. 'What a marvel!'
She pulled out her phone to call a ride when she noticed a Porsche parked nearby, its door swinging open as Marcus stepped out.
"You're still here?" Camilla asked, surprised.
Marcus had visited earlier that afternoon to inquire about equipment deliveries—something that could have easily been discussed over the phone. "I wanted to see your new lab," he'd explained.
At the mention of her lab, Camilla had lit up, eagerly giving him the grand tour. An hour flew by before she remembered her pending work, prompting Marcus to excuse himself.
She'd assumed he'd left hours ago. "I've been waiting for you," he said simply.
"You really didn't have to..." Camilla began.
Marcus cut her off, "Get in. It's late."
"Thank you," Camilla relented.
"That's better," Marcus said with a smirk. He then opened the passenger door for her with a flourish.
During the drive, Marcus asked, "What did you call that AI system again?"
"Titan."
"Who named it?"
"Tobias."
Twenty minutes later, they pulled up near her building.
"We're here," Marcus announced.
Camilla unbuckled her seatbelt. "Thanks for saving me the Uber fare, Mr. Davis."
"I could save you money anytime. How about considering me as your permanent free chauffeur?" he suggested.
Camilla shook her head firmly. "Not interested."
"Why not?"
"There's no such thing as a free lunch. If there appears to be one..."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Then what?"
"I'm probably the lunch," she finished.
Marcus chuckled. "You've gotten smarter."
"Once bitten, twice shy."
"But you can't judge everyone by one bad experience, can you?"
Camilla chuckled.
"Here," she said, retrieving an envelope from her bag and handing it to him.
"What's this?"
"An invitation. The lab was completed ahead of schedule thanks to your help. We couldn't have the opening ceremony without our biggest contributor."
Those construction crews he'd arranged had cut the timeline by at least a third.
Marcus nodded. "I'll be there tomorrow, right on time."
As Camilla reached for the door handle, Marcus called after her, "One more question."
Camilla turned back. "Yes?"
Marcus waved the invitation. "Did Leopold get one?"
"Can we not talk about him?" Camilla sighed.
"Fair enough. Just checking. What about Sebastian?"
Camilla nodded. "Of course he's invited."
"What did he contribute to the lab?"
"While Sebastian wasn't directly involved in the construction, he found us temporary lab space during the build. Our research schedule stayed on track because of him."
Marcus said nothing.
"If that's all, I should go," Camilla said.
"See you tomorrow."
Marcus waited until he saw her apartment light come on before driving away.
After showering and changing into her plush flannel pajamas, Camilla knocked on Sebastian's door. "Sebastian? Are you home?"
No answer.
She'd tried earlier when she first arrived home, but forty minutes later, still no response.
Just as she was about to leave, footsteps echoed from the stairwell, growing louder. It was him.
"Sebastian, you're back!" she called out.
Sebastian froze as he rounded the corner. In the soft amber light, Camilla stood at the top of the stairs, smiling at him. For a moment, he thought he might be hallucinating.
Only when her sweet "Sebastian" reached his ears did the moment feel real.
"Camilla? Why are you standing out here?" he asked.
"I knocked, but you weren't home. I was just heading back."
Sebastian climbed the last step and stopped in front of her. "Did you need something?"
"I wanted to give you..." She paused suddenly, sniffing. "Have you been drinking?"
Sebastian flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry, is it that obvious?"
He stepped back, trying to create some distance between them.
"No, not at all," Camilla assured him, though the scent of alcohol couldn't completely mask his pleasant woody cologne.
"An old colleague from Avalonia is in town. We haven't seen each other in years, so we grabbed dinner. I got carried away and had a few drinks."
"Are you alright?" Camilla was really asking if he was drunk.
Sebastian nodded. "I'm fine. Not drunk."
"Good. Wait here a second!" Camilla darted back to her apartment, returning moments later with an envelope.
"It's an invitation to tomorrow's opening ceremony. If you're free, I'd love for you to come."
Sebastian accepted it. "I wouldn't miss it."
"I should get back inside," Camilla said, gesturing toward her door.
"Of course," he smiled.
The next moment, Sebastian stumbled backward, losing his balance.
Camilla quickly reached out to steady him.
As she moved closer, her pleasant scent wafted toward him, making Sebastian's already warm face burn hotter.
Just moments ago, he'd confidently claimed he wasn't drunk.
Now, he wasn't so sure.
"Sebastian? Sebastian!"
"What?" Sebastian snapped back to attention.
"Are you sure you're okay? You're not drunk? Then again, drunk people never admit they're drunk. Camilla sighed resignedly. "Don't bother explaining; I wouldn't believe you anyway."
Sebastian remained silent.
Supporting him with one arm, she reached into his coat pocket with her free hand and quickly located his keys.
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