Chapter 321 The Big Shot's Game
After escorting Sebastian home, helping him settle in, and making absolutely certain he was fully conscious and able to take care of himself, Camilla finally returned to her own place.
She had worked up quite a sweat.
She promptly removed her padded jacket, noticing it had absorbed a faint scent of alcohol—either from sitting too close to Sebastian or because of the fabric's absorbent nature.
Camilla's cheeks flushed as she fanned herself with her hand, muttering, "Why is it so hot in here?"
Under the same moonlight, at the Castillo Villa.
Colt and Layla were preparing to retire for the night when Royce suddenly spoke up, "Grandpa, Grandma, wait a moment."
"What is it, Royce?" Layla turned around.
Royce's expression was solemn. "Grandma, this is for you. Please make sure to come tomorrow!"
He handed it to Layla rather than Colt because Colt's current position made it inappropriate for him to appear in the public eye, except for major occasions like military parades or disaster relief efforts.
"What's this?" Layla's hands trembled as she took it.
An invitation card, with Royce insisting she must come tomorrow, and with such importance...
"Oh Royce, don't do anything foolish! We would never interfere with your marriage choices. There's absolutely no need to spring a wedding on us. If you have a girlfriend you love, we would never stand in your way!" Layla said.
Royce was helpless.
Colt's mouth twitched uncontrollably. "What are you talking about? I always tell you to watch fewer soap operas, but you never listen. What goes on in that head of yours?"
Layla looked confused. "You mean it's not what I think?"
Colt sighed. "Why don't you open it and see for yourself?"
Royce had finally caught on and couldn't help but laugh. "Grandma, what are you talking about? This isn't a wedding invitation!"
Layla hesitantly opened it and looked at the text.
"A laboratory unveiling?" she read, bewildered. "What laboratory?"
Royce enunciated each word clearly, "The laboratory we built ourselves."
"What? You built your own laboratory?!"
"Yes."
It took Layla a full thirty seconds to process this information. "Is this the big news you mentioned before?"
"Exactly!"
"Can you just build a laboratory whenever you want? How far along is it?"
Royce smiled. "You'll see tomorrow."
Then he turned to Colt. "Grandpa, have Grandma take some photos for you tomorrow."
"Will do."
"So you knew about this all along?" Layla spun toward Colt. "Keeping secrets from me?"
Colt cleared his throat. "It's getting late. Time for bed!"
The next day dawned unusually clear, with gentle sunlight spreading across the landscape, casting a pale golden glow over the snow-covered rooftops and tree branches.
Hestia's parents were naturally the first to arrive.
"Hestia!" Liam, bundled in a thick down jacket, approached with one arm linked with Daisy's and the other reaching out toward Hestia.
"Dad!" Hestia's eyes lit up as she rushed forward and threw herself into Liam's embrace.
"Weren't you supposed to arrive this afternoon?" she looked puzzled.
Liam staggered slightly from the impact, his chest tightening, but his smile never faltered. "I fibbed! We actually arrived yesterday afternoon. Wanted to surprise you! Were you surprised?"
"Super surprised!"
"Mom!" Hestia called out with a smile. "You look gorgeous today!"
Daisy's eyes crinkled with delight as she struck a pose. "You know it."
Between collecting rent with Liam and researching beauty regimens at home, she certainly maintained her youthful, beautiful, and fashionable appearance.
Hestia's compliment hit just the right note.
"Come on, Mom and Dad, let me introduce you. These are my classmates and fellow warriors in our academic battles!" Hestia said.
Camilla had been observing Liam since he first appeared.
This man was their laboratory's biggest financial backer.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had funded half the bricks and mortar of this place.
Camilla greeted, "Hello, nice to meet you."
Royce also greeted, "Good to meet you, Mr. Sharp. And Mrs. Sharp, you look so young!"
Royce's flattery was so sweet that Camilla couldn't help glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
"Hello!" Liam enthusiastically shook their hands. "Camilla! Royce! Hestia mentions you all the time. It's wonderful to finally meet you in person! I don't have anything special, but please accept this small token for our first meeting."
With that, he pulled two envelopes from his jacket's inner pocket.
They clearly contained money, and from the thickness, quite a substantial amount.
He handed one to each of them.
Before Camilla and Royce could refuse, Liam waved his hand dismissively. "Don't say no, just take it!"
They exchanged glances. "Thank you."
"That's more like it!"
Suddenly, a booming voice called out, "Guests already? And here I thought I'd be the first to arrive!"
Camilla went to greet him. "Professor Moore!"
Felix stood before the laboratory entrance, looking up at the five-story building that seemed to rise from the ground, clearly eager to explore inside.
"I brought a few friends with me, Camilla. You don't mind, do you?" Felix asked.
As he spoke, several cars pulled up.
Two minutes later, a group of elderly professors emerged.
All wearing identical black down jackets, with graying temples and an unmistakable scholarly air about them.
Camilla's eyes widened in surprise.
It seemed he had brought the entire Computer Science department's senior faculty!
Felix said, "We've lived most of our lives without seeing a fully robot-controlled intelligent biological laboratory. We're all here to broaden our horizons."
Camilla's eyes welled with tears.
She knew Felix had brought his entire professional network to support her.
"Felix, how did you get here before us?" Aurora laughed as she stepped out of her car.
She was accompanied by another group of professors, all influential figures in academia.
And now they were all gathered here!
Hestia, usually quite bold, couldn't help swallowing nervously. "Camilla, have we gone too big with this?"
Each person present was like a walking SCI journal.
"What? Getting scared?"
Hestia straightened her back. "No way! I love this feeling of my heart racing out of control—it's fantastic!"
Soon after, Sebastian and Marcus arrived one after the other.
Marcus spoke up, "Professor Russell, we meet again. You're truly honoring us with your presence."
Sebastian replied coolly, "For Camilla's sake, of course I would come."
Their eyes met briefly before looking away.
The air between them seemed to crackle with tension.
Next to arrive were Bobby Owens, the president of Harmony College, and vice president Casey West.
Both looked at the five-story building with identical expressions of shock and disbelief.
They really had built a laboratory!
At eleven in the morning, Otis and Calliope finally arrived.
Ignatius, Irvin, Clara, Bronte, Noe, and Azalea followed close behind.
"Are we sure this is the right place?" Otis frowned, surveying his surroundings.
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