Chapter 490
Camilla had only planned to have lunch with Lance. Hearing that these were critical company matters, lunch could certainly wait.
She agreed immediately and followed Oscar back to his office.
The Charles Group had numerous branches spread across the country, as well as several thriving overseas subsidiaries. The number of core projects was staggering.
They were like branches on a massive, sprawling tree—all connected to the main trunk, but constantly requiring attention and pruning.
Oscar poured so much information onto Camilla at once that she couldn’t process it all. She ended up scribbling furiously, filling dozens of pages in her notebook.
He seemed desperate to shove everything onto her plate immediately. He spoke fast and constantly, barely giving her a second to breathe. Yet, he was remarkably tactful, only moving on to the next topic when he saw she had finished noting down the previous one.
Because of this intense pace, Camilla’s entire focus was glued to Oscar’s words, making her completely lose track of time.
By 1:30 PM, Lance, having waited too long, showed up at the office with Jasper.
A look of surprise crossed Oscar’s face when he saw Lance, and he quickly checked his watch. “Oh my, Ms. White, look at me. I was so focused on handing things over that I completely forgot the time and made Lance come looking for you. The cafeteria is closed by now. Why don’t I have someone book a restaurant, and we can all grab a quick bite together p>
Since Oscar had been handing over work to Camilla and Tessa had been sitting in the office with them the entire time, none of them had eaten. Now that he was extending an invitation, Camilla found it hard to refuse.
Furthermore, there were still a lot of details she hadn’t fully grasped and needed to discuss with Oscar in depth.
Still, she didn’t agree right away. She glanced at Lance, seeking his input. When he didn’t object, she replied, “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Uncle Oscar p>
Since there were no outsiders present, she reverted to addressing him familiarly.
“It’s no trouble at all,” Oscar said smoothly. “What do you all like to eat? I’ll have your Aunt Tessa make the arrangements p>
He casually looped Tessa into the conversation, making it sound entirely natural.
Tessa stood up from the sofa, glancing eagerly at Lance. When he didn’t shoot her down, she quickly asked, “Camilla, Jasper, what are you in the mood for? I’ll go arrange it p>
Guessing that Lance wouldn’t give her the time of day, she deliberately didn’t ask him.
It was only then that she realized how brilliant Darwin’s plan truly was.
Lance was practically glued to Camilla, constantly wanting her in his line of sight. But as long as Oscar was talking business with Camilla, Lance wouldn’t object to sticking around.
This gave her genuine opportunities to spend time in Lance’s orbit.
“We aren’t picky. Whatever you arrange is fine,” Camilla replied gently.
Tessa shifted her gaze to Jasper, tentatively asking, “Jasper, why don’t you come with me? You can pick whatever you want, and I’ll buy it for you p>
Her smile was incredibly warm this time, and it was the first time she had formally addressed Jasper by his name.
Jasper gripped Lance’s sleeve tightly, hesitating to answer. Oscar smoothly intervened. “Lance, Camilla and I still have a few small things to wrap up. Why don’t you wait outside with Jasper for a bit p>
Lance didn’t say a word, simply taking Jasper’s hand and walking out.
Once the office door clicked shut, Oscar seamlessly returned to discussing company matters. But this time, Camilla interrupted him. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you? You deliberately kept me here through lunch, drowning me in information just to stall until Lance arrived. You wanted to use this opportunity to force him and Tessa to spend time together p>
It wasn’t exactly a masterful scheme. Camilla could see right through it, and Oscar wasn’t surprised that she did.
“They’re mother and son,” Oscar sighed. “I know Tessa made terrible mistakes, but she deserves a chance to make amends. I know you’re fiercely protective of Lance, and don’t worry—we won’t ask you to plead our case, nor will we make things difficult for you. Whether Lance can ever forgive us is entirely between us and him p>
Since Camilla had already seen through his trick, he knew he couldn’t pull it a second time. Oscar was remarkably open about it.
Since he was being honest, Camilla didn’t have much else to say. “Whether you’re seeking Lance’s forgiveness out of guilt or something else, I hope you’ve truly thought this through. I don’t want you repeating past mistakes and hurting him again just because of someone else p>
Lance was no longer the vulnerable child he once was. Even though Camilla knew standard drama couldn’t truly affect him anymore, she still chose to defend him.
“There won’t be a next time,” Oscar promised solemnly. “Sarah is in prison now, and all our ties to her are severed. From now on, Lance is our only child p>
Camilla remained noncommittal to Oscar’s promise. It was a promise meant for Lance, not her, and she had no right to accept it on his behalf.