Chapter 491
During the brief silence, Tessa called. She had booked a private dining room at a nearby restaurant and asked them to come over.
When Camilla and the others arrived, Tessa had already ordered the food.
This time, she had catered to everyone’s tastes. The dishes on the table included Camilla’s favorites, Jasper’s favorites, and Lance’s favorites. It was obvious at a glance that she had put a lot of thought into it.
There was no assigned seating, and Tessa coincidentally ended up sitting right next to Lance.
Lance ignored her completely, treating her as if she were invisible.
While meticulously peeling shrimp for Jasper, he asked Camilla, “How was today? Did anyone give you a hard time? Are you getting used to it p>
“It’s fine,” Camilla replied. “Uncle Oscar had everything perfectly arranged. Aside from there being too much complex information to memorize all at once, everything else is going smoothly p>
“There’s no rush,” Lance assured her. “With your abilities, as long as you put a little effort in, you’ll have it down in no time. Don’t push yourself too hard. No matter how important the business is, it shouldn’t take up your time to eat p>
His words carried a pointed edge. Oscar smoothly picked up the conversation, his voice laced with apology. “That was my oversight. I completely lost track of time. I’ll make sure to keep an eye on Camilla’s schedule from now on so she doesn’t skip meals. Of course, if you have time, it would be even better if you came by the office more often to check on things p>
He was a master at keeping things diplomatic. Camilla used to think Oscar was just a silent, passive man who defaulted to whatever Tessa wanted. It was only now she realized that Oscar was incredibly sly.
Without ever getting defensive or angry, he used this gentle, persistent approach to slowly close the distance with Lance.
Lance didn’t reply. He placed half the peeled shrimp in Jasper’s bowl and the other half in Camilla’s.
The next second, a few perfectly peeled shrimp appeared in his own empty bowl. Tessa, her fingers still slightly greasy, offered a stiff smile when Lance glanced at her. “You used to love these when you were little. I p>
“You don’t need to do that. It’s unnecessary,” Lance said coldly, nudging the shrimp to the side of his plate without eating or discarding them.
Witnessing this, Tessa’s eyes flickered, but her smile grew a fraction more natural, no longer as strained as before.
Jasper also sensed the awkward tension at the table. He looked back and forth between Lance and Tessa, before finally focusing on the untouched shrimp in Lance’s bowl. He pushed his own bowl in front of Lance. “Dad, my teacher says we shouldn’t waste food. If you don’t like those, I can eat them for you p>
Those two sentences offered Tessa an unexpected escape route. Grateful for the chance to ease the embarrassment, she waved to Jasper. “You like shrimp? Then let me peel some more for you. Come sit over here by me p>
Lance merely lifted his eyelids for a second. He didn’t stop Jasper, nor did he say anything.
At least he wasn’t openly hostile this time, which offered Tessa a sliver of comfort.
At the same time, Tessa’s attention shifted partially to Jasper. This was probably the first time she had looked at the boy with a normal, open mindset, and the more she observed, the more endearing she found him.
Just from his few words today, she could tell Camilla had raised him exceptionally well.
Knowing it was pointless to actively force her affection on Lance, Tessa didn’t try to engage him again, dedicating all her attention to Jasper instead.
Over the next few days, Camilla shadowed Oscar to learn the company’s ropes, and Tessa unfailingly stayed with her until closing time.
Occasionally, when Lance came to pick Camilla up, Tessa would use the opportunity to exchange a few words with him. More often than not, her efforts were met with silence.
Camilla vividly remembered that when she first met Tessa, the woman was dripping in luxury, decked out in the latest seasonal designer bags and jewelry.
But lately, spending all her time at the office, she hadn’t dressed nearly as fashionably as before.
Knowing the icy relationship between Lance and Tessa, Camilla didn’t actively try to bridge the gap with Tessa outside of necessary conversation.
However, Tessa had been casting frequent glances her way lately. One day, when Camilla got off work early, Tessa surprisingly invited her out shopping.
She looked visibly nervous, quickly adding an explanation as she extended the invitation. “Camilla, I know I was foolish in the past and did a lot of terrible things. I know you still blame me in your heart. I’m not asking for your forgiveness today. I just noticed you’ve been working so hard lately. Since we have some free time today, why don’t I buy some new clothes for you and Jasper p>
Her cautious demeanor was a far cry from the arrogant, demanding socialite she used to be.
Over the past few days, Camilla had witnessed many changes in Tessa. Since spring was halfway over, it really was time to update Jasper’s wardrobe. Camilla didn’t reject the offer.