SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 111

Herod Preston stood at his Tribeca penthouse windows, studying three monitors displaying data from the Phoenix

Grid's first section. The screens cast an eerie blue glow across the dimly lit roo "It doesn't make sense," he

muttered, bourbon untouched in his hand.

Rose entered, wrapped in a silk robe the color of blood, her hair damp from the

shower. She moved toward him with predatory grace.

"What doesn't make sense?" she asked, examining the displays.

Herod

gestured toward the center screen. "The Grid. These readings are exactly what we expected to see. Minor

fluctuations, small power surges, tiny irregularities in the data flow. All perfectly in line with our sabotage

timeline."

"Isn't that good?"

"Too good," Herod set his glass down sharply. "No unexpected variables, no human error, no deviations. It's as if

someone wants us to see exactly this data." He pointed to a jagged blue line. "Th Rose wrapped her arms around

herself. "You think they know?"

Herod swiped through several screens, searching for evidence to confirm his suspicions.

"No accident reports. No emergency responses, no unexpected shutdowns, no warnings." He turned to face

Rose. "James Walsh installed forty-

seven modified components. At least one should have triggered skind of warning by now."

The thought that Camille might have outsmarted them again made Rose's stomach twist.

"Maybe the effects haven't shown up yet," she suggested. "Walsh said the major failures

wouldn't happen until full activation."

"We should still be seeing preliminary issues. Inconsistent power readings, system flags, technicians being called

unexpectedly.”

"So what are you saying?"

"Either our sabotage wasn't as effective as Walsh claimed, or..."

"Or Camille and Victoria have discovered it," Rose finished, her voice barely above a whisper.

Rose felt familiar fury rising inside her, the srage that consumed her when she watched Camille at the gala,

powerful and pristine.

"No," she said, slamming her palm down. "I will not let her win. Not again."

"What do you propose?" Herod asked, studying her with cautious admiration.

"We accelerate the timeline. Move everything up."

"That's risky. The official launch is still two days away..."

"We can't wait," Rose snapped, pacing now. "If they've discovered our tampering, they'll be ready for us at the

launch. We need to strike now, while they think they still have time." Herod nodded slowly. "You may be right.

Waiting only gives them more time

to counter it."

He pressed a button on an encrypted phone

and spoke without preamble. "We need to move up the

timeline. How quickly can you arrange it?" After listening briefly, he added, "Double your fee if necessary. Triple

it. Just get it done."

He ended the call. "It'll be arranged by dawn. The secondary plan will now be our primary approach."

"And the Grid sabotage?" Rose asked.

"A diversion

now," Herod said. "Whether they discovered it doesn't matter. Our true strike will cfrom a different

direction."

He opened a wall safe, removing a black metal case and placing it on the desk. "This is what will destroy Victoria

Kane." Inside lay folders and documents bearing the Kane Industries logo.

"While you focused on your sister, I've been acquiring shares of Kane Industries through shell companies," he

explained. "I already own five percent." "Five percent isn't enough to take control," Rose frowned.

"It's just the beginning. These documents show positions of major shareholders, voting patterns, and

vulnerabilities in

their corporate structure. I've identified three key

institutional investors who hold a combined twenty-

two percent stake and are growing concerned about the company's direction."

"You're planning a hostile takeover."

Chapter 111

"Precisely," Herod confirmed. "When we trigger chaos, these investors will look for an exit. I'll offer significantly

above market value, but only if they sell immediately." "And Victoria won't be able to stop it."

"She'll be too busy with the technical crisis and media fallout. By the tshe realizes what's happening, I'll

have enough voting power to force an emergency board meeting and vote her out." Rose smiled slowly. "The

Grid sabotage was just a distraction."

"A crisis to occupy their attention while we make our real move."

"And Camille?" Rose asked, hunger in her voice.

"She

falls with Victoria," Herod said simply. "Her position, her power, her new identity, it all depends on Victoria's

support. When | take control, your sister becomes nothing but a footnote. She'll be dis Rose closed her eyes,

savoring the image of Camille defeated and alone.

"Perfect," she whispered.

"We'll move tomorrow morning, just as Section B of the Grid goes online. Their attention will be divided, their

resources stretched thin."

They stood at the windows, staring at the cityscape like generals surveying a battlefield.

"By tomorrow," he said quietly, "Victoria Kane's empire begins to fall."

Rose slipped her hand into his. "And we'll be there to watch it burn."

After a moment of silence, Herod turned to her. "When this is over, when Camille and Victoria have lost

everything and Kane Industries belongs to me, what then?"

The question caught Rose off guard. Her life had been defined by wanting what others had, by taking what

wasn't hers.

"I don't know," she admitted.

"Would you stay? With me?"

Rose looked up, surprised by his vulnerability. Their relationship had begun as an alliance of convenience but had

becsomething more.

"Are you asking because you need me, or because you want me?"

"Both," he answered without hesitation. "I need

your fire, your ruthlessness. But | also want you, the woman who refuses to accept defeat, who fought her way

out of foster care and built herself into someone formidable."

Rose felt something unfamiliar stir within her. No one had ever wanted her for herself, for the qualities others

found disturbing or dangerous. Stefan had wanted the mask she wore. Her adoptive | But Herod saw her.... truly

saw her.... and wanted her anyway.

"Yes," she said softly. "I'll stay."

A sudden chinterrupted them. Herod checked the notification. "Another data packet from the Grid. Section B

is scheduled tomorrow, but they're running preliminary tests now." He scrolled through the numbers. "The same

patterns. Too perfect. Too predictable."

"You're certain they know?"

Herod nodded. "Which means we need to be prepared for resistance."

"Let them resist," Rose said, her voice hardening. "By the tthey realize what's really happening, it will be too

late." Later, wrapped in tangled sheets, Rose lay with her head on Herod's chest. "No matter what happens

tomorrow," he said quietly, "remember that we've already won. We forced them to discover the sabotage. We

made them change their plans, react to our moves."

Rose nodded, understanding. If their plan somehow failed, it wouldn't be the end, just one battle in a longer war

they would eventually win together.

"I know," she murmured, looking into his eyes. "But we won't fail."

As he pulled her down for another kiss, Rose realized that for the first tin her life, she wasn't fighting alone.