SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 45

Camille's point of view

Five screens glowed on the wall of Victoria's private office, each displaying a different fashion blog. The headline

on Fashion Insider screamed in bold type: "ROSE LEWIS: FASHION'S FEFATALE?" Belov clock on her desk

showed 9:07 AM. The story had been live for exactly twelve minutes, and already the view counter showed over

three thousand clicks.

"Perfectly timed," Victoria said, satisfaction evident in her voice. "The fashion industry wakes up, checks their

morning feeds, and finds their darling, exposed.”

| nodded, a strange mix of emotions washing through me. Satisfaction, yes. The first real blow against Rose's

carefully constructed image. But something else too, something I hadn't expected. A hollow feeling Was this

really victory? Releasing photos that had been easy to obtain, evidence of sins that seemed almost trivial

compared to what she'd

done to me?

"Ms. Kane? Ms. Camille?" My assistant Rebecca knocked before entering, tablet in hand, excitement barely

contained. "You wanted updates on the Rose Lewis situation?" Victoria motioned her forward "Report"

"The story's spreading faster than projected. It's hit three major fashion blogs in the last five minutes. Social

media engagement is exploding." Rebecca handed Victoria the tablet. "Her publicist has already issue Victoria's

lips curved into a rare smile as she scrolled through the data. "And the hashtag we planted?"

"#Rose Thoms is trending in New York and Los Angeles." Rebecca couldn't hide her admiration. "The influencers

we prepped are amplifying exactly as planned."

| leaned forward, scanning the social media metrics on the tablet. “Her brand partners?"

"Panicking" Rebecca's smile widened. "Three have already reached out to their legal teams about morality

clauses in their contracts."

Victoria handedthe tablet, our eyes meeting; briefly. This moment, the first real strike against Rose, was

what we'd been building toward for months.

"I want to see her," | said suddenly. "When she gets the news."

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Dangerous. Unnecessary."

"I'll stay hidden. | just..." | struggled to explain the hunger inside me. "I need to see her face."

Understanding dawned in Victoria's eyes. "Not enough to destroy her. You need to witness it."

She considered for a moment, then nodded. "Rebecca, have James position Ms. Kane near the Lewis boutique.

The target has an investor meeting there at ten.”

Thirty minutes later, |

sat in a darkened car across from Rose's flagship store in the Fashion District. Tinted windows ensured no one

could see me, but | had a perfect view of the boutique's glass front. Rose arrived at 9:50, looking i Then | saw it.

The moment her assistant rushed out, phone extended urgently. The slight freeze in Rose's perfect posture. The

fractional widening of her eyes as she looked at the screen.

Even from this distance, | could read the shock in her body language. The momentary loss of control as her

practiced mask slipped.

The waiting photographers noticed too, cameras suddenly firing rapidly, capturing her unguarded reaction. Her

hand clutched her assistant's arm for balance. Her mouth opened slightly before snapping shut. For ten glorious

seconds, | watched genuine panic overtake my sister's face. Then, like the performer she'd always been, she

recovered, Smiled tightly, Waved off the photographers. Walked into her boutique w But I'd seen it. That moment

of pure, unfiltered fear. That instant where her carefully constructed world began to crumble.

It tasted like honey on my tongue

Back at Kane Industries, Victoria and | tracked the story's spread through more mainstream media. By noon,

three major fashion magazines had picked it up. By two, entertainment news sites were running spe | nodded,

scanning the reports. "And the investors?"

"Postponed their meeting. Waiting to see how bad the damage gets."

Victory. Clear and undeniable. The first true strike in my campaign against Rose.

So why did part ofstill feel empty?

1 dismissed the feeling, focusing instead on the next phase. "When do we release the Russian connection?"

Victoria consulted her watch. "Three days. Let this first scandal fully develop before introducing the next.

Maximum damage occurs when

people are just beginning to recover from one blow before receiving another."

Her cold precision should have bothered me. Once, it would have. Now | found comfort in her tactical approach,

her emotional detachment. It made my own conflicted feelings easier to ignore.

My phone buzzed with a text message. | glanced down, expecting another update from our media team.

Instead, Alexander Pierce's nlit up my screen: Watching your sister's meltdown on Page Six live updates.

Remindnever to cross you, little phoenix. Though | must say, hotel security footage seems ben A*

Heat crept up my neck as 1 quickly darkened the phone screen. How had he known? We'd been so careful,

ensuring no connection between Kane Industries and the leaked photos.

Victoria's sharp eyes missed nothing "Problem?"

"No," | replied, too quickly. "Just a market update."

Her gaze lingered a moment too long, assessing, calculating, before she returned to the reports. "Tomorrow we'll

monitor the fallout and prepare for phase two. The British lord's ex-

wife has provided sexceptionally detailed revelations."

| nodded, trying to focus on Victoria's words while my mind kept returning to Alexander's message. Little

phoenix. The nicknno one else used. The teasing tone that somehow acknowledged both my streng And the

unsettling realization that he knew what | was doing

Later, alone in my suite, | stared at his message again. Should | respond? Ignore it? Report this development to

Victoria?

My finger hovered over the delete button. Alexander Pierce was dangerous, too perceptive, too knowledgeable,

too interested in my affairs Victoria would see him as a threat to our plans.

But something in his teasing words resonated with the emptiness I'd felt even as I'd watched Rose's world begin

to crumble.

Without quite deciding to, | typed a response: *Quality improves with the next release. Though I'm curious how

you identified my handiwork.*

His reply calmost instantly: "The sway | know when a master painter has created a new work. The

technique

is unmistakable, even with different brushes. Sleep

well, avenger. Tomorrow brings new battles.*

| turned off my phone, moving to the window that overlooked

Victoria's immaculate gardens. Tomorrow would bring more scandal for Rose, more destruction of her carefully

built world.

But tonight, for the first tsince beginning this path of revenge, | found myself wondering if victory was

supposed to feel this empty. If becoming like those who had hurtwas truly the justice | sought. | touched the

phoenix pendant at my throat, Victoria's symbol of rebirth through fire.

What kind of person was | becoming in these flames? And would | recognize myself when the transformation was

complete?