Ch. 36..40: SCORNED EX WIFE Chapter 36-40
Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Camille's point of view
There's a particular satisfaction in watching something fall apart from a distance, in witnessing the precise moment when confidence shatters and
reality crashes down Victoria had taught me that. "True power isn't in the destruction itself," she'd told me once, "but in knowing you orchestrated it while they never saw you coming." As I sat at the head of the under the weight of their impending ruin.
I watched the numbers change on my tablet as Pacific Marline's stock price plummeted. Each drop represented another piece of Stefan's empire crumbling. The company's board members sat across from me i "Your company lost forty percent of its value in the last hour," I said, my voice carrying through the silent room. In fifteen minutes, when the market fully reacts to the news about your accounting irregularities, tha Michael Chen, Pacific Maritime's CEO, gripped his water glass so hard I thought it might shatter. "These accusations are baseless."
"Are they?" I slid a folder across the polished table. "Our audit team spent six months combing through your records. Every questionable contract, every hidden payment, every secret deal with Rodriguez Shipp it's all there."
The board members exchanged worried glances. They knew what this meant. Pacific Maritime controlled Stefan's most important shipping routes. Without them, his entire operation would collapse.
"Kane Industries is offering to buy your remaining shares at thirty dollars each," I continued.
"Generous, considering they'll be worth nothing by market close."
"You can't do this," Thomas Rodriguez, Stefan's uncle and Pacific Maritime chairman, pushed back from the table. "Rodriguez Shipping will fight-
"With what resources?" I cut him off. "The Rodriguez company is already overextended. Three banks have quietly frozen there credit lines. And their upcoming wedding is draining what cash reserves remain.” My phone buzzed-
a message from our source inside Rodriguez Shipping: Stefan just got the news. Complete meltdown in his office. Board calling emergency meeting.
I allowed myself a small smile. Let him rage. Let him feel powerless. Let him understand exactly what it meant to watch everything slip through his fingers.
"You have thirty minutes to accept our offer," I told the board. "After that, these findings go to the SEC and every major financial publication"
"This is extortion," Chen protested weakly.
"No, Mr. Chen. This is karma." I met his eyes steadily. "You chose to tie your company's future to Rodriguez Shipping Now
you pay the price for that choice."
My phone lit up with updates from our trading desk. Pacific Maritime's stock In free fall. Investors dumping shares in panic. The trap I'd spent months setting had snapped shut perfectly. The company's chief counsel spoke up. "We need time to review."
"Twenty-eight minutes now," I interrupted. "Tick tock."
In my earpiece, Victoria's voice: "Well done. They're
crumbling exactly as predicted."
I kept my expression neutral as the board members whispered urgently among themselves. Six months of planning had led to this moment. Every detail mapped out, every weakness exposed, every escape route blocked.
My tablet chimed again, Rodriguez Shipping's stock starting to drop as news spread about Pacific Maritime's troubles. The first domino falling exactly as planned.
"This will destroy him," Thomas Rodriguez said quietly. "My nephew... his whole future depends on these shipping routes."
"Perhaps he should have thought about his future before making certain choices," I replied, letting ice coat my words. "Actions have consequences, Mr. Rodriguez. Even for those who think themselves untouch Twenty minutes later, they signed the papers. Kane Industries now owned controlling interest in Pacific Maritime. Stefan's most crucial supply chain partner had fallen into enemy hands.
In my private bathroom afterward, I finally allowed my hands to shake. Not from fear or doubt, but from the pure rush of power. I'd done it. Landed the first major blow in my campaign to systematically dismantle My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number: *Impressive show. But what happens when winning doesn't fill the void? -
AP
Alexander Pierce. Of course he'd been watching. He seemed to see everything these days.
I ignored his message, focusing instead on the news alerts flooding my screen. Business publications already running stories about Pacific Maritime's sudden takeover, Financial analysts speculating about wha Victoria entered without knocking. "The board is pleased. Clean execution, minimal exposure, maximum damage.
"Stefan's company will lose forty percent of its shipping capacity overnight," I reported. "His stock is already down twelve percent."
"And how do you feel?"
I considered the question carefully. "Powerful. In control." paused. "Empty."
"That passes," she said dismissively. "Focus on the next target. We move on Jensen Partners tomorrow-
their infrastructure supports another thirty percent of his operations."
But as she outlined the next phase of our plan, I found myself wondering about Pierce's question. What would happen when I'd taken everything? When Stefan's empire lay in ruins and Rose's fashion dreams My reflection in the bathroom mirror showed nothing of these doubts. Just the polished exterior of Camille Kane, Victoria's perfect heir, methodically destroying her enemies.
I straightened my jacket and checked my lipstick. The afternoon would bring meetings with Pacific Maritime's new management team. Orders to be given. Changes to be implemented. Each step carefully desig
I gathered my papers and headed for the next meeting. There was more work to be done. More pieces to position. More
of Stefan's carefully built world to tear down.
Chapter 36
Tomorrow would bring new targets, new strategies, new vii
And it was only the beginning.
Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Stefan hurled his crystal tumbler against the wall of his home office. The sound of shattering glass matched the chaos in his mind. Forty percent. His company stock had dropped forty percent in a single day. Bil
His phone kept buzzing, board members, investors, his father. All demanding answers he didn't have. How had Kane Industries outmaneuvered them so completely? The takeover of Pacific Maritime shouldn't h Yet here he sat, watching his family's legacy crumble through real-
time stock updates on his phone screen. Each notification drove the knife deeper.
"Darling?" Rose's voice drifted through his office door. "Can we talk about the wedding plans? The planner needs final numbers for-"
"Not now." His voice came out harsh, rough from hours of emergency calls.
She entered anyway, dressed for the evening in a red designer dress that probably cost more than his employees made in a month. "The venue won't hold our date forever. We need to confirm..."
"The date? Stefan spun to face her, rage boiling over. "You want to discuss wedding dates while my company burns? While everything my family built over generations disappears?"
Rose stepped back, unused to seeing this side of him. "The business troubles are temporary. Your father will...”
"My father?" He laughed, a bitter sound that scared even himself. "My father hasn't returned my calls since the stock crash. The board is meeting tomorrow to discuss my removal as CEO. And you want to talk a "Stefan, please." She moved toward him, reaching for his arm. "We'll figure this out. Kane Industries can't..."
"Kane Industries." The name tasted like poison on his tongue. "That woman...
there's something about her. Something familiar that I can't place."
"Camille Kane? Don't be ridiculous. She's lived in Europe most of her life. We only met her recently at..."
"I know what she told
us!" His fist slammed the desk, making Rose jump. "But every time I see her, every time she speaks... it's like a memory I can't quite grab."
Rose's expression shifted, something calculating replacing her previous concern. "Perhaps you're attracted to ber? It would explain your obsession."
The suggestion hit him like ice water. "This isn't about attraction. This is about our entire future disappearing while you plan parties and pick out china patterns!"
"Our future depends on maintaining appearances," Rose snapped back. "The right wedding, the right guests, the right connections..."
"Connections?" Stefan
advanced on her, forcing her to step back. "Is that what I am to you? A connection? A stepping stone for your social climbing?"
"Don't be absurd. I love you. I've always..."
"Always?" Another harsh laugh. "You mean since London Since you came back and found me married to your sister?
The words hung between then, heavy with unspoken accusations. Rose's face paled slightly.
"We agreed not to discuss Camille," she said quietly. "Not after... everything."
"Everything." Stefan turned away, unable to look at her. "Such a nice, clean word for what happened. For what we did."
His phone buzzed again. Another stock alert. Another drop. The numbers blurred before his eyes.
"We should postpone the wedding announcement," he said
finally. "Until the company stabilizes." "Postpone?" Rose's voice rose sharply. "We can't postpone The society papers already..."
"Damn the society papers!" He whirled back to face her. "Don't you understand? I'm
losing everything! My position, my family's respect, my entire future! And all you care about is your precious social standing?"
Tears filled her eyes, but Stefan had seen her cry too many times to trust them now. "That's unfair. I'm trying to help..."
"Help?" His voice dropped dangerously low. "Like you helped Camille? Is that the kind of help
you're offering?" The color drained from Rose's face. For a moment, real fear flickered in her eyes. "You promised never to bring that up.
"I'm breaking a lot of promises lately." Stefan moved to his bar, reaching for another glass. "Seems to run in our relationship.
Rose watched him pour, her perfectly manicured nails digging into her palms. "What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? That I wish things had been different?"
"I want you to care!" The words exploded from him. "Care about something real! Something beyond your next social event or magazine feature!"
"I care about you," she whispered.
"Do you?" He met her eyes in the bar's mirror. "Or do you care about what I represent? The name, the position, the lifestyle?"
She had no answer. Or perhaps, her silence was answer enough.
"Go home, Rose." Stefan drained his glass in one swallow. I need to work. Need to find some way to save what's left of my company while I still can." "Stefan, please..."
"Go." He didn't turn around. Couldn't bear to see whatever
performance she'd prepared. "We'll discuss the wedding... later."
Her heels clicked across
his office floor, each step precise despite her emotional display. At the door, she paused. "I do love you," she said
"In my way."
Stefan
kept his eyes on the city lights beyond his window. Your way," he replied, equally soft. "That's always been the problem, hasn't it?"
The door closed behind her with a quiet click. In the sudden silence, his phone buzzed one final time. After-
hours trading In Asia pushing his stock even lower.
He poured another drink, mind returning to Camille Kane. To that nagging sense of recognition. To the way she'd looked at him across the conference room, like she could see right through him Like she knew all his secrets.
Like she knew him.
The thought sent a chill down his spine that not even expensive scotch could warm.
Chapter 38
Chapter 38
Camille's point of view
I sat in my private office at Kane Industries, watching; six screens track different aspects of my plan to destroy Rodriguez Shipping. Each monitor told part of the story, stock prices, trading volumes, news alerts, media sentiment, competitor reactions, and internal communications we'd managed to intercept. One year of meticulous preparation leading to this pivotal moment. The leather of my executive chair creaked so "Ready?" Victoria asked from the doorway, her tailored charcoal suit as impeccable as always. Her eyes gleamed with the predatory anticipation I'd come to recognize over our months working together. "Everything's in position." I pulled up the final numbers, watching as our algorithms predicted the coming cascade. "Our traders are standing by in London, New York and Singapore. The evidence of Rodriguez three seconds."
She moved to stand behind my chair, studying the screens with the careful attention of a general reviewing battle plans. Her subtle perfume, always jasmine with notes of sandalwood, filled the air between us. "Three different whistleblowers will contact financial reporters about questionable accounting practices at precisely staggered intervals. The evidence has already been planted in their internal systems, backdate written exposés. "If they somehow weather the safety scandal, the financial improprieties will finish them."
My hands stayed steady as I typed final commands into the trading system, muscle memory from countless simulations we'd run. Inside, emotions warred, satisfaction, pain, a strange kind of grief for the compa hand had been gone for months now, but sometimes I still felt its phantom weight.
"First article just dropped," Victoria noted as alerts started flashing across the primary monitor. "Wall Street Journal. 'Major Safety Concerns Plague Rodriguez Shipping Fleet: Internal Documents Reveal Years I allowed myself a small, controlled smile as other notifications followed in rapid succession. Reuters. Bloomberg. Financial Times. CNBC breaking news. Each one sharing damaging details we'd carefully leake "Trading volume spiking," my head trader
reported through the speaker, his voice betraying the excitement he was trying to contain. "Up four hundred percent above normal. Major institutional investors starting to sell. BlackRock just dumped twelve per On my main screen, Rodriguez Shipping's stock chart turned bright red, the downward trajectory steepening with each passing second. Down five percent. Then twelve. Then wenty. A freefall gaining speed with frequency trading programs reacting to the negative press.
My phone buzzed a message from our source inside the company: Total chaos here. Stefan locked in emergency board meeting. Conference room screens showing stock collapse. His father just arrived looking “Time for phase two,” Victoria said quietly, a manicured all tapping the edge
of my desk in perfect rhythm with the declining stock ticker.
I nodded, sending the encrypted signal to our trading team positioned around the globe. Kane Industries would start quietly buying shares through a complex network of shell companies, but only after driving th More alerts filled my screens in a
cascade of digital destruction. Industry analysts questioning the company's future viability. Suppliers nervously reviewing contracts. Customers making backup plans with Credit agencies placing Rodriguez Ship "Thirty percent drop," Victoria noted with undisguised satisfaction, her reflection in my monitor showing the slight smile she reserved for victories. "The margin calls will start soon. Their creditors won't wait." She was right. Rodriguez Shipping had leveraged their asses heavily for the
Asian expansion Stefan had championed against his father's wishes. As the stock price fell, their loan covenants would trigger, forcing immediate repayment. A cascade of financial disaster we'd carefully engine My phone buzzed again: *Stefan's father just walked out
of the board meeting. Never seen him so angry. Screaming about family legacy destroyed. Three generations of work ruined. Stefan looks shell-
shocked. CFO in tears.*
I should have felt only triumph. This was what I'd planned, systematic destruction of everything Stefan valued. But memories kept intruding unbidden. His father's pride when giving me a tour of their flagship ves replaceable.
A notification from our banking contacts appeared: *Rodriguez seeking emergency credit line. Multiple rejections already.
"Ms. Kane?" My assistant's voice through the intercom, professional
as always despite the financial bloodbath playing out on our screens. "Mr. Rodriguez Senior is attempting to contact you directly. He's called three times in the last five minutes." Victoria's eyes narrowed slightly. "Desperation sets in quickly."
"Block the calls," I replied, voice cool despite the turmoil inside. "And inform security that no Rodriguez family member is to be admitted to the building under any circumstances,"
The financial carnage continued as more investors abandoned what was clearly becoming a sinking ship. News channels began running special segments on the "Rodriguez Collapse,” featuring experts we'd qu Fresh alerts flooded my screens. Rodriguez Shipping's board had called an emergency session Rumors of Stefan's possible removal as CEO spread through financial circles. Trading halts triggered then lifted, "Forty percent drop," Victoria announced with clear satisfaction, pouring two glasses of the eighteen-
year-
old Macallan she kept in my office for special occasions. "Well done, Camille. Absolutely masterful execution."
Laccepted the glass but didn't drink, watching instead as our source continued to provide real-
time updates from Inside the Rodriguez headquarters.
More messages appeared: Stefan's office being
cleared out Personal items in boxes. Security escorting him from building, Executive team in complete meltdown. Legal team preparing for shareholder lawsuits.*
I stared at the words until they blurred together. Remembered Stefan's boyish pride in his family's
company during our first dates. His passionate late-
night talks about modernizing the fleet. The dreams he'd shared late at night about expanding their legacy across new shipping lanes, new countries, new possibilities. The way his eyes lit up when discussing th All ash now. All destroyed by my hand, methodically, deliberately, without mercy, just as he'd destroyed me. "Incoming call from Margaret Lewis," my assistant announced through the intercom, interrupting my th "Decline," I said sharply, watching Rodriguez stock hit another circuit breaker.
Victoria sipped her whiskey, watching me over the rim of her glass with the calculating gaze that had first drawn me to her after my world collapsed. "After this, there will be no going back. You understand that? "Those doors closed the moment Stefan and Rose decided to betray me," I replied, finally tasting the aged whiskey, letting it burn down my throat. "I'm simply making it official."
"The market closes in ten minutes," Victoria said, glancing at her watch. "Tomorrow we start on their Asia division. By week's end..."
"By week's end they'll have nothing left," I cut in, watching each percentage
point drop with a hollow satisfaction. "Isn't that the point? Compléte annihilation?
On screen, Rodriguez Shipping's stock hit bottom again. Trading halted for the fourth time. Stefan's legacy ended not with a bang but with a whimper and a lot of red numbers. The five- year chart showed a perfect cliff
edge, everything before today rendered meaningless.
My phone buzzed one final time. A photo from our source, Stefan being escorted out, box of personal items in his arms, face pale with shock and disbelief. The golden boy
finally facing consequences. The heir apparent dethroned. The man who had promised me forever now facing his own sudden ending.
I'd done this. Me. The woman he'd discarded like yesterday's news. The wife he'd betrayed with her own sister. The inconvenient obstacle
to his true desires.
So why didn't victory taste sweeter? Why did the whiskey turn bitter on my tongue? Why did the emptiness inside seem to grow rather than diminish?
Victoria studied me carefully, her years of experience reading people picking up on my unexpected hesitation." You're not having second thoughts, are you? After everything we've done to get here?" "Not second thoughts," I said, setting down my glass. "Just wondering what comes after."
"After?" Victoria raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "After this, we continue with the plan. Rose's fashion empire. Your mother's social standing. One by one, we dismantle everything they value, everything, they Victoria's sigh held years of experience, both professional and personal. "Just remember why we started this. What they
did to you. What they deserve, How they would have continued using you if you hadn't discovered the Truth"
"I remember everything," I said softly, touching the screen where Stefan's broken expression was captured forever. "That's the problem."
The final trading bell rang, the sound echoing through my office like a death knell. Rodriguez Shipping's stock closed down sixty-
two percent, the worst single-day performance in the company's century-
long history. Headlines already proclaimed the death of a shipping dynasty that had survived wars, depressions, and global crises, but couldn't survive my vengeance.
I'd won. Thoroughly. Completely. Just as planned.
My phone began buzzing incessantly, financial reporters
seeking comment, business associates offering congratulations, vultures seeking, to pick at the Rodriguez carcass, I silenced it without looking at the names
Tomorrow would bring new targets, new strategies, new victories. But tonight... tonight I would sit alone with my thoughts, the taste
of ash in my mouth despite the expensive whiskey, and consider what exactly came after revenge. When all the destruction was complete, when everyone who had hurt me was brought low, what would I build f
It was a question I hadn't allowed myself to consider until now, focused solely on tearing down rather than building up. Perhaps it was time to start thinking beyond vengeance, beyond the all- consuming fire that had driven me these past months.
Perhaps there was something waiting for me on the other side of revenge.
Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Stefan stared at the empty boardroom seats, his hands shaking as he reached for another glass of water. The morning's board meeting felt like a firing squad, twelve angry faces demanding explanations he did "The numbers are disastrous," Andrew Parker, head of the finance committee, sald coldly. "Sixty-
two percent stock drop. Major contracts vanishing. Suppliers backing out. And you still can't tell us what's happening?" "I've had every analyst working around the clock," Stefan replied, hating the weakness in h multiple directions. Every time we plug one hole, three more appear.”
"Attacks?" Parker's laugh held no warmth. "Or just incompetence?"
Other board members muttered in agreement. Three hours of defending himself, showing reports, promising solutions –
none of it mattered. They wanted his head.
"A vote has been called," Thomas Chen announced, his voice heavy with false regret. "On the immediate removal of Stefan Rodriguez as Chief Executive Officer of Rodriguez Shipping International."
Stefan's stomach turned to ice. This wasn't happening. The company had survived world wars, countless crises. Now it was crumbling and he couldn't even identify the enemy. "All in favor..."
Cconomic crashes.
The boardroom doors flew open. Eduardo Rodriguez filled the doorway, commanding attention without speaking a word. Stefan had never been so grateful to see his father. "This meeting is suspended," Eduardo announced, moving to the head of the table. "By authority of the family's controlling shares."
Parker stood, face flushed. "Mr. Rodriguez, with respect, the board has authority to..."
"The board has what authority I permit it to have." Eduardo's voice could have frozen fire. "Right now, I'm permitting you all to leave while I speak with my son." Nobody moved.
"That wasn't a suggestion." Eduardo's eyes swept the room "Out. All of you."
They filed out slowly, Parker throwing Stefan a look that promised this wasn't finished. When the door closed, silence fell heavy between father and
son
"You're a disappointment." Eduardo's words cut deep. "But you're still my son Still a Rodriguez.”
Stefan stared at his hands. "Someone's targeting us. Every move we make, they're three steps ahead. It's like they know our playbook better than we do." "Because you're too busy planning a wedding to see what's right
in front of you." His father moved to the window. "Too focused on that Lewis girl to protect what generations built."
"Rose has nothing to do with "
"Rose has everything to do with it." Eduardo turned, eyes hard. "Ever since you divorced Camille..."
"Don't." Stefan's voice cracked. "Please don't bring her into this."
"Why not? She understood business. Understood loyalty. Then she has some convenient accident and suddenly
you're engaged to her sister?" His father's eyes narrowed. Even I can see something wrong there."
Stefan's chest tightened. If his father knew the truth about Camille about what really happened that night... "The board wants you gone," Eduardo continued. "They're not wrong. You've let someone gut this com "I know." The words tasted like ash. "I'll resign. Save everyone the trouble of voting"
Stefan looked up, confused, "No?"
"You're my son." Eduardo's voice softened slightly. "Despite everything, you're my blood. I've convinced the board to give you one month."
Hope flickered faintly. "One month?"
"To find who's behind this. To save what's left. To prove you deserve the Rodriguez name." His father's expression hardened again. "But there are conditions."
Of course there were. There always were with Eduardo Rodriguez.
"What conditions?"
First, postpone this wedding circus. No distractions."
Stefan nodded slowly, Rose wouldn't like it, but she'd have to understand.
"Second, you move back to the family estate. I want you focused, where I can watch you work."
Another nod. Easier than the first condition.
"Third," Eduardo paused, "you tell me the truth about Camille's accident. Everything you know."
Stefan's blood turned to ice. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not a fool, son. The timing was too convenient. The body never found. And now you're marrying her sister?" Eduardo's eyes bore into him. "What really happened to your wife?"
The question that haunted his nightmares. The truth he'd buried under grief and guilt and Rose's careful manipulations.
"L... I don't know everything," he said carefully. "There were things.. suggestions... but nothing certain." "Then you have one month to find certainty." Eduardo moved to the door. "The board returns in five minut The board members filed back in, taking their seats with obvious reluctance. Parker especially looked ready to object, but Eduardo's presence kept him silent.
"Gentlemen," Eduardo addressed them. "My son has thirty days to reverse our losses. If he fails, I'll personally request his removal. If he succeeds, we all benefit. Did you all agree?"
One by one, they nodded. Not happy, but unwilling to fight Eduardo Rodriguez when he used that tone.
"Thirty days," Parker said, glaring at Stefan. “Not one day more."
Stefan barely heard the rest of the meeting. His mind kept spinning with questions. Who had the resources and motivation to attack them so precisely? Why did every defensive move fall before it started? How And underneath it all, his father's words about Camille kept echoing. About finding the truth. About connections he hadn't let himself consider.
His phone buzzed, Rose asking about wedding venue deposits. He ignored it.
Thirty days to save his family's legacy. To uncover the truth about his wife's disappearance. To face whatever Rose had been hiding all this time. Somehow, he didn't think he could do both.
Chapter 40
The morning sun painted golden streaks across Alexander office atop Pierce International. Sixty stories
above Manhattan, the city stretched beneath him, a vast, glittering chessboard where every plece moved according to unseen plans. From this height, everything seemed distant, almost insignificant, except for
fates.
Alexander sat back in his leather chair, adjusting his posture as he waited for his secretary's daily briefing. The chair creaked softly under his weight, the only sound in the vast office aside from the faint hum of t precise knock on the door announced Sarah's arrival. She was never late. She stepped in, her heels clicking against the polished marble floor, holding her tablet in one hand.
"Good morning, sir," she greeted professionally, stopping few feet from his desk.
Alexander nodded, wordlessly gesturing for her to begin.
Sarah had worked for him long enough to understand his moods. Some days, he wanted every detail; other days, he only wanted the highlights. Today, she could tell from his quiet, watchful expression that som She cleared her throat and glanced at her notes. "Rodriguez Shipping's board meeting just ended." Her voice was calm, but there was a slight pause before she continued. "Stefan received an unexpected repri
Alexander's fingers tapped a slow rhythm against his armrest. His gaze didn't waver, but his mind was already calculating the consequences. "Details."
Sarah swiped on her tablet. "Eduardo Rodriguez used the family's controlling shares to force a compromise. The board wanted Stefan out, but Eduardo
gave him a final chance. He has one month to fix the company's problems, or he will be removed permanently.”
Alexander let out a soft, knowing hum. "And the board agreed?"
"They weren't happy, but no one argues with Eduardo Rodriguez," Sarah replied. "Stefan's position is weak. If he fails
in the next thirty days, even his father won't be able to protect him."
Alexander leaned back slightly, contemplating the situation Stefan was drowning, barely holding on, and the vultures were circling. Victoria Kane wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste.
"And Camille Kane's next move?"
Sarah's lips curved slightly, almost in admiration. "Our sources say she's planning another attack on their stock. Analysts predict she will target their Asian shipping routes, if she succeeds, Rodriguez Shipping w
It was an elegant move, brutal, effective, and perfectly timed. Camille had no intention of giving Stefan a chance to recover. She was
determined to crush him completely.
Alexander nodded slowly, the pieces falling into place. He had no personal interest in Stefan Rodriguez, but Camille, Victoria Kane's so- called adopted daughter, was different. She was the only reason he was paying
attention.
He had seen something in her eyes that Victoria had missed Revenge could destroy a person from the inside out.
Chapter 40
"Have our team assist Kane Industries with their next market move," Alexander said at last. "Quietly. Make sure no connection can be traced back to us."
Sarah looked up, clearly surprised. In five years working for him, she had never heard him suggest helping Kane
Industries.
"Sir?" She hesitated. "We've never involved ourselves in their operations before."
"Times change," he said simply.
He reached for his desk drawer and pulled out a small velvet box. It was old but well cared for, the edges slightly wom from years of handling. Inside lay a delicate silver necklace with a rose- shaped pendant. As the morning light touched it, the silver glowed softly.
Sarah's eyes flickered with curiosity. She had seen Alexander handle many rare, priceless items over the years, but this, this was different. There was something personal about it. "Keep this between us," Alexander said, his voice quieter now. "No paper trail. No electronic
records."
"Of course, sir." Sarah hesitated, then asked cautiously, "May I ask why we're helping Victoria Kane? She has always been one of our strongest rivals."
Alexander didn't answer immediately. Instead, he lifted the necklace, letting the pendant spin slightly between his fingers, catching the light.
"We're not helping Victoria," he finally said. His gaze remained fixed on the pendant. "We're helping someone else."
Sarah was sharp, one of the reasons he trusted her. She put the pieces together quickly. "Ms. Kane's daughter?" she asked softly. "The one who appeared so suddenly?"
Alexander didn't reply. His mind was already elsewhere, six years in the past, in a hospital room filled with the scent of antiseptic and the low hum of machines.
Pain. Darkness, Isolation.
He had been on the edge of death, abandoned
by his family, left to rot. But then....
A soft voice. A gentle touch. Someone carefully changing his bandages, reading to him when the pain made sleep impossible.
She had never told him her real name.
She had paid for his medical bills when no one else cared.
And then, she disappeared.
Now, she had returned, wearing a different name and face, Camille Kane. She burned with the need for vengeance, completely unaware that the man she had once saved was watching over her from the shado "Send our best analysts to support Kane Industries' next move," Alexander instructed. He carefully returned the necklace to its box. "Whatever resources they need. Just ensure our involvement remains invisibl "Yes, sir." Sarali typed a final note before pausing at the door. "Anything else?"
"That's all."
She nodded and turned to leave, but before she stepped out Alexander added, "And Saralı?"
She glanced back.
Chapter 40
"If anyone asks why we're suddenly interested in Rodriguez Shipping's troubles..."
"I'll remind them that we never discuss your personal projects." A faint smille touched her lips. "Don't
worry, sir. Your secret is safe."
The door closed behind her, leaving Alexander alone with the morning light and his memories.
Slowly, he removed the necklace from the box again, holding; it up to the light. The rose pendant spun gently, reflecting fractured sunlight across his desk.
Six years. He had carried it for
Six years, waiting for the moment to return it to its rightful owner.
Waiting for the chance to repay a debt that went far beyond money.
Now, she was Camille Kane, cold and ruthless, chasing revenge against those who had wronged her.
But beneath that anger, beneath the walls she had built, hestill saw traces of the gentle soul who had once sat beside his hospital bed
The girl who had saved him when he had no one else.
The girl who had unknowingly become a piece of his past that he could never let go.
"Little Camille," he murmured, watching the sunlight dance through the silver curves.
His voice was barely a whisper, lost in the vast office.
"I hope this path doesn't consume you."