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Chapter 5
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2025-03-26 16:58:15Chapter 5
CAMILLE'S POINT OF VIEW The parking garage of the hotel where i lodged was too quiet. My heels echoed against concrete, each click bouncing off empty cars and shadowed pillars. It was late, past midnight, but something felt wrong. Off. My confrontation with Rose and my family had left me drained, empty except for the cold satisfaction of finally seeing behind her mask. I fumbled with my key fob, wanting nothing more than to get to my hotel room and plan my next move. A car door slammed somewhere in the darkness. I stopped, listening. Nothing but the hum of fluorescent lights and the distant sound of traffic. My phone buzzed in my purse. Rose's number. I declined it, but not before noticing my signal had dropped to one bar. Perfect. Footsteps behind me. Multiple sets. I walked faster, cursing my choice of heels. The hotel's elevator was just around the corner, past a row of concrete pillars. If I could just... "Going somewhere, Mrs. Rodriguez?" A man stepped out from behind a pillar. Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in black. Professional. Two more appeared behind me, cutting off my retreat. Not a random attack, then. "Actually, it's Ms. Lewis now." My voice stayed steady despite my racing heart. "And I have a dinner reservation, so if you'll excuse me..." The first man smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "I'm afraid your plans have changed." I gripped my purse tighter, feeling for the pepper spray I'd started carrying after signing the divorce papers. "Did my sister send you? Or was it Stefan?" "Our employer prefers to remain anonymous." He stepped closer. "Now, we can do this the easy way..." I didn't let him finish. The pepper spray caught him directly in the eyes. He screamed, stumbling backward. I ran, kicking off my heels as I sprinted for the elevator. The other two men shouted, their footsteps thundering behind me. Almost there. Just a few more... Pain exploded in my scalp as someone grabbed my hair, yanking me backward. My purse went flying, contents scattering across the concrete. "That wasn't very nice." The first man's voice was rough with pain and rage. "Hold her." Strong hands gripped my arms. I fought, kicking, scratching, but they were too strong. Professional. Trained. "Our employer said you might be difficult." The first man wiped his streaming eyes. "Said you needed to learn your place." Rose. This had Rose written all over it. Her parting shot, making sure I understood just how powerless I really was. "If you're going to kill me," I spat, "at least have the guts to look me in the eyes." He laughed. "Kill you? No, no. Just a message. A reminder of what happens to people who don't know when to let go." The first punch caught me in the stomach, driving the air from my lungs. I doubled over, gasping, but the men holding me kept me upright. "See, some people don't understand their role in life." Another blow, this one to my ribs. "Some people need to be taught..." I tasted blood. My vision blurred, pain shooting through my body. But I wouldn't cry. Wouldn't give Rose the satisfaction. "That's enough." The voice cut through the garage like a whip crack. Female. Authoritative. My attackers tensed. Through swollen eyes, I saw dark figures emerging from the shadows. Men in suits, moving with military precision. And behind them... A woman. Tall, elegant, probably in her fifties but with an ageless quality about her. She wore a black designer suit that probably cost more than my car, her silver hair swept into a perfect chignon. But it was her eyes that caught me. Sharp, intelligent, and oddly... familiar. "Ma'am," one of my attackers started, "our employer..." "Is about to have a very bad day." The woman's voice was ice. "Release her. Now." The hands holding me disappeared. I slumped forward, pain shooting through my ribs. "Secure them." The woman's command sent her men moving. My attackers didn't even try to run. They knew better. She walked toward me, heels clicking on concrete. Designer shoes. Probably cost more than my monthly rent. "Camille Lewis." Not a question. She knew exactly who I was. I tried to straighten, to maintain some dignity despite my split lip and torn dress. "Do I know you?" Her eyes softened, just slightly. Like she was seeing something, someone else in my face. "No." She gestured, and more men appeared with a medical kit. "But I knew someone very much like you, once. Someone who also had to learn the hard way about trust and betrayal." The world was getting fuzzy around the edges. Blood dripped onto my ruined dress, each breath sending knives through my ribs. "Who..." I swayed, darkness creeping in. "Who are you?" She stepped forward, catching me as my knees buckled. This close, I could smell her perfume, something expensive, unique. Something that tickled at the edges of my memory. "Someone who's been watching you for a very long time, Camille." Her voice seemed to come from far away. "Someone who's going to help you become everything they tried to prevent." The darkness was winning now. But before it took me completely, I heard her last words: "After all... you look just like my daughter." Then nothing but black.
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SCORNED EX WIFE : Queen Of Ashes Chapter 29
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CAMILLE'S POINT OF VIEW"Neurix Technologies," Victoria said, sliding the folder across her desk. "Twenty-seven employees. Promising neural interface technology. Currently entertaining acquisition offers.""And?" I asked, waiting for the catch. With Victoria, there was always a catch."And you'll be handling the acquisition." She leaned back, expression unreadable. "Alone."My heart stuttered. After eight months of shadowing Victoria at Kane Industries, this was my first real test."Their valuation?""They're asking ninety million. They're worth sixty-five, at most. I want them for fifty.""When do negotiations begin?""Two hours. The meeting is set for eleven at our downtown offices."My head snapped up. "Today? You're giving me two hours to prepare?"A small, cold smile played at her mouth. "In business, opportunities rarely announce themselves weeks in advance. Besides, you've had eight months of preparation.""Who am I negotiating against?""Marcus Whitfield."The name hit me like
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STEFAN'S POINT OF VIEWThe bourbon burned down my throat, a welcome fire against the cold emptiness spreading through my chest. I signaled the bartender for another. My fourth? Fifth? I'd lost count hours ago."You sure about that, buddy?" he asked, eyeing the empty glasses."Just pour the damn drink," I growled.The alcohol couldn't drown the words that had haunted me all day: Martin Greene reading Camille's will, her final message cutting through me like a blade.*"To my former husband, Stefan Rodriguez, I return the engagement ring that belonged to his grandmother, with the hope that next time he gives it, it will be with honesty and true devotion."*The ring sat heavy in my pocket, retrieved from the safety deposit box this morning. Grandmother Rosa's ring. Three generations of Rodriguez women had worn it before I'd placed it on Camille's finger, promising forever with words that turned to ash in my mouth.Thirty million dollars and the Cedar Hill estate. All of it to charity. Not
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ROSE'S POINT OF VIEWI slammed my apartment door so hard the walls shook. The sound echoed through the empty space, matching the thunder in my heart. My hands shook as I poured myself a drink, spilling expensive whiskey on the marble counter."Damn you, Camille," I whispered, then screamed it: "DAMN YOU!"The crystal glass flew from my hand, shattering against the wall in a spray of amber liquid and broken dreams. Thirty million dollars. The Cedar Hill estate. All of it gone to those worthless foster kids.My legs gave out and I slid to the kitchen floor, surrounded by the mess I'd made. Just like my life - everything perfect on the surface, chaos underneath. And now Camille, sweet, stupid Camille, had managed to ruin everything even from the grave."You think you're so clever, don't you?" I spoke to the empty air, imagining her ghost watching me fall apart. "Little Miss Perfect with her secret fortune. Did you laugh about it? Did you enjoy knowing you had something I didn't?"I grabb
SCORNED EX WIFE : Queen Of Ashes Chapter 24
ROSE'S POINT OF VIEWThe law office of Berkman, Wade, and Associates smelled of leather, money, and superiority. I adjusted my black dress and studied the others in the conference room. Mom dabbed at her eyes with a monogrammed handkerchief. Dad stared blankly at the polished table. Stefan sat apart from us, face drawn and pale.All of us performing our assigned roles. The grieving family. The heartbroken ex-husband. A perfect tableau of loss.And why wouldn't we? Camille was dead. I knew that for certain. The men I'd hired hadn't just scared her as originally planned, they'd gone further, forcing her car off that bridge, watching it sink into the dark water. They'd called me afterward, panic in their voices. I'd paid them extra for their silence, then cut all contact.Martin Greene entered, carrying a leather portfolio. Dad's longtime lawyer looked appropriately grave as he took a seat."Thank you all for coming," he said. "With the court having legally declared Camille deceased in a
SCORNED EX WIFE : Queen Of Ashes Chapter 23
Chapter 23CAMILLE'S POINT OF VIEWThe scream ripped from my throat before I was fully awake, my body jackknifing upright in bed. Sweat soaked through my silk nightgown, heart hammering against my ribs like it might break through. For a moment, I didn't know where I was, lost in the space between nightmare and reality.Rose's face, smiling as I drowned. Stefan watching from the shore, doing nothing. Their fingers intertwined as they witnessed my death, as casual as if they were watching a sunset."Ms. Kane?" A knock at my bedroom door. "Do you need assistance?"The night guard. New guy. Torres or Torrez. I couldn't remember his name. Victoria rotated security personnel regularly, another layer of protection in her perfectly orchestrated world."I'm fine," I called back, voice steadier than I felt. "Just a dream.""Yes, ma'am. Dr. Reed has been notified as per protocol."Of course she had. Everything in Victoria's mansion was monitored, measured, reported. Privacy was a luxury I'd surr
SCORNED EX WIFE : Queen Of Ashes Chapter 22
Chapter 22ROSE'S POINT OF VIEWThe shoe sat on Detective Ramirez's desk between us. A woman's size seven pump, once black, now gray-green from three months underwater. The heel had broken off, but the designer's red sole remained visible. Louboutin. Unmistakably Camille's."Is this your sister's shoe, Ms. Lewis?" Detective Ramirez asked, his tired eyes watching my reaction carefully.I reached for it with trembling fingers, a calculated tremor I'd practiced thatmorning. "Yes," I whispered, voice breaking on cue. "She wore these the last time I saw her. A gift from our parents for her birthday."The lie slid out smoothly. In truth, I'd given Camille those shoes when she landed her first job, playing the generous big sister while privately mocking her pathetic excitement over my hand-me-downs."Does seeing this personal item bring up any new thoughts about your sister's state of mind before her disappearance?"An interesting question. Not "accident" or "drowning," but "disappearance."
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Chapter 21Camille's point of view Victoria's gaze sharpened. "Yes. Every lesson, every challenge, every seemingly excessive demand, they all serve that purpose. To make you stronger than Sophia was. More prepared for the dangers wealth and power attract.""And to make me capable of the revenge you've planned.""That too," she acknowledged. "The people who hurt you must pay for what they've done. But beyond revenge lies something more important, your future. What you'll build after justice is served."I considered her words, understanding for the first time that Victoria's vision extended beyond my usefulness as an instrument of revenge. She was investing in me for reasons beyond my resemblance to Sophia or my vendetta against Rose."I still shouldn't have come in here without permission," I said after a moment. "This space is sacred to you. I violated that."Victoria sighed, tension visibly leaving her shoulders. "Perhaps it was inevitable. Perhaps it was even necessary." She turned
