SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 16

Camille's point of view

By four o'clock, my brain felt stuffed with French conjugations and pronunciation corrections. My third coffee of the day wasn't helping the shaking in my hands.

Mrs. Harrington, the etiquette coach, noticed immediately. A lady never allows fatigue to show," she reprimanded, straightening my already-

straight spine.

"Shoulders back. Chin parallel to the floor. Now, let's review the proper handling of difficult dinner conversations."

For two more hours, we practiced responding to inappropriate questions, managing awkward silences, and the subtle art of steering conversations toward or away from specific topics. All skills Victoria deemed When James finally drove me back to the mansion at six, I had exactly forty-

five minutes to prepare for dinner with the board

members. My head pounded. Black spots danced at the edges

of my vision. The thought of making small talk with twelve stern executives made me want to curl into a ball and disappear.

Instead, I changed into the evening dress laid out for me, an elegant black Dior that probably cost more than most people's monthly salary. The stylist had left detailed notes about which jewelry to wear and how Looking in the mirror, I barely recognized the sophisticated woman staring back at me. Designer dress. Perfect makeup. Expensive jewelry. I looked like I belonged in Victoria's world of wealth and power. But inside, I felt hollowed out. Empty. A pretty shell with nothing left inside.

My knees buckled suddenly, room

spinning around me. I grabbed the vanity for support, but my arms gave way. The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was my reflection sliding sideways in the mirror, eyes closing as consciousness slij

I woke to softness beneath me and the sensation of something cool on my forehead. Opening my eyes slowly, I found myself on my bed, still in the black dress, though someone had removed my shoes.

"The third time this week," Victoria's voice came from nearby. "Your body is telling you something."

I turned my head to find her sitting in a chair

beside my bed, reading glasses perched on her nose as she reviewed documents. She didn't look up.

is it?" I

found you when you

she was reading. "I sent your regrets to the board. We'll reschedule." Shame washed over me.

what? Having physical limitations?

struggled to sit up, room

"The dinner

condition to attend." She set aside her

More lessons? Earlier mornings? I couldn't imagine how my schedule could become more grueling than it

before I could stop it, raw and honest in a way I hadn't allowed myself to be since accepting

If anything, she looked like she'd been

by being comfortable, she

even my own

stood, moving to the window that overlooked the mansion's gardens, silver hair gleaming in

"When I was twenty-

three jobs while attending

for two years. Collapsed twice from exhaustion. Kept

first company. By thirty, my first billion. Each step required

isn't sustainable," I protested. "I

she interrupted. "That's precisely

at her,

"Most people never discover their actual capacity because they stop at the first sign of

you more than facts and skills. It's shown you that you're capable of far more than you believed." I considered her words, realizing with surprise that she

ago, I couldn't have imagined. absorbing so much information, enduring such physical

Victoria continued. We've established your baseline. From

through

five. Business education condensed into more efficient modules. More independent study, less classroom time." She handed me a glass of water from the bedside table. "Your body needs recovery

her over the rim of the glass. "You

she acknowledged. "Just as I anticipate your

"Which is?"