SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 41

Camille's point of view.

The Metropolitan Finance Summit filled the grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel, crystal chandeliers casting golden light over Manhattan's elite. I moved through

the crowd with practiced grace, my black Dior dress drawing appreciative glances. Every step, every gesture, every smile carefully calculated to project the image of Victoria Kane's perfect heir.

Inside, though, my mind raced with numbers and plans. Rodriguez Shipping's Asia division lay vulnerable after our last attack. Tonight's event offered perfect hunting grounds, worried investors ready to jump sh "Searching for your next victim, Ms. Kane?"

Alexander's voice behind me sent

an unexpected shiver down my spine. I hadn't heard him approach, unusual for someone trained by Victoria to always track potential threats. But Alexander Pierce had a way of slipping past my defenses. "Mr. Pierce." I turned, finding him closer than expected. "I didn't think finance summits were your preferred hunting ground."

"They aren't." His gray eyes held that knowing look that always made me feel exposed. "But I heard interesting rumors about Rodriguez Shipping's stock taking quite a tumble. Tragic."

His tone suggested he knew exactly how tragic it wasn't. I kept my expression neutral despite my racing heart." The market can be unpredictable."

"Can it?" He accepted two champagne glasses from a passing waiter, offering me one with elegant precision." Nothing about you seems unpredictable, Ms. Kane. Every move..." his eyes met mine over the rim The way he emphasized 'perfectly' sent warning signals through my mind. How much did he really know? About my plans? About my true identity? About everything?

in

corrected softly. "And yes, I find you...

up my neck, and I silently cursed my body's betrayal. This wasn't part of Victoria's careful programming. She hadn't prepared me for the way Alexander Pierce could unsettle my walls with just a look, "Why fascinating?" I

to my designer dress, my perfect makeup, my polished manner, "there's something

Something that hasn't forgotten how to

"You presume a lot about someone you barely

me, when Rodriguez Shipping's stock crashed today, did it satisfy the hunger inside you? Or did it just make

everything. But instead of fear, I felt... relief? Finally someone who saw through the mask, who understood

know what you're

is your pulse racing? I

to step back, to remember my purpose. Victoria's training screamed at me to retreat, to maintain distance, to protect the mission. "You're very forward,

again, following my

fluid step forward. "And you're very evasive, Camille. May I

made my skin tingle. No one said my name that way anymore. Not since I'd buried Camille

He glanced

leaning, close to whisper, "Just like I must warn you, revenge is a fire that burns both ways. Be careful you don't lose yourself in the

respond, he disappeared into the crowd with the same silent grace he'd appeared. I stood frozen, champagne forgotten in my hand, his

found myself smiling despite the seriousness of his warning. The way he'd teased me, challenged me, understood me... it awakened something I thought had died when My phone buzzed, a message from her confirming tomorrow's strategy meeting about Rodriguez Shipping's Asia division. I should have been focused on that, on the next phase of our