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 FEMME FATALE?" 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.”

I 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."

I 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 handed me the 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," I said suddenly. "When she gets the news."

an eyebrow.

the hunger inside me.

dawned in Victoria's eyes. "Not enough to

position Ms. Kane near the Lewis boutique. The target has an investor meeting there at

Thirty minutes later, I

store in the Fashion District. Tinted windows ensured no one could see me, but I had a perfect view of the boutique's glass front. Rose arrived at 9:50, looking

read the shock in her body language. The momentary loss of control as her practiced mask

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

like honey on

spread through more mainstream media. By noon, three major fashion magazines had picked it up. By two, entertainment news sites were running spe

to see how bad the

The first true strike in

did part of

on the next phase. "When do we release

Let this first scandal fully develop before introducing

just beginning to recover

me. Once, it would have. Now I found comfort in her tactical approach, her emotional

message. I glanced down, expecting another update

your sister's meltdown on Page Six live updates. Remind me never to

darkened the phone screen. How had he known? We'd been so careful, ensuring no connection between Kane Industries and the

sharp eyes missed nothing

too quickly. "Just

calculating, before she returned to the reports. "Tomorrow we'll monitor the fallout and prepare for