SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 56

Rain lashed against the penthouse windows, matching the storm brewing inside. Rose stared at Stefan across the living room, his posture rigid as he clutched his phone in a white knuckled grip. The text messa "That's the third cancellation today," Rose said, fighting to keep her voice steady. "Bergdorf claims 'brand association concerns. As if they've suddenly developed a moral conscience."

Stefan didn't look up. "Did you sleep with him too?"

"What?"

"The Bergdorf buyer." His voice held a coldness she'd never heard before. "Did you sleep with him like you did with Jonathan Hayes? Like you did with Lord Hartley? Like you apparently did with half of London Rose flinched as if he'd slapped her. "That's not fair."

"Fair?" Stefan finally looked up, eyes red-

rimmed from lack of sleep. “The photos are everywhere, Rose. The financial records linking you to Bessonov. The evidence keeps piling up, and every time I think I've seen the worst, something new emerges.” She moved to the bar, pouring herself a drink with hands that trembled slightly. Three weeks since the first scandal photos had emerged. Three weeks of constant new revelations, each one more damaging tha "Those photos are from years ago," she said, the defense sounding weak even to her own ears. "Before us. Before...

"Before us?" Stefan laughed, a harsh sound devoid of humor. "The timestamps, Rose. Did you think no one would notice the timestamps? You were on that yacht with Bessonby the same week you called me from 'Paris' to say how much you missed me. The same month you told me you were focusing on your fashion education."

Rose drained her glass, the alcohol burning a path down her throat. Outside, lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the rain- drenched city below.

"Everyone has a past," she tried again. "Things they're not proud of. Things they'd rather forget."

"A past is one thing. Lies are another." Stefan moved to the window, putting distance between them. "I could have accepted mistakes, Rose. I could have understood poor choices. What I can't accept is that eve The truth of his words stung more than she wanted to admit. Her entire life had been a series of careful calculations, strategic moves to achieve the position, the power, the prestige she'd always craved. "That's not true," she said, voice smaller than intended. "My feelings for you were real. Are real "

"Were they?" He turned to face her again. "Or was I just part of your plan? A stepping stone to the life you wanted? The same way my company was a stepping stone for your fashion line's shipping needs?" Rose set down her glass with more force than necessary, "That's not fair. My business success came from talent, from hard work, from....."

"From sleeping with your mentor's husband to steal design concepts?" Stefan cut in. "From using Bessonov's money to fund your first collection? From manipulating fashion editors into featuring your work?" Each accusation Landed like a physical blow. All the carefully hidden truths, all the meticulously buried secrets, exposed for everyone to see. For Stefan to see

"You

don't understand,” she said, desperation creeping into her voice. "I did what I had to do. Coming from nothing, having nothing you can't judge me for fighting my way up."

"Coming from nothing?" Stefan's expression shifted from anger to confusion. "Your parents are wealthy. You grew up with every advantage."

late. Another calculation error in a month filled with them. Another slip that

one takes you seriously without the right connections. I

before the Lewises adopted you. Not once in all the

turned away, reaching for the bottle

dangerously. "Or is this just

"You don't know

think I'm finally starting to." He picked up his phone again, swiping through more headlines about her scandals. "All these photos. All these stories. They're

she wants, regardless of who gets hurt." Stefan's voice was steady now, his initial rage" cooling into something more dangerous, clarity. "Someone who sees people as stepping stone so long she's forgotten there was ever anything

close to truth.

softening in the way she

him before.

us." She reached for his hand. "We can

from her touch. "That's just it, Rose. I don't think there's

by her no matter what, who had carried a

disheveled hair. "You know what keeps me awake at night? Not the company collapsing. Not my father's disappointment.

sliding into dangerous territory,

This isn't about her."

"Isn't it?" His eyes

hers. "I left a good woman who loved me genuinely for... what? The

Rose snapped, anger sparking again "Tim standing right here, fighting for us while you throw away everything we've built because of some old photos,

woman I've spent years pining for is a construction. A carefully calculated im

"Isn't it?"

featured. Now replaced by coverage

face for a long moment. "Maybe you do. In your way. But

love looks

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