SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 101

The clock on Camille's office wall

ticked past eleven. Most of Kane Industries had emptied hours ago, but Camille, couldn't rest, not with Victoria's revelations about Herod Preston still echoing in her mind.

A soft knock pulled her from her thoughts.

"Come in," she called.

Hannah Zhao, the Phoenix Grid's chief engineer, entered clutching a stack of rolled blueprints. Her normally neat appearance had frayed, hair escaping its bun, dark circles under her eyes.

"Ms. Kane, I'm sorry to bother you so late, but..." Hannah hesitated.

Camille motioned to the chair across from her desk. "It's fine. What's wrong?"

Hannah sat, placing the blueprints between them. "I've been going over these since the groundbreaking ceremony.

She unrolled the top sheet. "Something feels... off."

"Off how?"

"After finding those modifications to the safety protocols last week, I started comparing

every version of the blueprints."

She pointed to a section showing the Grid's main junction box. "This is what I designed originally," Hannah said, then unrolled a second blueprint. "And this is what's currently on file for construction." To Camille's untrained eye, they looked identical.

"What am I missing?" she asked.

Hannah retrieved a magnifying glass. "Look at the temperature sensors here, here, and here. The specifications are off by tiny increments. Half a millimeter in placement. Two degrees in the trigger threshold. A Camille examined the areas Hannah indicated. "These are very small changes."

"Individually, yes. But collectively? These modifications would allow the junction boxes to overheat without triggering the emergency shutdown protocols. The system would continue operating as if everything we

"How dangerous?"

Hannah met her eyes directly. "Catastrophic failure. Potential explosions at multiple sites. Massive power outages. And the modifications would make it look like design flaws, like Kane Industries had built an inh Camille sat back, the implications hitting her. This wasn't just sabotage, it was

character assassination.

"When did you first notice these discrepancies?" Camille asked.

"I caught some before the groundbreaking, the ones I showed you and Mr. Pierce last week. We fixed those. But these are different. More subtle. It's like someone went through twice, making different kinds of o Or two different people made changes," Camille murmured, thinking of Rose and Herod.

"Maybe." Hannah looked uneasy. "What I can't figure out

how anyone got access. Our system requires multiple authorizations, biometric verification...."

Chapter 101

"Someone on the inside." Camille stood abruptly. "Keep this between us for now. I'm calling Mr. Pierce, and then we're going through every blueprint. Every specification."

"That could take all night," Hannah said.

nodded grimly. "Then

****

table, even sections of the floor. Hannah

focused intensity. He now

on the floor, comparing circuit

modifications," Hannah announced, adding another mark to her tally. "All made within the

Alexander added. "Nothing that would affect performance during testing

fail spectacularly. After

eyes. "After people started relying on

picked up another blueprint. "They focus on the intersection

city's existing power grid. That's where

said. "Maximum

moved to the window. "We need to identify who

nodded, pulling out her laptop. "I can run a trace. But if they were smart enough to access the system..." "They were

worked, Camille joined Alexander, examining the circuit diagrams. Their shoulders touched as they leaned over the same document. She found comfort in his steady

you think Rose understands any of this technical material?" she asked

likely. But Herod might. Or they've

realized. "Someone on the construction crew. Someone with access

access from authorized terminals, but at odd hours. When

her screen

2:14 AM. 3:47 AM. No one

was here."

"Stolen credentials," Alexander suggested.

scan registered as Louis Brown, one of our senior electricians. At 4:

Chapter 101

shook her head. "Not easily. Our system uses multiple validation points, fingerprint, retinal

involved, or someone forced him to provide access." "Either way, we need to find him." Alexander pulled

he is working with Rose and Herod, and we

Alexander finished. "But we also can't

remain in the

create

Upload

flagging the current

work?"

standard procedure to issue revisions.

one would question it."

"But keep the modified versions

need to watch Walsh without alerting him. If he's their inside man, he could

Rose and

every other system. If they compromised the blueprints, what

the work of someone with both technical knowledge and acces By three in the

resources to avoid potential

the glass wall covered

just tried to destroy the Grid, she'd tried to destroy Camille's reputation, her future, possibly her freedom if the failures had been blamed on "We should get some rest," Alexander said softly. "Hannah's

collapsed onto her

sabotage, the knowledge that someone inside Kane Industries had

her, taking her hand. "We caught it

Camille said. "But Rose and