SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 137

Camille stared at the wall of screens in Kane Industries' crisis management room. Each one showed a different news channel, all broadcasting the same images: smoke pouring

from the damaged substations, firefighters battling flames, and worried faces of New York citizens wondering if their power would fail next. Three hours had passed since the second explosion. The sun would rise soon, bringing with it questions they needed answers for.

"The press is gathering downstairs," Hannah said, placing a tablet in front of Camille. 'Over forty reporters. All major networks."

Camille nodded, her eyes never leaving the screens. The headline crawling across the bottom of Channel 7's broadcast made her stomach clench: "PHOENIX GRID FAILURE? KANE INDUSTRIES FACES QUESTIONS AFTER TWIN EXPLOSIONS

"Stock futures are dropping." Alexander added quietly from behind her. "Down twelve percent already."

Victoria, still pale from her recent surgery but standing straight-

backed and defiant, turned to Camille. "You need to address them. Now. Before the market opens."

Camille felt the weight of all eyes in the room. The engineering team. The security personnel. Victoria. Alexander. All waiting for her to fix this nightmare.

"What do we know for certain?" Camille asked, her voice steadier than she felt.

Hannah stepped forward. "The Grid didn't fail. Our safety systems worked exactly as designed. Despite two major attacks, ninety-

three percent of the network remains operational."

"And the power supply?"

"Stable.

We've rerouted through secondary pathways. No service disruptions to critical infrastructure."

Camille stood, smoothing her blouse with trembling hands. "I need five minutes to prepare. Then I'll speak to them."

In the small bathroom off the crisis room, Camille splashed cold water.on her face and stared at her reflection. Dark circles shadowed her eyes. Her skin looked pale under the harsh fluorescent light. Fear gnaw "You can do this," she whispered to herself. "You've faced worse than reporters."

But had she? Facing Rose's betrayal, Stefan's cruelty-

those were personal wounds. This was different. The Phoenix Grid wasn't just a business project. It represented everything she'd become since Victoria had rescued her. It was her rebirth, her transformation fro And now Rose was trying to destroy that too.

A soft knock interrupted

her thoughts. Alexander stood in the doorway, his tie loose, his face tired but determined.

this," he

her phoenix pendant, the one Victoria had given her at the beginning of her transformation. Camille

can't fix this," she whispered, the

throat. "Everything

closer, his hands gentle on her shoulders. "You're not fixing anything

worked. The safety systems worked. We're

"But the public perception..."

held hers. "Remember who you are, Camille.

the pendant around her neck, drawing strength from its familiar weight. The woman who had worn it when Victoria first gave it to her had been broken, desperate for revenge. The woman wearing it something. Created something. And she wouldn't let

"I'm ready," she said.

their voices blending into a wall "Good morning," she began, her voice clear and unwavering. "Last night, Kane Industries' Phoenix Grid substations were attacked in what authorities

were not system failures. These

meeting the

"They failed."

A reporter from the

how can you claim they failed

question. "Because destruction

did this wanted to prove

New York was empty" She gestured to the large screen behind her, which flickered to life showing a real- time map of the city's power grid. 'As you can see, power remains stable

raised her

raised last week?

mention of the fabricated safety concerns Rose and

based on falsified documents, as we demonstrated at our stockholder

attacks from having their intended effect. The Phoenix Grid was designed with multiple layers of protection precisely because we

"What about

of repairs?" shouted a man from the

for a reason. The mythical phoenix bums and is reborn stronger. By this afternoon, our repair teams will have restored the damaged section: to eighty percent capacity. By this time tomorrow,

her voice dropping so the reporters had to lean in to hear her. "Whoever attacked us clearly

infrastructure, it's a new way of

parts, but the whole

initial skepticism gave way to something else, a grudging respect, even admiration. She answered

last question, I want to share something with you."

screen behind Camille changed to show the Kane Industries building. "As of four a.m. this morning, this building. our headquarters is running entirely on Phoenix Grid power. Not backup generators. N A murmur

you're sitting under, the

the same system that was attacked last night." Camille spread her hands. "We're not just talking about our confidence in this technology. We're demons Industries does. We

The press conference ended

of camera flashes. As Camille walked from the podium, she caught sight of Victoria standing in the back of the room, a rare smile on