SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 148

Chapter 148

Camille knocked on Victoria's office door, files clutched under her arm. The security plans for the

gala needed one final approval, and despite Victoria's reluctance about the event, Camille knew she would want to review the details.

When no answer came, she knocked again.

Still silence.

Camille turned the handle, expecting to find the office empty. Instead, she found Victoria slumped in her chair, eyes closed, face pale as paper. A small bottle of pills had tipped over on the desk, its contents sca

Victoria's eyes fluttered open. For a moment, confusion clouded her face, then recognition dawned. "Camille. I was just resting my eyes."

But Camille wasn't listening. Her gaze had locked on the pill bottle. The label faced upward, the word "OXYCODONE" visible in bold print, along with Victoria's name.

"What are these?" Camille picked up the bottle, dread pooling in her stomach. "Why are you

taking such strong pain medication?"

Victoria straightened in her chair, composing

herself with visible effort. "It's nothing. Just some discomfort from the surgery."

"This isn't for 'some discomfort," Camille said, reading the dosage on the label. "This is for serious pain. And your surgery was months ago. You should be fully healed by now."

Victoria reached for the bottle, but Camille pulled it away.

"Tell me the truth." Camille's voice shook. "What's really going on?"

Something shifted in Victoria's

eyes, a surrender, a resignation. She sighed deeply, then opened her

desk drawer and pulled out a folder.

"I was going to tell you after the gala," she said, sliding the folder across the desk. "I didn't want to distract you. Not with Rose still out there. Not with everything at stake." Camille stared at the folder, afraid to open it. The hospital logo embossed on its cover told her everything she needed to know.

"How bad is it?" she whispered.

"Open it," Victoria said gently.

With trembling fingers, Camille opened

the folder. Medical terms jumped out at her: "metastatic pancreatic carcinoma," " stage four," "poor prognosis." Dates of treatments. Surgical notes. Oncologist recommendations.

But one sentence burned into her brain: "Estimated survival: 3-6 months."

The room tilted around her. Camille gripped the edge of the desk to steady herself.

"Three to six months?" Her voice sounded strange in her own ears, distant and hollow. "That's... that can't be right.”

"The estimates are often conservative," Victoria said, her tone matter-of-

fact. "I could have longer."

"Or shorter." The words escaped before Camille could stop them.

Victoria didn't answer, which was answer enough.

"How long have you known?" Camille asked, papers crumpling in her tight grip.

"Since before the bombing of

the substations. The first symptoms started even earlier."

Camille stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. "All this time?

been dying, and you didn't

"I was protecting you."

Camille's voice rose. "From

time to prepare? From being able to help

"From pain, Camille. I was protecting you from

"We're supposed to be partners. Family. You don't keep something

want me to act like your daughter,” she

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Chapter 148

to focus on the company. On

Camille stepped back. "That's not it

why?" Camille demanded. "Why

bear to see you look at me the way you're looking at me now. With pity. With grief. Like

you to be strong. To be ready to carry on without me. That's what I've been preparing you for

preparing me to work beside you," Camille said. “Not to replace

Camille's hands, her grip

What we've built together,Kane Industries,

I do. It needs to

hands away. "How can you talk about business at a time like this? We should be discussing treatments. Specialists.

every specialist worth seeing," Victoria said patiently. "Tried every treatment with any chance

hot and desperate. "The Victoria Kane I

have fought." For

some battles can't be won, Camille. Some enemies can't be

Suddenly, she

who had rescued and transformed her, but a woman facing her own mortality. Afraid.

a wave of pure grief so powerful it nearly knocked her

against Victoria's shoulder. "Please don't

word slipped out without thought, a raw, honest

her. Not just a mentor. Not just

mother who had saved her, protected her,

froze for a moment, then her arms came around Camille, holding her tightly. Camille felt a dampness against her hair

girl."

probably never allowed herself to shed in front of anyone. "My girl," Victoria whispered, her voice

was no Kane Industries, no Rose, no

the door interrupted them. They pulled apart

scene, Victoria's pallor, Camille's

the medical files on

asked, closing the

Victoria answered for her, her voice steadier than

stained face suggested.

Victoria said. "About

on Alexander's face. "I

toward him, fresh betrayal cutting through her grief. "You knew? You knew and

one might approach a wounded animal. "It wasn't my place to tell you, Camille. Victoria

bitterly. "My parents. You. Probably half the board members

Victoria corrected. "And

spat the word.

your death that you kept from

her, but Camille

of the desk. Alexander moved quickly to her side, helping her back into her chair. "You should rest,"

doctor said, Victona

my daughter just received difficult news Resting can

word hung in the air between them Victoria had never called her that

won't be a gala: Camille said suddenly "Not tonight. Not with your

me like this Victoria's voice regained its familiar steel "We don't show

care about flose right now Camille enapped ""

the gata. Show everyone that Kane Industries remains

to Alexander for support, but his expression told her he agreed with Victoria Of course he did. He

gala goes on. But afterwards, we talk about

suggested she was merely humoring

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