SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 220

The rooftop of Kane Industries stretched out like a concrete garden forty stories above Manhattan's glittering streets. Stefan stood at the edge, his hands gripping the safety railing as he looked out over the city that had witnessed so much pain and betrayal in recent months. The night air was cool against his face, carrying the distant sounds of traffic and the faint smell of rain that might come before dawn.

Hannah emerged from the rooftop access door, carrying two steaming cups of coffee from the break room downstairs. She had been working for sixteen straight hours, analyzing communication patterns and tracking James Whitfield's movements, but she moved with the determined energy of someone who refused to let exhaustion slow her down.P

"I thought you might need this," Hannah said, offering Stefan one of the cups.

Stefan turned from the railing and accepted the coffee gratefully. Their fingers brushed as he took the cup, and both of them noticed the brief contact. The warmth of Hannah's touch lingered on Stefan's skin even after she stepped back.

"Thank you," Stefan said. "I didn't realize how cold it was up here."

Hannah joined him at the railing, standing close enough that their shoulders almost touched. The city spread out below them like a circuit board, all glowing lines and blinking lights that seemed to pulse with electronic life.

"I needed air that didn't smell like stress and computer equipment," Hannah said, breathing deeply. "Sometimes I forget there's a world outside that conference room."

Stefan studied Hannah's profile in the starlight. Her usually perfect appearance was rumpled from hours of intense work, her hair escaping from its ponytail in soft strands that caught the light from the building's exterior illumination. But there was something beautiful about seeing her this way - not the polished professional engineer, but the real person underneath all the competence and dedication.

"You've been incredible through all of this," Stefan said quietly. "The way you tracked down James's real identity, the digital forensics work, stopping his media attack on Victoria. I don't think any of us would have survived without your skills."

Hannah turned to look at him, surprised by the admiration in his voice. "I was just doing my job."

"No, you were doing much more than your job. You were protecting people you care about." Stefan met her eyes. "You were protecting Camille and Victoria, yes. But you were also protecting me."

The words hung between them in the cool night air. Hannah felt her heart beating faster as she recognized the shift in Stefan's tone from professional gratitude to something more personal.

"Stefan," she said softly.

"I know I'm probably the last person who should be thinking about relationships right now," Stefan continued, his voice growing more uncertain. "I know I have a complicated history with Camille, and I know you've seen me at my worst moments. But Hannah, working with you these past weeks has been..."

He paused, searching for words that wouldn't sound inadequate.

what?" Hannah

Not the man who betrayed Camille, not the man carrying guilt for destroying someone else's trust. Just Stefan, working alongside someone

the ledge beside her, giving Stefan her full attention. The starlight made her eyes look deeper, more mysterious than they appeared under the harsh fluorescent lights of the

who's dedicated to finding truth, who refuses to give up

voice vulnerable in a way that made Hannah's chest

whether someone could see past his history of betrayal

could see the uncertainty in his expression, the fear that she might reject him the way

can I tell

"Of course."

meant. I thought it meant doing your job well, following company policies, being professional with your colleagues." Hannah's voice was soft but clear. "But watching

her to continue, afraid to interrupt what

It means seeing someone's potential even when they can't see it themselves." Hannah looked directly into Stefan's eyes. "You've shown that kind of loyalty to Camille, even after she had

was trying to make

way, even when it meant giving up any chance of winning her back." Hannah's voice carried deep respect. "Stefan, do you know

love her

is? How

can

enough to want their happiness more than their

at Hannah's words. She understood what he had

"I need to ask you something, and I want

"Always."

he'd ever asked.

as colleagues working on an investigation, not as people brought together by crisis. Just as Stefan and Hannah, seeing if there might be something

emotion. He had been hurt so badly by his own mistakes with Camille that the idea of opening his heart again felt both necessary and

a long moment, and Stefan felt his pulse quicken with anxiety. Maybe he had misread the signs between them. Maybe she saw him only as a colleague,

and there was something in her voice that made him look at her

"Yes?"

her fingers intertwining with his in a gesture that felt both natural and electric. "I would love to have dinner with you." The relief that flooded through