SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan) novel Chapter 179

Chapter 179

The silver wedding binder sat open on Camille's desk, pages filled with fabric samples and venue photos. After months of courtrooms and business takeovers, the sight of something so normal, so hopeful, felt almost strange. Camille ran her fingers over a scrap of ivory silk, allowing herself a small smile.

"Penny for your thoughts," Alexander said, entering her office with two coffee cups in hand.

"Just thinking how different this feels now." She accepted the coffee, breathing in its rich aroma. "Before Rose's trial, planning felt... impossible. Like tempting fate."

Alexander settled into the chair across from her desk. "And now?"

"Now it feels real." She turned a page in the binder to reveal a lakeside estate. "What do you think of this one?"

"Beautiful," he said, studying the photograph. "But what really matters is if you like it."

Camille considered the image, gardens sloping down to a private lake, mountains in the background, a grand house with wraparound porches. Nothing like the ultra-modern Manhattan venues she'd initially considered.

"I do," she admitted. "It reminds me of Cedar Lake. The good memories, before Rose."

The phone on her desk buzzed. Her assistant's voice came through the speaker. "Ms. Kane, your mother Victoria is on line one."

Camille glanced at Alexander, who raised an eyebrow. Victoria rarely called during business hours, adhering strictly to the boundaries she'd established since stepping down.

"Put her through," Camille said, pressing the speaker button.

"Camille," Victoria's voice filled the room, its usual crispness softened by the hint of a smile. "I've made a decision that isn't up for debate."

Alexander smothered a laugh. Some things never changed.

"Hello to you too, Victoria," Camille replied. "What non-debatable decision have you made now?"

"I'm hosting your engagement party. Two weeks from Saturday at my home."

Camille and Alexander exchanged glances. Though Victoria's cancer treatment was going well, she tired easily. Hosting a major social event would tax her strength.

"Victoria, that's not necessary...."

"It absolutely is," Victoria cut in. "You two have been engaged for months while dealing with Rose's trial and my treatment. It's time to celebrate properly."

Camille twisted her engagement ring, the diamond catching the morning light. The phoenix design Alexander had commissioned glinted gold and platinum around her finger – a symbol of her transformation, her rise from ashes.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" she asked gently.

Victoria's sigh crackled through the speaker. "Camille, I may have cancer, but I'm not an invalid. My doctors say I'm responding exceptionally well to treatment. Besides," her voice softened further, "I want to do this for you. For both of you."

The unexpected tenderness in Victoria's voice made Camille's throat tighten. This was the woman who had rebuilt her from broken pieces, who had taught her strength but never softness. Now, in her illness, Victoria was changing too.

"Alright," Camille conceded. "But a small gathering."

"Fifty people at most," Victoria agreed too quickly, making it clear she'd already planned for this number.

"And my parents will be there, of course?" Camille asked.

"I already spoke with Margaret last week," Victoria confirmed. "She's offered to handle the floral arrangements. Your father and I discussed the wine selection yesterday."

Alexander raised his eyebrows, impressed by how Victoria had already set things in motion, including coordinating with the Lewises.

"Good," Camille said, pleasantly surprised at how smoothly Victoria and her parents continued to work together. Their cordial relationship had been one of the unexpected benefits of the reconciliation process.

"Then that's settled," Victoria declared. "My assistant will coordinate with yours for the remaining details. And Alexander?"

"Yes, Victoria?" he answered.

"Make sure she actually takes time to enjoy this. She works too hard." The line clicked dead before either could respond.

Alexander grinned. "Physician, heal thyself."

Camille closed the binder and leaned back in her chair. "She's really throwing herself into this."

"It's good to see her and your parents cooperating," Alexander remarked. "Their relationship may not be close, but it's nice they can work together on something important to you."

"It's still strange sometimes," Camille admitted. "The Lewis name carries weight in its own circles, but..."

"But Victoria operates in a different sphere of influence," Alexander finished. "Old money versus new power."

Camille nodded. Though her parents moved comfortably among Boston's elite and maintained their place in the Social Register, Victoria's self-made empire represented a different kind of authority altogether. Both commanded respect, but in vastly different ways. That they could maintain a cordial relationship despite these differences spoke volumes about their shared priority: Camille's happiness.

"Speaking of social positioning," Alexander said, pulling a newspaper from his briefcase, "have you seen this?"

He laid the society pages before her. The headline read: "Phoenix Rising: America's New Power Couple Emerges from Ashes of Tragedy." Below it stretched a photo of Camille and Alexander at last week's charity gala, her phoenix pendant gleaming at her throat.