SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan) novel Chapter 190

Chapter 190

Alexander stood on their villa's balcony, watching the Italian sunset paint the sky in shades of orange and purple. Behind him, Camille slept deeply, exhausted from their day exploring Capri's winding streets and hidden coves. Her soft breathing carried through the open door, a steady rhythm that should have brought him peace.

Instead, his mind wandered back to New York, to a day that had changed everything. Two days before his engagement party. Two days before he'd committed to building a life with Camille.

The memory hit him with physical force, as vivid now as it had been then.

*** ***

Rain had pounded the windows of his Manhattan penthouse. Alexander had been reviewing contracts when his doorman called up.

"Package for you, Mr. Pierce. No delivery service, just left at the desk."

The plain manila envelope sat on his kitchen counter for an hour before he opened it. No markings, no return address. Just his name typed on a white label.

When he finally slit it open, several documents slid out onto the marble surface. The top sheet, a typed note, said only: *The truth about your uncle's death and the woman who caused it.*

His first instinct had been to trash it. Crackpot conspiracy theories about his family weren't uncommon when you had Pierce's money and profile. But something made him look at the second page.

An internal Kane Industries memo with Victoria's signature. Subject line: *Meridian Technologies - Pierce Vulnerability Assessment.*

Alexander's coffee had gone cold beside him as he read through each page. Internal psychological profiles of his uncle. Strategy documents outlining how to exploit Richard Pierce's financial weaknesses and "known emotional instability." A systematic plan to isolate him from business allies and financial lifelines.

Meeting minutes with Victoria's handwritten notes in the margins: *"R.P. showing signs of extreme stress. Push harder."*

The final document had been a photocopy of his uncle's suicide note, with a section highlighted: *"Victoria Kane has taken everything. There's nothing left."*

Alexander remembered dropping into a chair, room spinning around him. Each breath had felt like drowning. The coffee cup had slipped from his hand, shattering on the floor, the sound barely registering.

Victoria Kane. The woman who had saved Camille from death. The woman who had rebuilt her. The woman whose company he was meant to celebrate with in two days at his engagement party.

Alexander had gathered the papers with shaking hands, placing them back in the envelope. He'd walked to his office safe and locked them away. Then he'd called the only person who might know if they were real.

James Whitfield, his uncle's former business partner.

"Where did you get these?" James had asked, voice tight with emotion when Alexander described the contents.

"Anonymous delivery. Are they legitimate?"

The long pause had told him everything before James even spoke. "Yes. I've been trying to prove what she did for years. After Richard's death, she buried everything. Paid people off. Threatened others. I had pieces, but never the complete picture."

Alexander had gripped the phone so hard his fingers ached. "Why send them to me? Why now?"

"Someone wants you to know who you're really dealing with before you marry into her family."

The engagement party had been in forty-eight hours. Months of planning. Hundreds of guests. And Camille, beautiful, trusting Camille, who loved Victoria like a mother.

"What did you do when you found out?" Alexander had asked.

Another painful silence. "I tried to fight her legally. Spent every penny I had. She buried me, just like she buried Richard. Made sure I couldn't work in tech again."

Alexander had looked out his window at the rain-soaked city. "I need to confirm these myself."

"Be careful," James had warned. "Victoria Kane destroys anyone who threatens what she values. And she values her relationship with Camille above everything."

The next day, Alexander had used resources only a Pierce could access, calling in favors from investigators who could breach Kane Industries' security without leaving traces. By midnight, he'd had confirmation, the documents were genuine. Victoria Kane had deliberately targeted his uncle, knowing his vulnerabilities, pushing until he broke.

Until he tied a noose and stepped off a chair in his home office, where Twenty-one-year-old Alexander would find him hours later.

*** ****

Now, standing on an Italian balcony, Alexander stared at his reflection in the glass door. Behind him, Camille stirred in their bed, murmuring something in her sleep.