SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan) novel Chapter 198

Chapter 198

Victoria's hands shook as she stared at the financial reports spread across her desk. Not from the cancer treatments, those were going better than expected. No, these tremors came from something far worse: the growing certainty that the man sleeping beside her daughter every night might be her greatest enemy.

The attacks on Kane Industries had started three weeks after Camille's wedding. Subtle at first, a few negative stories in financial blogs, some anonymous tips to reporters about safety concerns. Then the stock manipulation, the server outages, the leaked internal documents. Someone with intimate knowledge of their systems was bleeding them slowly, methodically.

Someone close enough to know their vulnerabilities.

Victoria picked up her phone with unsteady fingers.

"Stefan Rodriguez."

"Stefan, it's Victoria Kane. I need to see you. Today."

A pause. "Is Camille.."

"Camille is fine. But I need your help with something that could destroy her if I'm right."

Two hours later, Stefan sat across from Victoria in her private conference room. The guilt he'd carried since betraying Camille had changed him, made him quieter, more thoughtful. More willing to do whatever it took to protect the woman he'd failed so completely.

"You suspect Alexander," Stefan said. It wasn't a question.

Victoria's composure cracked slightly. "The timing of these attacks... they started right after the wedding. Someone is using inside information, intimate knowledge of our systems. And there's something else."

She slid a folder across the table. "Meridian Technologies. It collapsed fifteen years ago after a series of financial attacks that look remarkably similar to what's happening to us now."

Stefan opened the folder, scanning the documents. "Richard Pierce. The founder who died by suicide after losing everything." His head snapped up. "Pierce. As in Alexander Pierce?"

"His uncle." Victoria's voice was barely a whisper. "If Alexander blames me for Richard's death..."

"Then Camille married a man who's using her to get revenge on you." Stefan's face went pale. "Jesus, Victoria. The engagement, the wedding, everything, it could all be an elaborate setup."

The words hung in the air like poison. Victoria thought of Camille's radiant smile on her wedding day, the way she'd looked at Alexander like he'd hung the stars. The idea that it might all be built on lies made her feel physically sick.