The Kane Industries executive suite had transformed into a war room. Phones rang without pause. Screens displayed financial tickers bleeding red. In the center of the chaos stood Camille, her face a mask of calm.
“They’re calling from everywhere,” Hannah said, covering her phone. “Forbes, CNN, MSNBC. They all want a statement about the photos.”
Camille stared at the largest screen showing the New York Spectator’s website with her and Alexander’s private moment splashed across it. Their embrace on his yacht, now public property.
“Who leaked these?” she asked, her voice controlled despite the violation she felt.
“We’re working on it,” said Michael Chen, head of security. “The metadata suggests they were taken three days ago on Mr. Pierce’s yacht.”
Camille’s fingers tightened around her coffee cup. Three days ago. The afternoon she had allowed herself a few hours of peace. The first time she had felt truly alive since Victoria’s collapse.
Her phone buzzed. Alexander.
*I’m downstairs. Security won’t let me up.*
She texted back: *Coming down.*
“I’ll be back in five minutes,” she told Hannah. “Keep monitoring the stock situation.”
“It’s still falling,” Hannah warned. “Down twenty–three points since the photos hit, and the financial allegations aren’t helping.”
The fabricated documents suggesting Alexander had pursued her for insider information had emerged just as the photo scandal peaked. A perfect one–two punch designed to destroy her reputation and their relationship.
Camille rode the private elevator down. When the doors opened, she spotted Alexander immediately.
“This way,” she said, leading him to another elevator requiring her thumbprint. Once inside, away from prying eyes, her guard dropped slightly.
“I’m sorry,” Alexander said immediately. “I should have been more careful. My security team is trying to determine…”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Camille interrupted. “It was a targeted attack. The timing, the financial ‘revelations‘ emerging right after the photos, this was planned.”
Alexander’s face darkened. “Rose and Herod.”
Camille nodded. “Who else would benefit from discrediting us both simultaneously?”
The elevator opened directly into Victoria’s office, now temporarily Camille’s.
“The board is meeting in an hour,” Camille said. “Several members have already called for my resignation.”
“Based on what? That you have a personal life?”
“Based on the suggestion that my personal life creates a conflict of interest.” She gestured to a tablet. “These documents they’re circulating, they’re fake, but convincing. Emails showing you pursued me for information about Kane Industries. Records suggesting you’ve been buying our stock through proxies.”
Alexander scanned the article with growing anger. “These emails never existed. I can prove it.”
“By the time we prove it, the damage will be done.” Camille turned toward the window. “They’re trying to force a crisis of confidence. If the stock falls far enough, Herod can move to acquire controlling interest.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Alexander said firmly.
Camille turned back to him. “We need to be strategic. The board will want to separate us publicly to stabilize the stock price.”
Alexander stepped closer. “And what do you want?”
The question hung between them. What did she want? For months, her focus had been on revenge, then on Victoria’s recovery, then on proving herself worthy. Her own desires had seemed irrelevant.
Until Alexander. Until that afternoon when she had allo
omething beyond victory.
Successfully unlocked!
“I want…” she began, then stopped as the door opened.
Victoria Kane stood in the doorway.
Camille froze. Victoria should still be at home recovering. The surgery had been successful, but her doctors had recommended another week of rest.
1/3
Chapter 119
“Victoria,” she said, moving forward. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Victoria waved away her concern, walking in with only the slightest stiffness. Despite her recent surgery, she radiated authority, dressed impeccably in a charcoal suit.
“I go where I’m needed,” she said simply. “And clearly, I’m needed here.”
She crossed to her desk, setting down a small leather portfolio. Her gaze traveled from Camille to Alexander, assessing them both.
“So,” she said finally. “This is our crisis.”
She gestured to the New York Spectator website still displayed.
“Yes,” Camille acknowledged, bracing for disappointment or anger.
Instead, Victoria nodded thoughtfully. “Sit down, both of you. We don’t have much time before the board meeting.”
They obeyed, taking chairs across from Victoria.
“The photos are real,” Victoria stated. Not a question.
“Yes,” Camille confirmed. “Taken without our knowledge three days ago.”
“And the financial documents? The emails?”
“Fabricated,” Alexander answered firmly. “I can prove it if given time.”
Victoria nodded. “Time is precisely what Rose and Herod are trying to deny us. A classic strategy, create a crisis, then exploit the chaos while everyone is scrambling to respond.”
She opened her portfolio. “Our stock has fallen twenty–six points since the story broke. Trading was temporarily halted, but has resumed with continued decline.”
“The board wants me to step down,” Camille said quietly.
“Of course they do,” Victoria replied, unsurprised. “They’re panicking, looking for the easiest way to stop the bleeding.” She turned to Alexander. “And you? What does your board think of this… entanglement?”
Alexander met her gaze directly. “They’re concerned about the suggestions of impropriety, but they’re standing behind me.” “Because you control your company,” Victoria observed. “I control mine.” She looked at Camille. “Or rather, we do, together.” Camille felt a flicker of hope. Victoria wasn’t shutting her out.
“What’s your assessment of the attack?” Victoria asked.
Camille straightened. “Two–pronged and sophisticated. The photos were meant to create scand
stract, and embarrass.
The financial allegations were the real attack, designed to undermine confidence in both Kane Industries and Pierce Enterprises simultaneously.”
“Making both companies vulnerable to acquisition,” Alexander added.
“Precisely,” Victoria agreed. “And your counter–strategy?”
Camille hesitated. “Conventionally, we would issue denials of the financial allegations, promise an investigation, and…” She paused. “And announce that Alexander and I would be maintaining a purely professional relationship going forward.” “Conventional indeed,” Victoria said, disapprovingly. “And entirely reactive. You’re letting them dictate the terms of engagement.”
“What would you suggest?” Alexander asked.
A hint of respect showed in Victoria’s expression. “When attacked, advance. When they expect you to retreat, charge. When they expect denial, affirm.”
She leaned forward slightly. “They’ve exposed your relationship, expecting shame, expecting retreat. So instead, you confirm it. Proudly. On your terms.”
Camille stared at her mentor, momentarily speechless. “You want us to publicly acknowledge our relationship? After these photos?”
“I want you to seize control of the narrative,” Victoria corrected. “The photos exist. The relationship exists. Denying either makes you appear dishonest or ashamed.”
She turned to Alexander. “Your companies compete in some markets, but also collaborate in others. The Phoenix Grid uses Pierce technology. There’s no inherent conflict, just potential synergy.”
“The board won’t see it that way,” Camille warned.
“The board will see it however I tell them to see it,” Victoria replied with steel in her voice. “I still hold controlling interest.”
She stood, moving to the window. “The question isn’t what the board thinks. It’s what you two think. Is this relationship real? Or is it merely a distraction, a moment of weakness during a stressful time?”
Chapter 119
Camille looked at Alexander, finding his eyes already on her, warm and certain.
“It’s real,” Alexander said, his gaze never leaving Camille’s face.
“Yes,” Camille agreed quietly. “It’s real.”
Victoria nodded, as if confirming something she had already known. “Then fight for it. Together.” She turned back to face them. “Tonight, you will attend the Hamilton Foundation Gala. Together. Arriving openly as a couple. No shame, no apologies.”
Camille felt her heartbeat quicken. The Hamilton Gala was guaranteed to attract press and attention.
“Before that,” Victoria continued, “you will hold a press conference. Together. You will confirm your relationship, explain that while it is relatively new, it is genuine. You will address the financial allegations directly, announcing that both companies will provide evidence of their falsity within twenty–four hours.”
The strategy was bold, unexpected, classic Victoria Kane. Instead of hiding, they would meet the attack head–on, turning vulnerability into strength.
“What about Rose and Herod?” Camille asked. “They won’t stop with this.”
“No, they won’t,” Victoria agreed. “But by taking control of this narrative, you buy time to identify their next move. And you deny them what they truly want, to see you fractured, separated, weakened.”
She gathered her papers. “The board meeting begins in thirty minutes. I will handle them. You two prepare for the press conference at four o’clock. That gives the evening news cycle time to pick it up before the gala.”
As she moved toward the door, Victoria paused. “One more thing. This relationship–while I don’t object to its existence, I expect it to strengthen both of you, not distract you. Rose and Herod targeted it because they believed it would divide your focus, create vulnerability. Prove them wrong.”
With that, she left, the door closing firmly behind her.
For a moment, Camille and Alexander sat in silence. Then Alexander reached for Camille’s hand.
“She’s right,” he said simply.
“About which part?”
“All of it. Especially proving Rose and Herod wrong.” His fingers tightened around hers. “They want to use what we have against us. So instead, we use it as strength.”
Camille looked down at their joined hands. “Are you ready for this? Once we confirm our relation going back. Every aspect of it will be scrutinized, questioned, analyzed.”
}
publicly, there’s no
“I’ve spent my entire life in the public eye,” Alexander reminded her. “But this is the first time I’ve had something–someone -worth facing that scrutiny for.”
His words warmed her, easing some of the dread that had filled her since seeing those photos. She thought of how far she had come–from a woman broken by betrayal to someone strong enough to stand tall under public scrutiny, to fight for what she valued instead of retreating.
“A press conference, then the gala,” she said. “It’s going to be intense.”
“Good thing we’re both at our best under pressure,” Alexander replied with a hint of a smile.
Outside the office, they could see Hannah approaching with several members of the PR team. The next few hours would be a whirlwind of preparation.
But for this moment, Camille allowed herself to feel not just the anger at the violation of her privacy or the worry about Kane Industries‘ stock price, but also the certainty that had been growing inside her since that afternoon on Alexander’s yacht.
Some things were worth fighting for. Some connections too valuable to sacrifice, even in the face of public scandal. Rose had meant to destroy her by exposing her relationship with Alexander. Instead, she had forced Camille to acknowledge what it truly meant to her, and to defend it, openly and without shame.
As Hannah–knocked on the door, Camille squeezed Alexander’s hand once more before letting go. “Let’s show them exactly what they’re up against,” she said quietly.
Together, they rose to meet the storm head–on.
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