Chapter 30

CAMILLE'S POINT OF VIEW

"Five minutes until your entrance, Ms. Kane."

I nodded to James, Victoria's head of security who now shadowed me at all public events. My heartbeat quickened, but my face revealed nothing. One year of training had perfected my mask, the serene,confident expression of a woman born to wealth and power rather than thrust into it by circumstance and revenge..

From my position in the private antechamber above the grand ballroom, I could observe without being seen.The Kane Industries Annual Charity Ball spread below me in a glittering panorama of wealth, influence, and carefully cultivated social connections. Three hundred of New York's elite in designer formal wear,diamonds catching light from crystal chandeliers, champagne flowing as freely as the gossip.

All of them waiting for their first real glimpse of Victoria Kane's mysterious adopted daughter. The woman who had appeared seemingly from nowhere, who had closed the TechVault acquisition that business publications called "the deal of the year,"who had been named heir to one of the largest private fortunes in the world.

The woman I had become.

"Are you ready?" Victoria appeared beside me, elegant in midnight blue, silver hair swept into a sophisticated updo. Nothing in her demeanor betrayed the significance of tonight, my official introduction to the social world that had once broken and discarded Camille Lewis.

"Born ready," I'replied, smoothing the skirt of my gown, a custom creation in deep emerald that hugged my transformed body before flowing to the floor in liquid silk. The color had been Victoria's suggestion. "Green for rebirth," she'd said. "For growth emerging from destruction."

Victoria studied me with critical eyes, looking for flaws in my presentation. Finding none, she nodded once."Remember, this isn't merelya social event. It's reconnaissance. Intelligence gathering.Every conversation has purpose."

"Identify allies, locate weaknesses, establish presence," I recited our agreed strategy. "I know my role."

"Good." Victoria checked her diamond watch. "Three minutes. The announcement will come after my welcome speech."

My finges brushed the phoenix pendant at my throat, my talisman, my reminder of transformation through fire. Matching earrings caught the light as I turned to check my reflection one final time in the antechamber's gilded mirror.

The woman looking back bore no resemblance to the one who had signed divorce papers on her anniversary a year ago. Dr. Torres's skilled alterations had given me sharper cheekbones, a more defined jawline, a slightly different nose. My once-long brown hair now fell in a sophisticated bob, darker and more dramatic. Designer clothes draped a body transformed by Jason's relentless combat training,leaner,stronger, carrying itself with unconscious authority.

But the most profound changes were in my eyes. No longer soft with seeking approval. No longer wounded by betrayal. Cool, assessing, confident in ways Camille Lewis had never been.

Rose wouldn't recognize me if we stood face to face. Stefan would see a stranger if we shared an elevator.My own parents would look right through me, not connecting this polished executive with their forgotten daughter.⑪

Perfect.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Victoria's voice carried through the sound system as she took the stage below."Welcome to the annual Kane Industries Charity Ball."

I moved to the top of the grand staircase, positioning myself just out of sight of the crowd below. From here,I could see everything, the raised stage where Victoria addressed the assembled guests, the dance floor surrounding it, the tables laden with gourmet delicacies, the bar areas where the real business of the evening would occur in quiet conversations lubricated by expensive alcohol.

"As you know," Victoria continued, "tonight's event benefits the Kane Foundation for Educational Excellence,which has provided over two billion dollars in scholarships and program funding since its inception."

Polite applause rippled through the crowd. These people hadn't come for charity, they'd come for connections, for status, for the exclusive privilege of attending the most sought-after social event of the season. The millions raised were merely a convenient byproduct of their networking.

"Before we continue with the evening's program,like to make an introduction many of you have been anticipating." Victoria's voice changed subtly, warming with what sounded to the uninitiated like maternal pride. Only I knew the calculation behind this performance.some of you may know, I've recently welcomed a daughter into my life."②

A murmur ran through the crowd, speculation finally about to be confirmed.

"Though we've kept her identity private until now to allow her time to acclimate to her new role, many of you have already read about her business achievements." Victoria turned toward the staircase where I waited.|gives me great pleasure to introduce my daughter and heir, Camille Kane."

My cue. I stepped forward, emerging into view at the top of the staircase. Three hundred faces turned upward, scrutinizing every detail of my appearance, hungry for first impressions they could dissect later in private conversations.

I paused for precisely three seconds, long enough to be noticed, not long enough to seem hesitant,before descending the stairs with practiced grace. The emerald gown whispered against marble steps, the slit revealing glimpses of leg with each movement, the bodice catching light in subtle patterns designed to draw the eye without seeming ostentatious.①

Every eye tracked my progress. Every conversation halted. Even the serving staff paused in their duties,caught in the gravitational pull of a moment they sensed was significant.

Victoria extended her hand as I reached the bottom step, a gesture both welcoming and possessive. I took it, allowing her to draw me forward into the spotlight.

"Thank you, Mother,"|said, the word still strange on my tongue despite months of practice. "I'm honored to join you tonight."

Simple words, delivered with quiet confidence. Not overeager. Not nervous. The perfect blend of gratitude and self-assurance expected from someone worthy of the Kane name.

Applause broke out, polite at first, then warmer as Victoria smiled her approval. Not of me, but of their response to me. The room read her body language, her facial cues, and adjusted their own reactions accordingly.If Victoria Kane valued this young woman, they would as well, at least to her face.

"Please, enjoy the evening," Victoria concluded, dismissing the crowd with a regal nod. "Remember,every dollar spent tonight benefits children who deserve educational opportunities regardless of economic background."

The orchestra resumed playing as Victoria guided me through the initial gauntlet, board members and their spouses, major shareholders, key political figures whose support Kane Industries cultivated with careful attention. Names and faces I'd memorized from dossiers, now animated before me, each requiring specific handling.

"Senator Williams, how lovely to see you again," Victoria said to a silver-haired man with an ambitious wife half his age. "Have you met my daughter?"

"Only by reputation," he replied, eyes assessing me with interest that wasn't entirely professional."Your TechVault acquisition was impressively executed. Especially for someone so new to the field."

The slight condescension in his tone might have once made me shrink, apologize, explain. Now I simply smiled, meeting his gaze directly.

"New perspectives often see opportunities others miss," I replied, the practiced line delivered as if it had just occurred to me. "Though I certainly benefited from excellent guidance."

The senator's wife, Melanie? Melissa?touched my arm with false familiarity."That gown is divine. Is it Valentino?"

"Custom Zac Posen," I corrected gently, noting how her fingers lingered on the fabric, assessing its cost, its exclusivity. "Your Dior is stunning as well. Spring collection?"

Her surprise at my accurate identification flickered briefly before she recovered. "Yes! You have a good eye."

"Camille has many talents," Victoria interjected smoothly, before guiding me away. "We must continue our rounds, but please enjoy the evening."

As we moved through the crowd, she murmured, "Williams is facing an ethics investigation. His wife spends beyond their means to maintain appearances.Potentially useful information."

I nodded, filing this away with all the other details Victoria shared about our guests. Every introduction came with subtext, every conversation containing layers beneath its surface pleasantries.

For the next hour, I performed exactly as trained, charming but not effusive, intelligent but not intimidating,attentive but not overeager. The perfect heir to Victoria's empire, raised in European privacy, now emerging to take her rightful place.

By the time Victoria released me to circulate independently, I had identifiedthree potential business allies,recognized two social climbers to avoid, and cataloged countless relationships and rivalries that might prove useful in future negotiations.

"Don't stay with any one group too long," Victoria advised before departing to speak with the mayor."Circulate. Observe. Remember why we're here."

As if I could forget. Every moment of this evening served our larger purpose, establishing Camille Kane as a force in her own right, gathering intelligence on the social world Rose aspired to dominate, laying groundwork for the next phase of our plan.

I accepted a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, sipping it slowly as I moved through the crowd.Women studied my gown, my jewelry, my hair, assessng my status in their private hierarchies. Men tracked my movements with varying degrees of subtlety, some professionally curious, others with more personal interest.

None of them saw me. Not really. They saw wwhat I wanted them to see, Victoria Kane's polished heir,mysterious and intriguing, worth cultivating as a connection. None recognized the woman who had once moved among them as Stefan Rodriguez's unremarkable wife, as Rose Lewis's overshadowed sister.

The irony almost made me smile.