Chapter 34

"You'll attend the Bellamy Gallery auction in my place tonight," Victoria said, not looking up from the documents spread across her desk. The statement carried the weight of command rather than request.

Camille paused by the doorway of Victoria's home office."The Bellamy auction? Isn't that where..."

"Yes," Victoria confirmed, finally glancing up with calculating eyes. "According to my sources, both Rose and Stefan will be in attendance. Rose has been desperately trying to secure a meeting with Kane Industries' investment team for weeks. This presents an... opportunity." 1

Camille's heart quickened. "To see them?"

"To observe their dynamics in a neutral setting. To understand exactly what you're up against." Victoria rose from her chair, moving to stand before Camille with critical assessmnent. "The question is whether you're ready."

"I've spent months preparing," Camille replied,steadying her voice. "I've changed everything about myself. They won't recognize me."

Victoria's expression remained unconvinced. "Physical transformation is only part of it. Can you maintain your composure when you see the man who abandoned you with the sister who betrayed you?"

The question struck like a physical blow, but Camille didn't flinch."Yes."

"Even when anger threatens to overwhelm you? When every instinct screams to reveal yourself?"

"Yes," Camille repeated,more firmly this time.

Victoria studied her for a long moment before nodding once. "The Dior in midnight blue. Simple diamond studs. Your hair swept back. You are Camille Kane tonight,confident,untouchable.Remember,you aren't attending to confront them. You're there to remind yourself why all of this is necessary.Remember who you are now. Camille Kane. My daughter. My heir." With those words lingering in her mind, Camille prepared for the evening ahead.

The evening at the gallery had drawn Manhattan's elite like moths to flame, their jewelry catching light beneath crystal chandeliers. Through the glittering crowd, Camille saw them first, Rose and Stefan entering arm in arm, her sister's red dress a slash of color against Stefan's dark suit. The sight sent ice through her veins, though nothing showed on her carefully composed face.

She kept her champagne glass steady, maintained her pleasant expression as she discussed upcoming exhibitions with the museum curator. But beneath that polished exterior, her pulse quickened with a mix of rage and anticipation. They moved through the room like they owned it, Rose's practiced laugh carrying over the general chatter, Stefan's hand resting possessively at her waist.

When the curator excused himself, Camille knew what was coming. She watched Rose's predatory gaze scan the room, noting faces, calculating connections. The moment her sister spotted her, those familiar eyes lit with interest, registering the designer dress,the subtle jewelry, the way other guests deferred to her presence.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced," Rose purred, extending her hand with practiced grace."Rose Lewis. And this is my fiancé, Stefan Rodriguez."

Camille accepted the hand that had once straightened her wedding veil, fought back the urge to either crush it or recoil. "Camille Kane. A pleasure."

She watched confusion flicker across Stefan's face at her name, quickly masked but present. Rose's smile remained fixed, though calculation sparked behind her eyes as she processed the surname.

"Kane... any relation to Victoria Kane?" The casual tone couldn't hide her sudden intensity.

"My mother," Camille replied simply, watching that information land. Rose's smile widened fractionally,here was the connection she'd been hoping to make since her failed meeting with Kane Industries.

"How fascinating!" Rose leaned in slightly, like sharing a confidence. "I've long admired your mother's business acumen. In fact, I recently had the pleasure of meeting with one of her representatives about potential investment in my fashion line."

Camille let her lips curve in the slight smile Victoria had taught her, one that offered nothing while suggesting everything. "Yes, I believe I saw the proposal cross my desk."

Stefan shifted his weight, something about her clearly needling at his subconscious. "I'm sorry, but have we met before? Something seems familiar..."

"I don't believe so," Camille replied coolly,even as her heart thundered in her chest. "I've spent most of my life in Europe. Only recently returned to New York."

"Of course," he said quickly, though doubt lingered in his expression. "My mistake. You just reminded me of someone for a moment."

Rose shot him a quick, sharp look before turning back to Camille with renewed warmth. "We simply must have lunch soon. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the current fashion landscape. Perhaps next week?"

"I'm afraid my schedule is quite full," Camille demurred, using the subtle dismissal Victoria had drilled into her. "But do keep in touch with our investment team. I'm sure they'll be in contact once decisions are made."

She watched Rose's smile tighten almost imperceptibly. Her sister wasn't used tobeing the one seeking favor rather than granting it. The role reversal clearly unsettled her, though she recovered quickly.

"Of course," Rose said smoothly. "We won't keep you from your other guests. Stefan?”

As they moved away, Camille maintained her composed expression while victory sang through her veins. They hadn't recognized her. The woman they had methodically destroyed stood right before them,and they hadn't known her.

She excused herself to the powder room, needing a moment to steady her racing heart. The private space offered brief sanctuary, allowing her to study her reflection, the sharp cheekbones that had replaced softer features, the elegantly styled hair so different from her former length, the confidence in her posture that Dr. Torres's work and Victoria's training had carefully crafted. No trace remained of the woman they had known.

But that woman's emotions still raged beneath the surface,memories of betrayal sharp as knives. Seeing them together, so casually content, so unburdened by their cruelty... it took every ounce of control not to reveal herself, not to show them exactly who stood before them.

The door opened and Camille instantly checked her expression. Rose entered, pausing briefly when she saw who occupied the mirror.

"Ms. Kane," she said warmly. "I hope you'll forgive my persistence, but I simply had to try one more time.My line really is doing exceptional things with sustainable luxury fashion. Perhaps I could have my assistant send over our latest projections?"

Camille met her sister's eyes in the mirror, the same eyes that had watched Stefan sign divorce papers on her anniversary, that had feigned sympathy while stealing her husband, that had likely celebrated news of her "death."

"Ms. Lewis," Camille said quietly, savoring the small flinch Rose couldn't quite hide. "In business, timing is everything. And I'm afraid your timing is... unfortunate."

Rose's smile faltered slightly. "I don't understand."

"The market is shifting. Luxury fashion is a crowded space." Camille turned to face her directly, allowing just a hint of the truth to color her words. "Sometimes no matter how hard we try, no matter how perfect our presentation, things simply don't work out the way we hoped."

Something dark flickered in Rose's eyes, a glimpse of the calculating predator beneath her polished smile."Everything works out exactly as it should," she said,her tone carrying an edge. "Eventually."

"Perhaps," Camille agreed smoothly. "But not always in the way we expect."

She moved toward the door, pausing with her hand on the handle. "Congratulations on your engagement,by the way.Second chances are so rare, aren't they?"

The confused unease on Rose's face was almost worth the years of pain that had led to this moment.Camille slipped out of the powder room, her composed exit masking the trembling in her hands.

Her controlled departure ended abruptly as she collided with someone just outside the door. Strong hands steadied her before she could stumble, the touch sending an unwelcome shiver down her spine.

"We meet again, Ms. Kane," Alexander Pierce's voice held that same knowing tone that had haunted her since the charity ball. "Though perhaps we should stop running into each other quite so literally."

His gray eyes studied her face with unsettling intensity,his hands lingering on her arms a moment longer than necessary.When he finally released her, that infamous smirk played at his lips.

"Mr. Pierce," she managed, fighting to keep her voice steady. "I wasn't aware you frequented art galleries."

"I go where my interests lead me," he replied, his gaze never leaving her face. The unspoken meaning behind his words hung heavy in the air between them.

Across the room, Rose had emerged from the powder room just in time to witness their interaction. She drifted toward an elderly woman known for her encyclopedic knowledge of New York society,carefully positioning herself within earshot.

"That's Victoria Kane's daughter with Alexander Pierce,"the woman was telling another guest, her voice carrying just enough to reach Rose's ears. "The heiress to Kane Industries. Quite the story, adopted years ago but kept out of the public eye until recently. Now she's set to inherit one of the largest fortunes in the world."

Rose's perfectly manicured nails dug into her palm as the information sank in. The woman she'd just practically begged for investment wasn't merely Victoria's daughter or a Kane Industries executive, she was Victoria Kane's chosen heir. The realization of how badly she'd mishandled their interaction made her stomach churn.

Stefan appeared at her side, noticing her sudden tension. "What's wrong?"

"Do you realize who that is?" Rose hissed under her breath, watching as Pierce and Camille continued their intense conversation. "Victoria Kane's daughter.Not just some company representative, the actual heir to Kane Industries."

Meanwhile, Camille felt caught between two fires,Pierce's dangerous knowledge of her true identity, and Rose's newly informed observation of their interaction.She could practically see the calculations happening behind her sister's eyes, likely already planning how to salvage the situation and gain access to the Kane fortune.

"Having an interesting evening?" Pierce asked softly,clearly enjoying her discomfort. "Family reunions can be so... complicated."

"| don't know what you think you know," Camille replied quietly, "but you're playing a dangerous game."

His smile widened fractionally. "On the contrary, Ms.Kane, or should I say Ms. Lewis? I think I'm the only one here who truly understands the game being played." 2

Before she could respond, he stepped closer,his voice dropping to barely a whisper. "The question is, do you understand what you're really playing for?"

He moved past her then, leaving Camille with the unsettling sensation that she was missing something vital. Something that went beyond her carefully planned revenge. Something that Pierce could see but she couldn't, or wouldn't, acknowledge.

Across the room, Rose was already typing furiously on her phone, likely instructing her assistant to compile everything available about Victoria Kane's mysterious daughter. Her earlier dismissal clearly burned,but now calculation replaced humiliation in her expression. She had always excelled at turning setbacks into opportunities.