Chapter 41

Camille's point of view

The Metropolitan Finance Summit filled the grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel, crystal chandeliers casting golden light over Manhattan's elite. I moved through the crowd with practiced grace, my black Dior dress drawing appreciative glances. Every step,every gesture, every smile carefully calculated to project the image of Victoria Kane's perfect heir.

Inside,though,my mind raced with numbers and plans.Rodriguez Shipping's Asia division lay vulnerable after our last attack. Tonight's event offered perfect hunting grounds, worried investors ready to jump ship,competitors eager to grab market share, reporters hungry for insider tips.

"Searching for your next victim, Ms. Kane?"

Alexander's voice behind me sent an unexpected shiver down my spine. I hadn't heard him approach,unusual for someone trained by Victoria to always track potential threats. But Alexander Pierce had a way of slipping past my defenses.

"Mr. Pierce." I turned, finding him closer than expected "I didn't think finance summits were your preferred hunting ground."

"They aren't." His gray eyes held that knowing look that always made me feel exposed. "But I heard interesting rumors about Rodriguez Shipping's stock taking quite a tumble. Tragic."

His tone suggested he knew exactly how tragic it wasn't. I kept my expression neutral despite my racing heart. "The market can be unpredictable."

"Can it?" He accepted two champagne glasses from a passing waiter, offering me one with elegant precision. "Nothing about you seems unpredictable,Ms. Kane. Every move..." his eyes met mine over the rim of his glass, "perfectly calculated."

The way he emphasized 'perfectly' sent warning signals through my mind.How much did he really know?About my plans? About my true identity? About everything?

"You seem very interested in my movements, Mr.Pierce."

"Alexander," he corrected softly. "And yes, I find you..fascinating."

Heat crept up my neck, and I silently cursed my body's betrayal. This wasn't part of Victoria's careful programming. She hadn't prepared me for the way Alexander Pierce could unsettle my walls with just a look, just a word.

"Why fascinating?" I sipped my champagne,using the moment to steady myself.

His eyes never left mine. "Because beneath all this..."he gestured to my designer dress, my perfect makeup,my polished manner, "there's something real.Something true.Something that hasn't forgotten how to feel."

My hand tightened on the delicate champagne stem."You presume a lot about someone you barely know."

"Do l?" He stepped closer, his cologne teasing my senses. "Tell me, when Rodriguez Shipping's stock crashed today, did it satisfy the hunger inside you? Or did it just make you hungrier?"

Ice slid through my veins even as heat pooled in my stomach. He knew. Somehow he knew everything. But instead of fear,I felt...relief? Finally someone who saw through the mask, who understood the fire burning beneath my skin.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"No?" His smile widened slightly. "Then why is your pulse racing? I can see it..." his eyes dropped to my throat, "right here."

I forced myself to step back, to remember my purpose. Victoria's training screamed at me to retreat,to maintain distance, to protect the mission. "You're very forward, Mr. Pierce."

"Alexander," he corrected again, following my retreat with a fluid step forward. "And you're very evasive,Camille. May I call you Camille?"

The way he said my name... like a caress... like a secret... made my skin tingle. No one said my name that way anymore. Not since I'd buried Camille Lewis and risen as Camille Kane.

"If you must."

"I must." He glanced around the crowded ballroom before leaning close to whisper, "Just like I must warn you,revenge is a fire that burns both ways. Be careful you don't lose yourself in the flames."

Before I could respond, he disappeared into the crowd with the same silent grace he'd appeared. I stood frozen, champagne forgotten in my hand, his words echoing in my mind.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. I went through the motions, networking, gathering information, planting seeds for our next move against Stefan's company. But my mind kept returning to that moment with Alexander, to the way he'd seen straight through my carefully constructed facade.

Later, in my private car heading home, I found myself smiling despite the seriousness of his warning. The way he'd teased me, challenged me, understood me...it awakened something I thought had died when I let Victoria remake me.

My phone buzzed, a message from her confirming tomorrow's strategy meeting about Rodriguez Shipping's Asia division. I should have been focused on that, on the next phase of our plan, on the systematic destruction of Stefan's world.

Instead,I kept hearing Alexander's voice: "Something real.Something true."

When had anyone last seen me that way? Not as Victoria's creation, not as Stefan's ex-wife, not as Rose's forgotten sister, not as the Lewis forgotten heiress. Just... me.

My fingers touched my throat where he'd noticed my pulse racing. Even now, hours later, the memory of his gaze made my heart beat faster. The scent of his cologne lingered on my dress where he'd stood close - cedar and leather and something uniquely him.

Dangerous, Victoria's voice whispered in my mind.He's a distraction. A complication. Remember why we started this. Remember what they did to you.

But for the first time since Victoria saved me, since l buried my old self and became her heir, I wondered if complications might be exactly what I needed. If maybe, just maybe, there was more to life than revenge.

My phone buzzed again. Alexander this time: *Next time you plan to crash a stock, warn me.I do so enjoy watching you work.*

I caught myself smiling again, and this time I didn't try to stop it. Something warm unfurled in my chest,not the cold satisfaction of revenge, but something softer.Something that felt dangerously like hope.

Tomorrow would bring more battles, more strategies,more steps toward destroying those who had destroyed me. But tonight... tonight I let myself remember how it felt to be seen. Really seen.

My phone lit up with one final message from Alexander: *Sweet dreams, little warrior. Try not to topple any empires before breakfast.*

This time, my laugh surprised even me.