Chapter 72

Camille's point of view

I stood in Victoria's office, staring at the meticulously crafted guest list on the desk between us. Names neatly typed in three columns, people whose lives would forever change in exactly two weeks' time.Rose. Stefan. Fashion industry leaders. Business rivals. Society reporters. All unknowingly summoned to witness the final act of a drama two years in the making.

"Are you certain about this?" Victoria asked, her voice carrying none of its usual commanding certainty. "Once we take this step, there's no going back."

I traced my finger down the list, stopping at Richard and Margaret Lewis. The parents who had raised me,then forgotten me when Rose's manipulation had proven more compelling than their love.

"I'm certain," I said, surprised by the steadiness in my voice. "It's time for everyone to know the truth."

After two years of careful planning, of strategic destruction, of watching from the shadows as Rose's empire crumbled piece by methodical piece, the moment had arrived for the final revelation. Camille Lewis wasn't dead. She had been reborn as Camille Kane, and she had orchestrated the systematic destruction of those who had betrayed her.

Victoria studied me, her sharp eyes missing nothing."And your motivation? Is this about justice, or is it personal satisfaction?"

The question hung between us, more significant than it might seem. For two years, Victoria had guided my transformation from broken victim to powerful avenger with one consistent warning: emotion clouds judgment. Strategic revenge required cold calculation, not heated passion.

"Both," I admitted, honesty winning over performance for perhaps the first time since my rebirth. "I want justice. But I also want to see their faces when they realize what's happened. Who's been behind their destruction."

Something like approval flickered in Victoria's eyes."At least you're honest about it. That's progress."

I moved to the windows overlooking Manhattan's skyline. Somewhere in that sprawling city, Rose was hiding in her penthouse, her fashion empire destroyed, her reputation in tatters, her fiancé gone,her godfather's company seized. Stefan was fighting to save the last remnants of his shipping business,his family legacy reduced to a single struggling office in Seattle. Both experiencing exactly the helplessness I had felt when they destroyed my life.

"Alexander thinks I should reconsider," I said, still facing the window.

Victoria's reflection appeared beside mine in the glass. "Does he now? And what are his reasons?"

"He believes revealing myself will give Rose power she currently doesn't have. Knowledge of who's been orchestrating her downfall." I turned to face Victoria. "He thinks it's smarter to let her suffer without ever knowing why."

"And what do you think?"

I considered the question carefully. Alexander's concern wasn't groundless. Rose was dangerous,manipulative, ruthless. Giving her information was giving her a weapon. But something in me needed this final confrontation, needed to stand before her,unveiled, and claim responsibility for her destruction.

"I think some victories need to be witnessed to be complete," I said finally. "Some truths need to be spoken aloud."

Victoria nodded, moving back to her desk to review the event plans. "Then we'll proceed. The Phoenix Gala, two weeks from tonight at the Kane mansion.Ostensibly to announce your appointment as president of our new Tech division."

"And actually to reveal that Camille Lewis has returned from the dead," I finished, a shiver running through me despite my resolve.

Victoria's hand paused over the papers. "There's another factor to consider. Once your true identity is revealed, there will be questions. Investigations.Legal complications. The narrative we created about your 'drowning' will undergo intense scrutiny."

I'd thought about this, of course. The police would want statements. Lawyers would raise questions about identity fraud, about insurance claims processed after my "death," about the legality of assuming a new identity.

"I'm prepared for that," I said, more confidently thanl felt. "The truth about Rose hiring someone to run me off the road will redirect most of the attention.And you have enough legal influence to handle the rest."

Victoria's slight smile acknowledged the truth of this.With her resources and connections, any legal complications would ultimately be managed, if not eliminated entirely.

"Then there's only one question remnaining," she said,fixing me with her penetrating gaze. "After the reveal.After the satisfaction of seeing their faces. After justice is served. What then?"

The question hit harder than I expected. For two years, every thought, every action, every decision had been filtered through the lens of revenge. I had become Camille Kane for the sole purpose of destroying Rose and Stefan. What happened when that purpose was fulfilled?

"I don't know," I admitted, the vulnerable truth surprising us both.

Victoria rose, moving to stand directly before me."Two years ago, I found you in that parking garage.Beaten. Bleeding. Those men Rose had hired to 'teach you a lesson' had nearly killed you."

I nodded, remembering that night with painful clarity.The brutal attack that Rose had arranged after l'd confronted her about Stefan. Victoria appearing like some avenging angel, her driver scattering my attackers, her calm voice directing paramedics even as she offered me a choice I'd never imagined possible.

"| offered you a choice," Victoria continued."Disappear into anonymity and lick your wounds, or rise transformed and claim justice."

"I chose transformation," | said softly. "|I chose strength over victimhood. Strategy over emotion."

"We created the drowning story together," Victoria reminded me. "A way to explain your disappearance while giving us time for your recovery, for the surgeries, for your training. No one ever questioned it because no one was truly looking for you."

The painful truth hung between us. No search parties. No desperate appeals from my parents. No reward offered for information. Just a tasteful memorial service and life continuing for everyone who should have cared that I was gone.

"The drowning story served its purpose," I said,pushing away the hurt that still lingered beneath my carefully constructed exterior. "And now the truth will serve an even greater one."

Victoria touched my shoulder briefly, a rare physical gesture from a woman who typically maintained careful distance. "Don't lose your strength now that victory is within reach."

"I won't," I promised, drawing myself straighter. "But I need to figure out who Camille Kane becomes after revenge is complete."

Victoria returned to the guest list, studying the names with calculating eyes. "Each person on this list will react differently to your revelation. Rose with fury and denial. Stefan with shock and guilt. The business community with fascination and reassessment of your capabilities."

"And my parents?" I asked, the question slipping out before I could stop it.

Victoria's expression hardened slightly. "They forfeited any right to your consideration when they accepted your death so easily. When they didn't question the convenient story. When they embraced Rose as their remaining daughter without eve demanding a proper investigation."

She was right, of course. Among all the betrayals,my parents' easy acceptance of my disappearance had cut perhaps the deepest. Their grief had been real but brief, their focus quickly returning to Rose's achievements, her fashion career, her engagement to my husband.

"They'll be there," I said, studying the guest list again. "Front row seats to understand exactly what their choices cost."

Victoria nodded approvingly. "The event planning team needs final approval on the stage design. I've scheduled them for three o'clock."

"Perfect. I want everything exactly right." I moved toward the door, then paused. "Victoria? Thank you.For finding me that night. For offering me a choice when I had none."

Something almost soft flickered across her typically impassive features. "We all deserve the chance to write our own endings, Camille. Even if that means first tearing apart someone else's carefully constructed story."

I left her office with renewed determination, the guest list for the Phoenix Gala burning in my mind like a promise. Two weeks. Two weeks until masks fell away. Until truth emerged from carefully crafted lies. Until Rose and Stefan and everyone who had harmed me understood exactly who had orchestrated their destruction.

The elevator carried me down to the design department, where samples of invitation designs awaited my approval. I studied each option, finally selecting a sleek black card with a single gold phoenix rising from flames. No explanation. No hint at the true nature of the event. Just a symbol of rebirth that only I would fully understand until the night itself.

"Perfect," I told the waiting designer. "Send these out immediately. Priority delivery to everyone on the approved list."

As the designer hurried away to execute my instructions, I allowed myseIf a rare, genuine smile.In two weeks, society's elite would gather,expecting another lavish Kane industry announcement. Instead,they would witness the return of a woman everyone believed dead. Would see the mask of Camille Kane fall away to reveal Camille Lewis, transformed,empowered, and finally claiming the justice she deserved.

Rose would understand at last who had systematically destroyed everything she valued.Stefan would finally face the consequences of his betrayal. And the world would learn that sometimes,the dead don't stay buried. Sometimes, they rise from ashes, transformed into something more powerful than anyone could have imagined.

The Phoenix Gala wouIdn't just be a revelation. It would be my declaration of existence. My reclaiming of a life that others had tried to erase. And perhaps,though I wasn't ready to admit it even to myself, the first step toward discovering who I might become when revenge no longer defined my every thought and action.

Two weeks. The countdown had begun.