Chapter 86

Camille woke to her phone's insistent buzz. Seventeen missed calls. Forty-two texts. Hundreds of news alerts.

Her stomach tightened as she read the first notification: "BREAKING: Kane Heiress Mental Health Crisis Exposed."

The Daily Chronicle headline screamed across her screen: "CAMILLE LEWIS: THE DISTURBING TRUTH BEHIND THE REVENGE PLOT."

Below it, a photo of Rose looking vulnerable and tearful, alongside an image of Camille from the Phoenix Gala, her expression caught in a moment that appeared almost manic.

She scrolled down, each paragraph hitting her like a physical blow:

"Anonymous sources close to the Lewis family have revealed a decades-long history of mental health concerns regarding Camille Lewis. Medical records suggest diagnoses of paranoid delusions and persecution complex dating back to her teenage years."

"These conditions reportedly worsened after her marriage to Stefan Rodriguez, culminating in violent outbursts and fabricated accusations against her adopted sister,Rose Lewis."

"The dramatic 'resurrection' and accusations at the recent Kane Industries gala appear to be the culmination of a carefully constructed delusion, enabled by Victoria Kane."

Camille's phone rang. Victoria.

"Have you seen it?" Victoria's voice cut through without greeting.

"I'm looking at it now," Camille fought to keep her voice steady. "How is this possible? These are complete lies. They claim to have medical records..."

"Fabricated, obviously. They've planted stories in every major outlet. It's coordinated and professional."

Camille opened her laptop. The story was everywhere, news sites, social media, television. Each outlet added its own spin, but the core narrative remained: Camille Lewis had always been unstable. Rose was the true victim. Victoria Kane had exploited a mentally ill woman for corporate revenge.

"They've included photos from my childhood," Camille's voice cracked. "Photos only my parents would have had."

There she was at thirteen, looking sullen, the caption reading "Early signs of isolation and paranoia."

Another image showed her arguing with Rose.... "Violent confrontation before witnesses."

"This is Rose," Camille whispered. "It has to be."

"With help," Victoria added grimly. "This level of media saturation requires resources."

Camille read comments beneath the articles. The public had already chosen sides:

"Always thought something was off about that whole revenge story."

"Poor Rose! Imagine living with someone that unstable."

"Kane Industries stock dropping. Would YOU trust a mentally ill woman to run a billion-dollar company?"

Alexander texted: "I'm on my way over. Don't talk to anyone. We'll handle this."

Camille was too busy scrolling through a supposed "exclusive interview" with a former classmate who claimed she had exhibited "disturbing behavior" in college.

"None of this is true," she whispered. "I never even had therapy until after the parking garage attack."

"Truth is irrelevant in today's media environment," Victoria said. "This is about narrative control."

The doorbell rang. Camille jumped, still in her nightclothes.

"Ms. Kane?" Her housekeeper called. "There are reporters outside the gates."

"Tell them Ms. Kane has no comment," Victoria instructed through the phone. "And activate privacy protocol "What's protocol seven?" Camille asked.

"Lockdown procedures.Additional security, communications blackout except for secure lines. This is a calculated attack, Camille. Not just character assassination, they're trying to destabilize Kane Industries through you."

Camille's television switched on automatically, tuned to financial news: "....stock opening down twelve percent on reports questioning the mental fitness of Kane's heir apparent. Analysts suggest this could impact the upcoming Phoenix Grid project launch."

She muted it but couldn't look away from the scrolling ticker showing Kane Industries' stock falling inreal time.

"They're hitting us from every angle," Victoria observed. "Personal reputation, company valuation, project viability."

Camille's phone lit up with more notifications about her supposed mental instability.

"They're saying l've been institutionalized multiple times," she told Victoria, her voice hollow. "That I attacked Rose physically before disappearing."

"Don't engage with any of it. This is exactly what they want, to throw you off balance, make you react emotionally."

A financial alert popped up: "Analysts questioning stability of Phoenix Grid project leadership as Kane Industries heir faces mental health allegations."

"They're targeting the project. How would Rose even know about the technical details of Phoenix Grid?"

A heavy silence fell on Victoria's end.

"Victoria?"

"We have a leak," Victoria said finally. "Someone inside Kane Industries is feeding information to Rose."

The doorbell rang again.

"Ms. Kane! Mr. Pierce is here."

Camille took five minutes to dress, brush her hair, and apply minimal makeup. When she opened her bedroom door, Alexander stood in her living room, speaking urgently with Victoria on his phone.

"Our communications team is tracking the source," he said.sophisticated, multiple points of origin,carefully timed releases."

"It's Rose," Camille said flatly.

"Rose with considerable resources behind her," Alexander corrected. "The technical analysis alone...."

"Technical analysis?"

"There's a piece in the Journal questioning the Phoenix Grid technology. Highly technical, citing 'anonymous engineers' who claim the integration systems are fundamentally flawed."

"Turn on the television," Alexander said suddenly.

Camille unmuted to find Rose on screen, looking pale and composed.

"I've stayed silent too long," Rose was saying, her voice gentle with practiced sorrow. "I wanted to protect my sister, even after everything. Mental illness isn't something to be ashamed of, but when it leads to destructive behavior..."

"You maintained your silence even when Camille Lewis publicly accused you of attempting to have her killed," the interviewer noted.

Rose dabbed at her eyes. "What would you have me do? Publicly call my own sister delusional? Our family has tried for years to get her the help she needs. When she disappearedd, we were devastated. We thought she'd..." She trailed off.

"Taken her own life?" the interviewer supplied.

Rose nodded, her expression a masterpiece of concerned grief."Her doctors had warned us about self- harm tendencies."

"Turn it off," Camille whispered.

Alexander switched off the television."We need to respond immediately."

Victoria's voice emerged from the speakerphone."We need to be strategic. A full-frontal denial looks defensive."

"I want to confront her," Camille said, fists clenched.

"That's exactly what she wants," Victoria countered. "You, emotional and defensive, playing into the unstable narrative."

Camille's news feed refreshed: "Lewis Family to Break Silence, Parents of Troubled Heiress Will Address Daughter's 'Painful History' in Exclusive Interview Tomorrow."

The phone slipped from Camille's hand. Her parents. Would they actually participate in this charade?

"This is psychological warfare," Alexander said. "They're trying to isolate you."

"It's working," Camille whispered. Through the window, she could see the growing media presence.... vans with satellite dishes, reporters with microphones, all trained on her home like weapons.

"The board is calling an emergency meeting," Victoria announced. "Alexander, stay with Camille. Work on a statement."

After Victoria disconnected, silence filled the room.

"How?" Camille finally asked. "How did she do this? Make me the villain of my own story?"

Alexander stood beside her. "By exploiting the same human tendency that allowed her to manipulate you for years,people's willingness to believe the worst when it's presented as revealing hidden truth."

"And now everyone thinks I'm crazy. That I invented the whole thing."

"Not everyone," Alexander said quietly. "Not me. Not Victoria. Not anyone who knows the real you."

"But the Phoenix Grid.... they're attacking the project too."

"Because they know it matters to you. This isn't just Rose being vengeful. This is coordinated."

As he stepped away, Camille turned back to the window, watching the reporters. She had survived Rose's attempt to kill her once before. She had rebuilt herself, transformed her pain into power.

She could do it again.

But doubt had been planted. How many more attacks could she withstand? How many people would believe these lies? And if Rose succeeded in destroying the Phoenix Grid before it launched...

Outside, a reporter looked up directly at her window, pointing. Others followed, cameras lifting. Camille stepped back, but not before seeing several flashes.

Tomorrow's headlines already writing themselves in her mind: "Kane Heiress Watches From Shadows As Scandal Grows."

She closed her eyes, summoning the strength Victoria had helped her build.