Chapter 139
Chapter 139:
Victoria remained unconvinced. “We’ll use his information, but carefully. And verify.”
Camille moved to the window to stare out at the city. Three days until launch. Three days until whatever Rose and Herod had planned would unfold.
“If Stefan is right about Rose needing to witness suffering,” she said, “then she’ll be at the launch ceremony. She and Preston both.”
“Which gives us an opportunity,” Alexander finished her thought. “We can prepare for them.”
Camille turned back to face them, a new resolve forming inside her. For too long, she had been reacting to Rose’s moves. Perhaps it was time to change the game.
“Rose thinks she knows me,” Camille said quietly. “She thinks she knows exactly how I’ll respond, what I’ll do, who I’ll trust.” A small smile touched her lips. “Let’s show her how wrong she is.”
As they began planning, Camille caught Alexander watching her with an expression she hadn’t seen before—pride mixed with something deeper. The jealousy that had flickered when Stefan first spoke had transformed into quiet admiration of her strength.
And Camille realized something as she watched him leave. Stefan’s presence had clarified something important: the difference between the man who had betrayed her and the man who now stood beside her. The difference between a love built on convenience and a bond forged through fire.
Three days until they faced Rose and Herod.
Three days to prepare for whatever came next.
Three days to turn a desperate plan for sabotage into a trap for its creators.
The clock on the wall of the control room read 3:17 AM as Camille stood by Hannah Zhao’s workstation, watching streams of code flicker across multiple screens. A faint blue glow bathed the room in ethereal light, casting long shadows across the faces of the twelve engineers who had been working nonstop for nearly thirty-six hours.
“It’s time,” Hannah said, looking up at Camille with red-rimmed eyes that nonetheless sparkled with determination. “The first section of the Grid is ready for activation.”
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Camille nodded, her heart pounding against her ribs. “Everyone in position?”
Through her earpiece, Alexander’s steady voice confirmed, “Security teams are in place. The suspected saboteur is working on the east junction, thinking he’s alone while preparing the final circuits.”
“And whoever it is has no idea we’ve replaced everything?” Camille asked Hannah.
Hannah’s lips curved into a smile that held no humor. “Not unless they actually test the components, which doesn’t appear to be part of their instructions. Whoever it is, they’re following the sabotaged plans to the letter, installing modified circuits that would trigger a cascade failure seventy-two hours after full activation.”
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