Chapter 189
Chapter 189:
“Victoria Kane is untouchable,” Herod said dismissively. “We’ve been through this.”
“No one is untouchable,” Rose insisted, a new fire burning in her eyes. “Everyone has secrets. Everyone has vulnerabilities. We just haven’t found hers yet.”
Herod studied her for a long moment. “You truly hate her, don’t you? Your sister.”
“She’s not my sister,” Rose snapped automatically. “And hate doesn’t begin to describe what I feel for her.”
She moved closer to Herod, energy radiating from her in waves. “Camille took everything from me. My reputation, my business, my future. She exposed me to the world as a fraud, a cheat, a villain. And now she gets to stand there with her trillionaire boyfriend and her perfect new life while I’m the one hiding in the shadows?”
Her voice rose with each word, trembling with rage, injustice, and the bitter taste of defeat. “I will not accept this. I will not let her win. Not after everything I’ve sacrificed, everything I’ve endured.”
Something shifted in Herod’s expression as he watched her, a dark appreciation for the fury burning through her. He set down his empty glass and stepped closer.
“Then we’ll find another way,” he said, his voice lower now. “A more direct approach.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,” Herod said carefully, “that perhaps we’ve been too subtle. Too focused on financial maneuvers and public opinion. Perhaps it’s time for something more… definitive.”
The implication hung in the air between them. Rose felt her heart beat faster, not with fear but with a terrible excitement. “You mean…”
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“I mean, Victoria Kane is scheduled to return to work next week,” Herod interrupted. “The Phoenix Grid’s final section goes live the day after. Both events will require their physical presence at specific locations, at specific times.”
His eyes held hers, dark and unblinking. “Predictability creates vulnerability.”
Rose felt her breath catch. This was new territory, beyond anything they had discussed before. Not reputation destruction or financial ruin, but something far more permanent. The thought should have frightened her, but instead, she felt a surge of dark exhilaration.
“Would you really go that far?” she asked quietly.
Herod’s hand came up, fingers tracing the line of her jaw with unexpected gentleness. “The Prestons have a long memory for those who destroy what’s ours. Victoria took everything from my family. We waited years for my chance at justice.”
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