Chapter 241
Chapter 241:
“She didn’t take anything from you,” Herod said quietly. “You tried to have her killed.”
“A mistake,” Rose snapped. “It was supposed to frighten her, make her leave. It wasn’t supposed to go that far.”
“But it did,” Herod said. “And now you’re doing it again, only worse.”
Rose waved her hand dismissively. “Collateral damage. The point is, Camille needs to suffer. Victoria needs to suffer.”
“And me?” Herod asked. “Was I just collateral damage too?”
Something flickered across Rose’s face, regret perhaps, or the ghost of genuine feeling. But it vanished quickly, replaced by cold determination. “You were useful,” she said. “You still are. But if you try to leave now, I’ll bury you.”
Herod sank into a chair, the weight of his choices crushing him. How had he not seen this coming? He’d been so focused on his vendetta against Victoria Kane that he’d blinded himself to Rose’s true nature.
“What do you want from me?” he asked, his voice flat with defeat.
Rose’s smile returned, triumphant. “I need you to help me with the final phase. The main control center, and then Kane Industries itself.”
“You’re talking about mass murder,” Herod said.
“I’m talking about justice,” Rose countered. “Victoria Kane destroyed your family. She’s the reason your brother is dead.”
Herod shook his head. “My brother made his choice. I was angry for years, but this…” He gestured at the television, now showing the aftermath of both explosions. “This isn’t justice.”
“It’s the only justice we’re going to get,” Rose insisted. She knelt before him, taking his hands in hers. For a moment, she looked like the woman he’d thought he was falling for—passionate, determined, focused. “Think about what Victoria did to you. Think about what Camille did to me. They’ve taken everything from us, Herod. Everything.”
Herod pulled his hands away. “No, Rose. They haven’t. We still have choices. We can still walk away from this.”
“Walk away to what?” Rose demanded, her voice rising. “Prison? Disgrace? We’ve crossed lines, Herod. There’s no going back.”
“There’s always a way back,” he said quietly. “We could turn ourselves in. Explain that things got out of hand.”
Rose’s laugh was bitter. “And you think they’ll believe that? That they’ll show mercy?” She stood, pacing the small room like a caged animal. “No. We finish this. We finish them.”
Herod watched her, truly seeing the madness that drove her. She wasn’t just bent on revenge; she was obsessed with destroying Camille, with becoming Camille by taking everything she had. It was a sickness that had consumed her completely. And he had helped feed it.
“I need some air,” he said, standing. “I need to think.”
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