Chapter 260

Chapter 260:

“They are,” Victoria agreed. “Better than I expected. He’s been good for her.” She paused. “I’ve made my peace with him. With others too.”

“Others?”

Victoria smiled thinly. “Death focuses the mind wonderfully, Mrs. Lewis. I’ve spent decades building a fortress of grudges and vendettas. Now, I find myself… clearing accounts.”

“Forgiveness doesn’t seem like your style,” Margaret observed.

“Not forgiveness,” Victoria corrected. “Reconciliation where possible. Resolution where necessary.” She looked down at her desk, at the medical report she’d pushed aside. “I’ve made mistakes too, you know. Hurt people out of pride or anger or grief…”

“Like who?” Margaret asked, her voice soft.

Victoria considered the question. “Like you. I took Camille from you.”

Margaret shook her head. “No. We lost her through our own blindness. You saved her.”

“Perhaps,” Victoria paused, feeling another wave of pain. “But I also wanted to punish you. To show you what a real mother would do for her child.”

The admission hung in the air between them. Victoria was surprised by how much lighter she felt having said it aloud.

“Were you a real mother to your own daughter?” Margaret asked quietly. “Before she died?”

The question should have angered her. Instead, Victoria felt a strange urge to answer honestly. “No. I was too busy building my empire. Too focused on proving myself in a man’s world.” Her voice dropped. “Sophia paid the price for my ambition. She died because I made enemies who took their revenge on her.”

“I’m sorry,” Margaret said, and seemed to mean it.

Victoria waved away the sympathy. “That’s why I took in Camille. She reminded me of Sophia. Of who she might have become if I’d protected her better.” She looked directly at Margaret. “I won’t make the same mistake with Camille. I’ll protect her until my last breath.”

“And after that?” Margaret asked. “What then?”

“After that, she’ll have you. And Pierce. And the tools I’ve given her to protect herself.” Victoria’s voice strengthened with determination. “But I need your word. Your solemn promise that you’ll be the mother she deserves. That you’ll never choose Rose over her again, no matter what lies Rose tells.”

Margaret stood, unexpected strength in her posture. “I promise. On my life. I choose Camille. I will always choose Camille from now on.”

Victoria nodded, satisfied. “Then there’s one more thing I need from you.”

“Don’t tell Camille about my condition. Not yet. Let her focus on the Phoenix Grid, on Rose’s threats. Let her have this time without the shadow of my death hanging over her.”

Margaret frowned. “She deserves to know.”

“She deserves peace,” Victoria countered. “Time to be happy with Pierce. Time to focus on building something, not losing someone.”

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