Chapter 262
Chapter 262:
“This morning. While you were in the shower.” Herod rubbed his hands over his face. “He saw the news. He talked about dishonoring my family’s memory.”
Rose’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “You didn’t tell him where we are, did you?”
“No.” Herod stood and walked to the grimy window, staring out at the parking lot. “He reminded me of what Charles would think. How disappointed he’d be in what I’ve become.”
Rose laughed, the sound harsh in the small room. “Your brother killed himself because of Victoria Kane. He’d understand revenge better than anyone.”
“No…” Herod’s voice faltered, his mind racing.
Herod turned to face her. “We both know that’s not true. I told you what Charles was like when we first talked about working together. He was gentle. Kind. When Victoria destroyed our family business, he couldn’t bear the shame, the failure. But he never wanted revenge.”
“Then he was weak,” Rose said coldly.
Something snapped inside Herod. “He was better than me. Better than both of us.” His voice shook with emotion. “He wouldn’t have planted bombs. He wouldn’t have risked innocent lives.”
Rose watched him with calculating eyes. “What’s gotten into you? Yesterday, you were fine with our plans. Now, suddenly, you’re having a moral crisis?”
Herod sank back onto the bed, the weight of his choices crushing down on him. “I keep thinking about Charles. About what he would think. About how I dishonored everything he stood for.”
“Your brother is dead,” Rose said bluntly. “Your parents killed themselves rather than face reality. You’re the only Preston left. You get to decide what the name means now.”
The casual cruelty in her voice cut through him. How had he not seen this side of her before? How had he been so blind?
“You never cared about avenging my family, did you?” he asked quietly. “You only cared about using me to get revenge on Camille.”
“We wanted the same thing,” Rose insisted, sitting beside him. “Revenge against the Kanes. Justice for what they did to us.”
“No.” Herod shook his head. “You wanted Camille’s life. Her identity. I was just useful to you because I had resources and a grudge against Victoria.”
Something dark flashed in Rose’s eyes. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“Am I?” Herod stood again, unable to bear her closeness. “I’ve been watching you—listening to you. The way you talk about Camille isn’t normal. It’s obsessive. You don’t just want to destroy her, you want to become her.”
“Shut up,” Rose hissed.
“It makes sense now,” Herod continued, the pieces falling into place. “Why you took her husband. Why you tried to take her parents. Why you hate that she’s Victoria’s heir. It was never about hurting her, it was about replacing her.”
Rose stood, her face contorted with rage. “I said shut up!”
“What’s your plan after this, Rose?” Herod pressed. “After you destroy Camille completely? Will you try to take her place with Victoria too? Become the daughter she never had?”
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