Chapter 332
Chapter 332:
Alexander’s arm tightened around her waist. “You sound like Victoria.”
“Good,” Camille said, meaning it completely. “Because Victoria is a survivor. A fighter. And that’s exactly what I need to be right now.”
As they stood watching the sunlight spread across the hospital grounds, Camille felt something she hadn’t experienced in weeks: certainty. Not about Rose’s capture or what dangers still lay ahead, but about her own ability to face them. To survive them. To triumph over them.
Victoria’s surprising resilience had given Camille more than hope for her mother’s recovery. It had reminded her of who she was. Who she had become under Victoria’s guidance. Who she could still be, despite everything Rose had tried to take from her.
“We’re going to be okay,” she whispered, half to Alexander, half to herself. “All of us.”
And for the first time since Rose’s threatening message, Camille truly believed it.
Four weeks. Twenty-eight days without a sign of Rose. Not a text. Not a sighting. Not a whisper.
Camille stood at the window of her office at Kane Industries, watching the city below. Security guards still accompanied her everywhere. The FBI still checked in daily. Alexander’s team still swept for bugs and bombs each morning. But something had changed. The tight knot of fear in her stomach loosened slightly. It wasn’t gone, and she doubted it would ever truly disappear, but it was different now. More like an old injury that ached before rain, rather than the sharp, consuming pain of a fresh wound.
She checked her watch. Three hours until they would drive to Victoria’s lake house. The doctors had finally allowed Victoria to leave the hospital two weeks ago, but insisted she recover somewhere quiet, away from the stress of the city. The lake house, with its private security and peaceful surroundings, had been the perfect solution.
A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. Jason, Alexander’s head of security, entered with his daily report.
“All clear, Ms. Kane,” he said. “The route to the lake house has been secured. We’ll have teams stationed at every checkpoint along the way.”
“Thank you, Jason,” Camille replied. “Any updates from the FBI?”
He shook his head. “Nothing new. They’ve followed leads in five states, but nothing concrete. Agent Chen believes Ms. Lewis may have left the country.”
Camille nodded, unsurprised. The FBI had been saying similar things for weeks now. Rose had vanished, like smoke dissipating into air.
Part of Camille wanted to believe it—that Rose had run, given up, moved on. But the part that knew her sister best remained on guard. Rose never gave up. Never abandoned her plans. Never left a score unsettled.
“We’ll maintain all security protocols,” Jason continued, reading her thoughts. “Mr. Pierce has been very clear about that.”
“Of course,” Camille agreed. “Thank you.”
After Jason left, Camille returned to her work. The Phoenix Foundation’s rebuilding efforts were moving ahead steadily. New offices had been secured. Staff rehired. Projects restarted. It felt good to create again, to build rather than merely survive.
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