Chapter 389
Chapter 389:
“Ms. Kane, many observers have noted your meteoric rise. Just three years ago, you were unknown in business circles. How do you respond to allegations that your connection to Victoria Kane is… personal rather than professional?”
Rose leaned forward, suddenly hungry for Camille’s discomfort. This was it—the question that would expose the fraud, that would make her stumble.
Instead, Camille’s voice remained clear and direct.
“Victoria Kane rescued me when I had nothing. She saw potential when others saw only brokenness. She taught me to transform pain into power. So yes, our connection is deeply personal.”
Rose’s hands curled into fists as Camille continued.
“But make no mistake,” Camille continued, “I stand here today not because of sentiment, but because of proven ability. My record at Kane Industries speaks for itself. The Phoenix Grid. The Green Harbor Initiative. The expansion into Asian markets that increased revenues by twenty-two percent last quarter.”
The numbers meant nothing to Rose. All she heard was victory in Camille’s voice. All she saw was the quiet confidence of a woman who had not just survived, but triumphed.
“I didn’t inherit this position,” Camille stated firmly. “I earned it. And I intend to prove that every day going forward.”
Victoria stepped forward then, placing a hand on Camille’s shoulder, a public gesture of support never before seen from the notoriously cold businesswoman.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Camille Kane,” Victoria announced, and the room erupted in applause.
In the prison ward, Rose stared at the screen as Camille and Victoria stood together, the older woman’s hand on the younger’s shoulder. The image burned into her mind, each pixel a separate agony.
“That should be me,” she whispered.
For years, Rose had plotted and schemed. She had manipulated everyone around her. She had dedicated her life to claiming what she believed should have been hers—family, love, success, recognition.
Lλtєѕτ чhαρτєrѕ ιn g𝓪lɳovєls.𝓬𝗼𝗺
And now here was Camille, her sister, her enemy, her obsession, receiving all of it. Not just surviving Rose’s attempts to destroy her, but thriving. Rising higher than Rose had even imagined possible.
The television cut to a commercial break. Rose remained motionless, seeing not the advertisement but Camille’s face. The confidence. The poise. The absolute certainty that she belonged exactly where she was.
Something cracked inside Rose’s chest. A dam breaking, flooding her with rage so pure it felt almost like clarity.
“Camille,” she breathed, fingers curling into claws against her thighs. “I should have killed you when I had the chance.”
A guard passing by paused, hearing the venom in her voice. “Everything okay here, Lewis?”
.
.
.