Chapter 436

Chapter 436:

“What did you do when you found out?” Alexander had asked.

Another painful silence. “I tried to fight her legally. Spent every penny I had. She buried me, just like she buried Richard. Made sure I couldn’t work in tech again.”

Alexander had looked out the window at the rain-soaked city. “I need to confirm these myself.”

“Be careful,” James had warned. “Victoria Kane destroys anyone who threatens what she values. And she values her relationship with Camille above everything.”

The next day, Alexander had used resources only a Pierce could access, calling in favors from investigators who could breach Kane Industries’ security without leaving traces. By midnight, he had confirmation. The documents were genuine. Victoria Kane had deliberately targeted his uncle, knowing his vulnerabilities, pushing until he broke.

Until he tied a noose and stepped off a chair in his home office, where twenty-one-year-old Alexander would find him hours later.

Now, standing on an Italian balcony, Alexander stared at his reflection in the glass door. Behind him, Camille stirred in their bed, murmuring something in her sleep.

The morning after confirming the documents’ authenticity, he had stood in front of his bathroom mirror, making a vow. He would see Victoria Kane destroyed for what she’d done to his uncle. He would dismantle everything she had built, piece by piece. He would make her feel the same helplessness his uncle had felt before he died.

But first, he needed to get close enough. Close enough that she would never see him coming.

That evening, he’d attended his engagement party. He’d smiled. He’d thanked Victoria for her heartfelt toast. He’d kissed Camille under glittering chandeliers while photographers captured the perfect moment.

Not one person had noticed the cold hatred burning inside him as Victoria embraced him, welcoming him to the family.

Something had changed, though, in the months since. Something unexpected and dangerous. He had fallen truly, deeply in love with Camille. Not part of his plan. Not part of his vow.

Now, each step toward destroying Victoria meant risking the woman he loved more than his own life. Each new piece of evidence his team uncovered from Kane Industries’ archives twisted the knife of his impossible choice.

Behind him, the sliding door opened. Camille stepped onto the balcony, her hair tousled from sleep, wearing only his shirt.

“You’re thinking too loudly,” she said, wrapping her arms around him from behind. “I could hear your brain working from the bed.”

Alexander forced a smile, turning to face her. “Just planning our day tomorrow.”

She studied his face with those perceptive eyes that missed nothing. Victoria had trained her well. “You looked sad when I first saw you. Is everything okay?”

For one wild moment, he considered telling her everything. Showing her the digital copies of the documents he kept on his encrypted phone. Explaining why he sometimes woke drenched in sweat, the image of his uncle’s hanging body still vivid in his mind.

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