Chapter 514

Chapter 514:

“Together,” Hannah added, her fingers intertwining with Stefan’s.

As they cleaned up the conference room and prepared to leave, Camille felt a strange sense of completion. Alexander’s jealous attack had revealed the growing connection between Stefan and Hannah, had forced them to acknowledge feelings that might have remained unspoken for weeks longer. Sometimes, Camille reflected, even destructive actions could lead to constructive realizations.

But as they walked toward the elevators, none of them noticed the figure watching from the building across the street, or the telephoto lens capturing their every movement.

The Guardian had seen everything through the conference room windows. He had watched Alexander’s attack, witnessed the obvious connection between Stefan and Hannah, observed Camille’s protective response to her friends. Now, he knew exactly which pressure points to use when the time came to destroy them all.

Alexander sat alone in his darkened penthouse, staring at his bruised knuckles. The skin was split where his fist had connected with Stefan’s jaw, dried blood marking the moment when he had completely lost control. His hand throbbed with each heartbeat, a physical reminder of how far he had fallen from the man he used to be.

The silence in the apartment was deafening. No sounds of Camille moving through their shared space, no gentle humming from the kitchen as she made coffee, no soft breathing beside him in bed. The emptiness pressed against him like a weight he couldn’t escape.

His phone lay on the coffee table, screen dark and silent. No messages from Camille. No calls from anyone who cared whether he lived or died. The isolation was complete. Alexander realized he had built this prison himself with his choices, his obsessions, his inability to see past his need for revenge.

He replayed the scene at Kane Industries over and over in his mind. The way Stefan had placed his hand on Hannah’s shoulder—such a simple gesture, but Alexander had seen betrayal where there was only friendship. He had seen manipulation where there was genuine connection. His jealousy had twisted reality into something ugly and threatening.

The look on Camille’s face when the security guards led him away haunted him. Not anger, which he could have understood. Not hatred, which he probably deserved. Just profound sadness, as if she were watching someone she once loved destroy himself beyond recognition.

And maybe that’s exactly what she had been watching.

Alexander stood up and walked to the bathroom, studying his reflection in the mirror. The man staring back at him looked like a stranger. Hollow cheeks, bloodshot eyes, stubble that spoke of days without proper self-care. When had he become this person? When had his grief for his uncle transformed him into someone who could punch an innocent man in a jealous rage?

He splashed cold water on his face, the shock of it bringing momentary clarity. The events of the evening began to replay in his mind, but this time he forced himself to see them without the filter of his paranoia and pain.

Stefan and Hannah had been working together, sitting close because they were sharing documents. The way Hannah had immediately rushed to tend to Stefan’s injury…

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