SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan) novel Chapter 224

Chapter 224

Victoria Kane sat in the back seat of her black sedan, watching the familiar streets of Manhattan blur past the tinted windows. The follow-up appointment at Mount Sinai Hospital had gone well - her cancer markers were stable, her blood pressure had normalized, and her doctor had finally cleared her for full activity. After weeks of forced rest and medical monitoring, she felt ready to reclaim control of her life and her company.

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the city as her driver navigated through midtown traffic. Victoria used the quiet time to review reports on her phone, catching up on business decisions that had been made during her recovery. Kane Industries had weathered James's virus attack on the Phoenix Grid, thanks to Hannah's technical expertise and the coordinated response from Camille and Alexander.

Reading about her daughter's effective crisis management filled Victoria with pride. Camille had grown into the leader Victoria always knew she could be, handling the media storm and regulatory pressures with grace and intelligence. The fact that she and Alexander were working together again gave Victoria hope that their marriage might survive the damage James had inflicted.

Victoria's driver slowed to a stop at a red light on Park Avenue. The usual sounds of the city filtered through the car's soundproofing - car horns, construction noise, the distant hum of millions of people going about their daily lives. Everything felt normal, peaceful even, after the chaos of recent weeks.

That's when she saw him.

James Whitfield stood on the sidewalk beside her car, close enough to touch the window if he wanted to. He wore an expensive gray suit that made him look like any other businessman walking through Manhattan, but Victoria recognized his face from the surveillance photos her security team had shown her.

Her blood turned to ice as James smiled and tapped gently on the window.

"Mrs. Kane," he said, his voice muffled by the glass but clearly audible. "We need to talk."

Victoria's hand moved toward the panic button that would summon her security team, but James shook his head slowly.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Not when your daughter's safety depends on how this conversation goes."

The words hit Victoria like a physical blow. She pressed the button to lower the window slightly, just enough to hear James clearly without giving him access to the car's interior.

"What do you want?" Victoria asked, her voice steady despite the fear clawing at her chest.

"I want you to understand the situation you're in," James replied. "Twenty years ago, you destroyed my father's business and sent him to die in federal prison. Now I'm going to return the favor."

"Your father was a criminal who endangered people's lives with substandard construction materials," Victoria said firmly. "Richard Pierce and I reported his crimes to protect innocent workers and families."

James's smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. "Such righteous words from someone who's about to lose everything she cares about."

Victoria felt her heart racing as she realized the full extent of James's threat. This wasn't just about business revenge anymore. This was personal, targeting the people she loved most.

"James, whatever you think my father and Richard did to your family, Camille had nothing to do with it. She was a child when those events happened. She's innocent in all of this."

"Innocent?" James laughed coldly. "Your precious daughter has been helping Alexander investigate my activities. She's been working to expose my identity and stop my plans for justice. That makes her just as guilty as you are."

Victoria's protective instincts flared like fire in her chest. Every maternal feeling she had developed for Camille over the past two years crystallized into fierce determination to shield her daughter from this madman's revenge.

"Leave Camille out of this," Victoria said, her voice carrying the authority that had built Kane Industries from nothing. "Your quarrel is with me. Deal with me directly."

"Oh, I intend to deal with you directly," James said, leaning closer to the window. "But first, I want you to suffer the way my father suffered. I want you to watch everything you've built crumble around you. I want you to feel helpless and abandoned before I finish what I started."

Victoria's driver kept his eyes straight ahead, but she could see his tension in the rigid line of his shoulders. The traffic light was still red, trapping them in this moment of confrontation with a man who had already proven willing to commit murder.

"The virus attack on the Phoenix Grid was just the beginning," James continued. "A small demonstration of what I can do to your company's infrastructure. But that was nothing compared to what comes next."

"What are you planning?" Victoria asked, dreading the answer.

"I'm planning to take everything from you, piece by piece. Your company, your reputation, your freedom, your health." James's voice dropped to a whisper that somehow felt more threatening than shouting. "And then I'm going to take your daughter."

Victoria felt her world shift around her at those words. The threat to her business, her reputation, even her own life - she could handle all of that. But the threat to Camille touched something primal and fierce in her heart.

"If you hurt her—"

"You'll what?" James interrupted. "You'll call the police? You'll hire more security? You'll try to hide her away somewhere safe?" He shook his head mockingly. "Mrs. Kane, I've been planning this campaign for fifteen years. I know where Camille lives, where she works, where she shops, where she goes for her morning coffee. I know her routines, her habits, her weaknesses."

Victoria's hands clenched into fists as she fought to control her rising panic. "What do you want from me?"