Novel1Chapter 176
The common room of Bellevue's psychiatric ward smelled of disinfectant and despair. Rose Lewis sat alone in the
corner, her back straight despite the shapeless hospital gown that hung from her once-elegant frame. The other
inmates gave her space, something in her eyes warned them away, even here among the damaged and
dangerous.
"Television time," a guard announced, switching on the small set mounted high on the wall.
Rose barely glanced up until the words "Kane Industries" caught her attention. Her head snapped toward the
screen, body suddenly rigid.
"We're live at Kane Industries headquarters," the reporter said, "where Victoria Kane is about to make what
sources call a 'game-changing announcement’ regarding the future of her company."
Rose leaned forward, hands gripping the plastic arms of her chair. For weeks, she'd been cut off from news of the
outside world, part of her treatment, the doctors said. Part of her punishment, she knew.
The camera panned across a packed press conference. Journalists clutched recorders and notebooks, their faces
eager for the story about to break. Behind them, Kane Industries executives stood in a neat row, their
expressions carefully neutral.
And then Victoria Kane appeared at the podium.
Rose's breath caught. Even through the grainy television image, Victoria's presence commanded attention. Her
silver hair gleamed under the lights, her slim figure wrapped in an impeccable white suit that made her look
more like an avenging angel than a cancer patient.
"For thirty-five years," Victoria's voice rang clear through the television speakers, "I have guided this company
from a small investment firm to a global power. Today, that chapter ends."
An inmate shuffled past, blocking Rose's view momentarily. She hissed, a sound so feral the woman hurried away
without comment.
"My doctors informthat my cancer has responded remarkably well to treatment," Victoria continued. "I have
been given the gift of t| did not expect. And | intend to use it."
Rose's fingers dug into the chair arms. She had celebrated when news of Victoria's cancer leaked to the press
months ago. Had smiled at the thought of the formidable woman reduced to weakness, to dependency. To
ending.
Now that victory, like all her others, was being ripped away.
"Effective immediately, | am stepping down as Chief Executive Officer of Kane Industries."
Murmurs rippled through the hospital common room as other patients tuned in to the broadcast. Someone
whispered about stock prices. Someone else bet on who would take over. Rose heard none of it, her focus
absolute, her entire body tensed like a predator about to strike.
On screen, Victoria raised her hand, commanding silence from the press corps with that simple gesture.
"The board has approved my successor. Someone who understands not just the business of Kane Industries, but
its soul. Someone who has faced destruction and chosen to build instead."
Rose's heartbeat quickened. A terrible suspicion formed in her mind.
"Ladies and gentlemen, | present to you the new CEO of Kane Industries... Camille Kane."
The world stopped.
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Rose didn't breathe, didn't blink, didn't move as the camera shifted and her sister, her victim, her obsession, her
prey, walked into frame.
Camille approached the podium with measured steps, her navy suit perfect against her skin, her hair pulled back
in a simple knot. Confidence radiated from her, the assurance of a woman who knew exactly where she
belonged.
Nothing like the broken, devastated creature who had signed divorce papers from Stefan three years ago.
Nothing like the sister Rose had tried to destroy.
"No," Rose whispered, her voice a thread of sound in the suddenly too-loud room. "No, no, no."
But the image didn't change. Camille stood at the podium, her smile composed as she began to speak.
"Thank you, Victoria. And thank you to the board for their confidence."
Rose's hands began to shake. The voice coming from the television belonged to Camille, but not the Camille she
knew. This woman was poised, authoritative, commanding. Her words measured and precise as she outlined her
vision for Kane Industries.
"Look at her," Rose hissed, too quietly for anyone to hear. "Playing dress-up in Victoria's clothes."
But even as the words left her lips, Rose knew they were false. The woman on screen wasn't playing at anything.
This was real. While Rose had rotted in hospital rooms and court hearings, Camille had been rising. Building.
Becoming.
"| cto this position with full awareness of what Kane Industries represents," Camille was saying, her voice
strong and clear. "Not just assets and revenues, but lives and livelihoods. The responsibility is enormous, and |
do not take it lightly."
An older woman shuffling by paused, looking at the screen then at Rose's white- knuckled grip on her chair. "You
okay there, honey?"
Rose didn't answer, her eyes never leaving the television.
"She looks important," the woman persisted, nodding toward Camille. "Someone famous?"
"She's nobody," Rose snapped, the words burning her throat. "A fake. A placeholder. Victoria Kane's pet project."
The woman squinted at the screen, then at Rose, taking in her hollow cheeks and burning eyes. Recognition
dawned slowly. "Wait, isn't that...."
"Leavealone," Rose snarled, and something in her face made the woman step back quickly.
On television, Camille continued fielding questions from the press. Someone asked about her background, about
her seemingly sudden appearance in business circles.
"Many of you are wondering who | am," Camille acknowledged. "Where | cfrom. That story is longer than we
have tfor today."
"Liar!" Rose shouted at the screen, loud enough that heads turned throughout the common room. "Tell them who
you really are! Tell them how you stole my life, my future!"
A guard looked over, brow furrowed. Rose forced her face into blankness, years of practice making it second
nature, but inside, acid burned through her veins.
"Ms. Lewis," the guard called from across the room. "Everything all right over there?"
"Fine," Rose answered, her voice honey-sweet. "Just caught up in the news."
The guard studied her a moment longer, then returned to his conversation with another staff member. Rose's
attention snapped back to the screen where Camille was answering a question about her plans for the company.
"I can confirm that Kane Industries will be realigning certain holdings," Camille was saying. "Details will be
released tomorrow."
Rose sat forward, suddenly alert. The hospital gown gaped at her neck, revealing collar bones that had grown
sharp during her weeks in custody. "Realigning holdings," she repeated, eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"
A terrible suspicion formed. The Rodriguez Shipping assets, the ones Kane Industries had acquired during
Camille's revenge campaign against Stefan. Was she giving them back to him? After everything he'd done?
The thought made Rose's stomach twist with fresh fury. Of course Camille would forgive Stefan. She had always
been weak that way, always ready to excuse betrayal, to offer second chances.
Not like Rose. Rose never forgave. Never forgot.
Questions continued from journalists about the company's direction, about Victoria's health, about Camille's own
background. With each smooth, articulate answer, Rose's rage grew hotter, brighter, consuming her from within.
"Look at her," she said to no one. "So polished. So perfect. Fooling them all."
But the woman on screen wasn't fooling anyone. She radiated authentic authority, answering each question with
thoughtful precision. Not a trace remained of the naive, trusting woman Rose had so easily manipulated. This
was someone else entirely. Someone stronger.
Someone Rose had failed to destroy.
The final question cfrom a reporter in the back row, his tone insinuating.
"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 rescuedwhen | had nothing. She saw potential when others saw only brokenness. She taught
Rose's hands curled into fists as Camille continued.
"But make no mistake.... | 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 | 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
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into her mind, each pixel a separate agony.
"That should be me," she whispered.
For years, Rose had plotted and schemed. Had manipulated everyone around
her. Had dedicated her life to claiming what she believed should have been hers, family, love, success,
recognition.
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 | had the
chance."
A guard passing by paused, hearing the venom in her voice. "Everything okay
here, Lewis?"
Rose smoothed her expression, the mask slipping back into place with practiced ease. "Just watching the news,"
she said, voice dripping sweetness. "Isn't it interesting how speople just seem to have all the luck?"
The guard nodded warily and moved on. Rose's gaze returned to the television, waiting for Camille to reappear.
In her mind, she was no longer in the hospital ward. She was back at the cabin,
holding a gun to Camille's head. Only this time, she didn't hesitate. This time, she pulled the trigger.
"Next time," she promised the empty air. "Next time, | won't make the smistake."
The newscast returned, showing footage of Camille leaving the podium, Victoria
at her side. The two women walked together, powerful, unified. Untouchable.
For now.
Rose's lips curved in a smile that never reached her eyes. Her fingers found the thin scar at her wrist, tracing its
outline. The doctors. thought her progress was remarkable. The medication was working. The therapy was
helping. Soon, they'd recommend moving her
to a less restrictive facility.
She would be patient. Would play their game. Would say all the right things.
And when the moment came, and it would come, she would be ready.
The camera zoomed in on Camille's face one last time. Confident. Serene.
Unaware that miles away, behind secure walls, her sister watched and waited and planned.
Rose's whisper was barely audible, lost in the ambient noise of the ward. But the
promise in it was absolute.
"This isn't over, sister dear.."
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