SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 19

CAMILLE'S

'S POINT OF VIEW

Four months into my new life as Camille Kane, | finally had a day to myself. No combat training with Jason. No

business lessons. No public appearances or meetings with Victoria's corporate associates. Just tw four hours of

unscheduled tstretching beforelike an unexpected gift.

I'd almost forgotten what freedom felt like.

The morning sun streamed through my bedroom windows as | lingered over breakfast on my private balcony.

Below, gardeners tended the immaculate grounds of Victoria's estate, a sprawling property that occ But not

today.

| dressed casually in jeans and a sweater, clothes | rarely wore now that my wardrobe consisted primarily of

designer business attire and

formal wear. My reflection in the mirror still startledsometimes, the sharper cheekbones, the more refined

nose, the elegant bob that had replaced my once-

long hair. A woman designed for power rather than pleasing others.

Victoria had left at dawn for a business trip to Tokyo, taking James and her usual security detail with her. The

mansion felt different without her commanding presence, quieter, less intense, almost peaceful. "Ms. Kane?" A

soft knock accompanied the housekeeper's voice. "Will you be needing anything before | leave for my sister's

wedding?"

Mrs. Chen, the only staff member who lived off-

premises, had mentioned the family event weeks ago. "No, thank you, Mrs. Chen. Enjoy the wedding."

"There's food prepared in the refrigerator. I'll return tomorrow evening."

Her footsteps faded down the hallway. Minutes later, the distant sound of the service entrance closing left me

truly alone in the massive house for the first tsince my arrival. Completely alone. No Victoria. No staff. No

security beyond the perimeter guards who monitored the property's edges without entering the grounds.

Perfect

I'd been mapping the mansion in my head for

months, noting areas | was subtly discouraged from entering, doors that remained locked, topics that caused

Victoria to change the conversation. One section in particular had drawn my curiosity, the cast wing Today, |

would solve that mystery.

| made my way through the mansion's main floor, footsteps echoing on marble and hardwood. How strange to

walk these grand hallways without Victoria's watchful eyes tracking my movements, evaluating my The main

staircase swept upward in a graceful curve, its carved banister cool beneath my palm. Second floor, then third.

The hallway branched in four directions, cach leading to a different wing. The corridor to the east wing ended in

a heavy wooden door with an ornate handle, and as expected, it was locked,

| examined it closely, remembering, Jason's lessons about security and access points. Not a keypad or electronic

lock, but an old-

fashioned key lock, the kind barely seen in homes of this caliber anymore. Deliberately old-

fashioned. Deliberately personal.

A key would be needed. But where would Victoria keep a key to a door she clearly wanted to remain closed? Her

office seemed the logical place to start. | made my way back down to the main floor, to the wood paneled room

where Victoria handled matters too private for her corporate

headquarters. The door was unlocked, a surprise given her usual caution, but then, she likely never expected me

to explore while she was gone.

Sunlight poured through tall windows, illuminating the space that perfectly reflected its owner: elegant,

Intimidating, deliberately impressive. A massive desk dominated the center, its surface bare except for a la |

hesitated at the threshold. This felt different from my curiosity about the locked wing. This was a deliberate

invasion of Victoria's private space, a breach of the trust she'd placed in me. But wasn't she invading Decision

made, | crossed to the desk, immediately drawn to the framed photo. It showed a younger Victoria with her arm

around a smiling young woman who could only be Sophia, tall, confident, with eyes that Happy. They looked

genuinely happy.

| set the photo down carefully, exactly as I'd found it, and began my search. The desk drawers yielded nothing of

interest, business papers, correspondence, a spare pair of reading glasses. No keys.

Next, | examined the bookshelves lining the walls, looking for hidden compartments or safes. Nothing. The

elegant cabbar contained only spirits and crystal glasses. The paintings, all originals by renowned | was

about to give up when | noticed a small decorative box on one of the bookshelves, half-

hidden behind leather -

bound volumes. Made of carved jade with silver fittings, it seemed out of place among the business books and

historical biographies.

Inside lay a single brass key, antique and heavy in my palm. It looked exactly like what would fit the lock to the

east wing.

Heart beating faster, | returned to the third floor, key clutched tightly in my hand. At the locked door, I hesitated

again, knowing | was crossing a boundary that might change my relationship with Victoria forever. But I'd come

too far to turn back. | inserted the key, feeling the mechanism shift as | turned it. A soft click, and the door

swung open into darkness.

The corridor beyond was shadowed, curtains drawn over windows that would have illuminated it naturally. 1

fumbled for a light switch, finding one just inside the doorway. Soft lighting revealed a hallway lined w Sophia as

a toddler in a frilly dress. Sophia in a cap and gown, proudly holding a diploma. Sophia laughing on a sailboat,

wind catching her hair. In each image, her resemblance towas undeniable, despite t No wonder Victoria had

been drawn toafter seeing my photo. The resemblance was unsettling even to me.

The hallway opened into a small sitting

area, preserved like a museum exhibit. Magazines from ten years ago lay on coffee tables. A half-

finished chess gsat frozen in time, pieces dust less despite the years, suggesting regular cleaning. Two

teacups rested on saucers beside the chess board, as if the players had just stepped away momenta Victoria and

Sophia's last gtogether? The thought sent a shiver through me.

Three doors led from the sitting area. | tried the first, finding

a small study with a desk covered in engineering textbooks and mathematical journals. Notes in a neat, precise

handwriting filled notebooks stacked beside a laptop that looked ancient by today's standards. A M Sophia's

study area. Preserved exactly as she'd left it a decade ago.

The second door revealed a bathroom, everything feminine and elegant. Makeup still arranged on the counter,

perfbottles lined up precisely, a toothbrush in a holder beside the sink.

The third door, slightly ajar, took my breath away.

Sophia's bedroom. A large, beautiful space decorated in shades of blue and silver, dominated by a queen-

sized bed with an intricate wrought iron headboard. Sunlight streamed through a gap in heavy curtains,

illuminating dust mates dancing in the air.

| stepped inside, feeling like an intruder in a sacred space. The room smelled faintly of lavender and something

else, a lingering trace of perfume, perhaps. Everything was immaculate, from the precisely made Photos covered

one wall, Sophia with friends, with Victoria, with a handsyoung man who must have been Oliver Preston, the

fiancé whose family had arranged her fatal “accident.” In many of the images,

On the bedside table sat a framed photo of Sophia and Victoria, arms around each other, foreheads touching,

smiling with such genuine joy

that my chest ached looking at it. The kind of mother-

daughter relationship I'd never had, never even witnessed between Rose and my own mother.

| picked up the photo, studying the happiness captured there. Victoria,cold, demanding, perfectionistic Victoria,

looked transformed by love for her daughter. Softer. More human. "What are you doing in here?"