SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 37

Stefan hurled his crystal tumbler against the wall of his hoffice. The sound of shattering glass matched the

chaos in his mind. Forty percent. His company stock had dropped forty percent in a single day. Bil

His phone kept buzzing, board members, investors, his father. All demanding answers he didn't have. How had

Kane Industries outmaneuvered them so completely? The takeover of Pacific Maritshouldn't h Yet here he

sat, watching his family's legacy crumble through real-

tstock updates on his phone screen. Each notification drove the knife deeper.

"Darling?" Rose's voice drifted through his office door. "Can we talk about the wedding plans? The planner needs

final numbers for-"

"Not now." His voice cout harsh, rough from hours of emergency calls.

She entered anyway, dressed for the evening in a red designer dress that probably cost more than his

employees made in a month. "The venue won't hold our date forever. We need to confirm..."

"The date? Stefan spun to face her, rage boiling over. "You want to discuss wedding dates while my company

burns? While everything my family built over generations disappears?"

Rose stepped back, unused to seeing this side of him. "The business troubles are temporary. Your father will...”

"My father?" He laughed, a bitter sound that scared even himself. "My father hasn't returned my calls since the

stock crash. The board is meeting tomorrow to discuss my removal as CEO. And you want to talk a "Stefan,

please." She moved toward him, reaching for his arm. "We'll figure this out. Kane Industries can't..."

"Kane Industries." The ntasted like poison on his tongue. "That woman...

there's something about her. Something familiar that | can't place."

"Camille Kane? Don't be ridiculous. She's lived in Europe most of her life. We only met her recently at..."

"I know what she told

us!" His fist slammed the desk, making Rose jump. "But every t| see her, every tshe speaks... it's like a

memory | can't quite grab."

Rose's expression shifted, something calculating replacing her previous concern. "Perhaps you're attracted to

ber? It would explain your obsession."

The suggestion hit him like ice water. "This isn't about attraction. This is about our entire future disappearing

while you plan parties and pick out china patterns!"

"Our future depends on maintaining appearances," Rose snapped back. "The right wedding, the right guests, the

right connections..."

"Connections?" Stefan

advanced on her, forcing her to step back. "Is that what | am to you? A connection? A stepping stone for your

social climbing?"

"Don't be absurd. | love you. I've always..."

"Always?" Another harsh laugh. "You mean since London Since you cback and foundmarried to your

sister?

The words hung between then, heavy with unspoken accusations. Rose's face paled slightly.

"We agreed not to discuss Camille," she said quietly. "Not after... everything."

"Everything." Stefan turned away, unable to look at her. "Such a nice, clean word for what happened. For what

we did."

His phone buzzed again. Another stock alert. Another drop. The numbers blurred before his eyes.

"We should postpone the wedding announcement," he said

finally. "Until the company stabilizes." "Postpone?" Rose's voice rose sharply. "We can't postpone The society

papers already..."

"Damn the society papers!" He whirled back to face her. "Don't you understand? I'm

losing everything! My position, my family's respect, my entire future! And all you care about is your precious

social standing?"

Tears filled her eyes, but Stefan had seen her cry too many times to trust them now. "That's unfair. I'm trying to

help..."

"Help?" His voice dropped dangerously low. "Like you helped Camille? Is that the kind of help

you're offering?" The color drained from Rose's face. For a moment, real fear flickered in her eyes. "You promised

never to bring that up.

"I'm breaking a lot of promises lately." Stefan moved to his bar, reaching for another glass. "Seems to run in our

relationship.

Rose watched him pour, her perfectly manicured nails digging into her palms. "What do you wantto say?

That I'm sorry? That | wish things had been different?"

"I want you to care!" The words exploded from him. "Care about something real! Something beyond your next

social event or magazine feature!"

"| care about you," she whispered.

"Do you?" He met her eyes in the bar's mirror. "Or do you care about what | represent? The name, the position,

the lifestyle?"

She had no answer. Or perhaps, her silence was answer enough.

"Go home, Rose." Stefan drained his glass in one swallow. | need to work. Need to find sway to save what's

left of my company while I still can." "Stefan, please..."

"Go." He didn't turn around. Couldn't bear to see whatever

performance she'd prepared. "We'll discuss the wedding... later."

Her heels clicked across

his office floor, each step precise despite her emotional display. At the door, she paused. "I do love you," she said

"In my way."

Stefan

kept his eyes on the city lights beyond his window. Your way," he replied, equally soft. "That's always been the

problem, hasn't it?"

The door closed behind her with a quiet click. In the sudden silence, his phone buzzed one final time. After-

hours trading In Asia pushing his stock even lower.

He poured another drink, mind returning to Camille Kane. To that nagging sense of recognition. To the way she'd

looked at him across the conference room, like she could see right through him Like she knew all his secrets.

Like she knew him.

The thought sent a chill down his spine that not even expensive scotch could warm.