Stefan Rodriguez waited at the corner table of the dimly lit bar, nursing a drink he
didn''t want. The ce reeked of stale beer and cheap perfume, nothing like
the upscale establishments
he''d frequented during better days. But that was the point. No one would recognize him here. No reporters lurking in corners, no business
associates to witness his fall from grace.
No one except the woman who had helped destroy his life.
The door swung open, letting in a st of chill evening air. Rose Lewis stood framed in the doorway, scanning the room with narrowed eyes. When she spotted Stefan, her face hardened into the mask he''d gro with, beautiful and cold as carved
ice.
She wore ck from head to
toe, her outfit probably costing more than most people''s monthly rent despite her recent
financial troubles. Always keeping up appearances. Always the perfect facade.
Rose threaded her way between
tables, ignoring the appreciative nces from men seated at the bar. She slid into
the booth across from Stefan without a greeting.
"This better be important," she said, voice clipped. "I have ns tonight."
"With Herod Preston?" Stefan watched her face, catching the flicker of shock before she masked it.
"My personal life is no longer your concern." Rose signaled
to a passing server. "Vodka martini, extra dry."
Stefan leaned forward.
"I know what you''re nning, Rose. You and Preston. With the
Phoenix Grid."
Rose''s eyes narrowed to slits. "Been talking to your new friends at Kane Industries? Or perhaps directly to my dear sister?" Thest words dripped
with venom.
"Eduardo Martinez told me." Stefan watched her
reaction carefully. Eduardo had been a longtime friend of the Rodriguez family, someone with connections throughout the city''s businessmunity. "He saw you with Preston at the marinast week. Heard you talking about the Gridunch."
Rose''sugh held no
humor. "Eduardo always did have an overactive imagination. And loose lips." She took
the martini from the server with a cold smile. "You called me here based on secondhand gossip? How pathetic.
"It''s not just éduardo.” ?tefan kept his voice low, steady. "The whole city
is talking about the sabotage attempts at the Grid. And now you''re seen with Herod Preston, a man with every reason to hate Victoria Kane."
"Guilt by association now?" Rose sipped her drink. "I wasn''t aware who I spend my
time with was any of your concern. Not anymore."
"Whatever you and Preston are nning for the Gridunch, you
need to stop it." Stefan''s hands tightened around his ss. "Now. Before people get hurt."
Rose studied him over the rim of her ss. "You know nothing," she said finally.
"I know enough." Stefan met her gaze. "Even after everything that''s happened, after everything
was exposed at the g, you''re still plotting against Camille."
"After
everything that happened at the g?" Rose''s voice sharpened. "You mean after my sister publicly humiliated me? After she destroyed my career, my reputation, everything I built?"
"After she revealed the truth," Stefan corrected. "That you tried to have her killed."
Rose didn''t deny it. Not anymore. Not after her public exposure at the
Phoenix G.
"When does it
end, Rose?" Stefan pressed. "Isn''t it enough? The damage is already done.... to Camille, to you, to all of us."
"When she''s destroyed." Rose''s eyes glittered with a cold
light. "When Victoria Kane is destroyed. When they''ve lost
everything, just like I did."
"You lost everything because of your
own actions," Stefan said quietly. "Not Camille''s."
Rose''s face flushed with anger. "She took
everything from me! Everything that should have been mine."
"She never took anything from you, Rose. You stole from her." Stefan felt a strange calm as he finally
spoke the truth. "Her husband. Her family''s
trust. And when that wasn''t enough, you tried to take her life."
"Don''t you dare judge me." Rose''s voice cut like a
wanted to meet. To
de. “You were happy enough to be stolen when
it suited you. Remember? ''I''ve always loved you, Rose. Camille was a mistake. Your words, Stefan. Your betrayal."
Shame burned in Stefan''s gut, but he pushed through it. "Yes. I betrayed her. I''ll carry that guilt forever." He met Rose''s gaze steadily. "But I won''t let you hurt her again."
Something shifted in Rose''s expression, a flicker of uncertainty, quickly reced by cold fury. "So that''s why tell me you''ve switched sides. Abandoned me for Camille."
"This isn''t about sides, Rose. It''s about stopping
something terrible before it happens."
Roseughed, the sound sharp enough to cut. "Oh, Stefan. It''s far
toote for that. The wheels are already in motion. The
Gridunches in three days. And after
that..." Her lips curved in a smile that didn''t reach her eyes. "After that, nothing will ever be the
same."
rm shot through Stefan''s body. "What are you nning?"
"Wouldn''t you like to know?" Rose sipped her martini, eyes never leaving his
face. "I thought you were weak
when you cried over losing yourpany. When you flinched
every time Camille''s name was mentioned. But
this..." She gestured at him with undisguised contempt. "This is beyond pathetic."
"People could get hurt, Rose." Stefan fought to keep his voice steady. "Real people. Not just Camille
and Victoria. Is that what you want? To be responsible for innocent lives?"
"Spare me the moral lecture." Rose set down
her ss with a sharp click. "Victoria Kane destroyed Herod''s entire family without a second thought. Where was your concern for ''innocent lives'' then?"
"This isn''t about Victoria''s past actions. This is
about you. Right now." Stefan reached across the table, but Rose pulled her hand away before
he could touch it. "It''s not toote to stop this."
Rose studied him, her expression growing colder by the second. "You really care
about her
still, don''t you? After everything. After she humiliated you in front of all of New York. After
she took your family''spany."
"I care about doing the right thing. For
once in my life." Stefan didn''t deny his feelings for Camille. They were
think you still care too, Rose. About what''s right. About who you are."
For a brief
moment, something flickered in Rose''s eyes, pain, perhaps, or doubt. But it vanished so quickly Stefan wondered if he''d imagined it.
"You know nothing about who I am." Rose''s voice
dropped to a dangerous whisper. You never did. You saw what you
wanted to see. The perfect girlfriend. The devoted lover. Just
like my parents saw the perfect daughter. Just like everyone always has."
"I see you now," Stefan said quietly. "The real
you. And I think deep down, you''re terrified of what you''ve be."
Rose''s hand moved so fast he didn''t see iting. The p
cracked across his face, sending his head snapping
sideways. The bar fell momentarily silent, dozens of eyes turning toward them.
"You''ll pay for this, Rose hissed, her perfectposure shattered. "You''ll pay for the embarrassment. For the betrayal." She
leaned down, her face inches from his. "I gave you
everything, Stefan. And this is how you repay me? By crawling back to her?"
Stefan touched his stinging cheek, feeling a strange detachment from the pain. "I''m not crawling back to anyone. I''m trying to do one right thing after a lifetime of wrong ones."
"How noble." Rose''s voice dripped venom. "Well, enjoy your
newfound conscience while you can. Because in
a few days, you''ll be just as ruined as Camille and Victoria Kane."
She straightened, smoothing her dress
with trembling hands. "Goodbye, Stefan. The next time we meet, you''ll be begging
me for forgiveness."
"Rose, please." Stefan made onest attempt. "Whatever you and Preston have
nned, it won''t bring you peace. It won''t fix what
happened in your past. It will only make things worse."
"Peace?" Rose''s
get it, with or without you."
She turned on her heel and strode toward the door, her back rigid, her steps swift
and precise. The bar patrons watched her go, then returned to their drinks
and conversations, the drama already forgotten.
But Stefan couldn''t forget. Rose''s words echoed in his mind, each one<pden with threat. A few days until the Grid<punch. Three days until whatever catastrophe she and Preston had engineered.