Herod Preston stood at his Tribeca penthouse windows, studying three monitors disying data from the Phoenix Grid''s first section. The screens cast an eerie blue glow across the dimly lit roo "It doesn''t make sense," he muttered, bourbon untouched in his hand.


    Rose entered, wrapped in a silk robe the color of blood, her hair damp from the


    shower. She moved toward him with predatory grace.


    "What doesn''t make sense?" she asked, examining the disys.


    Herod


    gestured toward the center screen. "The Grid. These readings are exactly what we expected to see. Minor fluctuations, small power surges, tiny irregrities in the data flow. All perfectly in line with our sabotage timeline."


    "Isn''t that good?"


    "Too good," Herod set his ss down sharply. "No unexpected variables, no human error, no deviations. It''s as if someone wants us to see exactly this data." He pointed to a jagged blue line. "Th Rose wrapped her arms around herself. "You think they know?"


    Herod swiped through several screens, searching for evidence to confirm his suspicions.


    "No ident reports. No emergency responses, no unexpected shutdowns, no warnings." He turned to face Rose. "James Walsh installed forty-


    seven modifiedponents. At least one should have triggered some kind of warning by now."


    The thought that Camille might have outsmarted them again made Rose''s stomach twist.


    "Maybe the effects haven''t shown up yet," she suggested. "Walsh said the major failures


    wouldn''t happen until full activation."


    "We should still be seeing preliminary issues. Inconsistent power readings, system gs, technicians being called unexpectedly."


    "So what are you saying?"


    "Either our sabotage wasn''t as effective as Walsh imed, or..."


    "Or Camille and Victoria have discovered it," Rose finished, her voice barely above a whisper.


    Rose felt familiar fury rising inside her, the same rage that consumed her when she watched Camille at the g, powerful and pristine.


    "No," she said, mming her palm down. "I will not let her win. Not again."


    "What do you propose?" Herod asked, studying her with cautious admiration.


    "We elerate the timeline. Move everything up."


    "That''s risky. The officialunch is still two days away..."


    "We can''t wait," Rose snapped, pacing now. "If they''ve discovered our tampering, they''ll be ready for us at theunch. We need to strike now, while they think they still have time." Herod nodded slowly. "You may be right. Waiting only gives them more time


    to counter it."


    He pressed a button on an encrypted phone


    and spoke without preamble. "We need to move up the


    timeline. How quickly can you arrange it?" After listening briefly, he added, "Double your fee if necessary. Triple it. Just get it done."


    He ended the call. "It''ll be arranged by dawn. The secondary n will now be our primary approach."


    "And the Grid sabotage?" Rose asked.


    "A diversion


    now," Herod said. "Whether they discovered it doesn''t matter. Our true strike wille from a different direction."


    He opened a wall safe, removing a ck metal case and cing it on the desk. "This is what will destroy Victoria Kane." Insidey folders and documents bearing the Kane Industries logo.


    "While you focused on your sister, I''ve been acquiring shares of Kane Industries through shellpanies," he exined. "I already own five percent." "Five percent isn''t enough to take control," Rose frowned.


    "It''s just the beginning. These documents show positions of major shareholders, voting patterns, and vulnerabilities in


    their corporate structure. I''ve identified three key


    institutional investors who hold abined twenty-


    two percent stake and are growing concerned about thepany''s direction."


    "You''re nning a hostile takeover."


    "Precisely," Herod confirmed. "When we trigger chaos, these investors will look for an exit. I''ll offer significantly above market value, but only if they sell immediately." "And Victoria won''t be able to stop it."


    "She''ll be too busy with the technical crisis and media fallout. By the time she realizes what''s happening, I''ll have enough voting power to force an emergency board meeting and vote her out." Rose smiled slowly. "The Grid sabotage was just a distraction."


    "A crisis to upy their attention while we make our real move."


    "And Camille?" Rose asked, hunger in her voice.


    "She


    falls with Victoria," Herod said simply. "Her position, her power, her new identity, it all depends on Victoria''s support. When I take control, your sister bes nothing but a footnote. She''ll be dis Rose closed her eyes, savoring the image of Camille defeated and alone.


    "Perfect," she whispered.


    "We''ll move tomorrow morning, just as Section B of the Grid goes online. Their attention will be divided, their resources stretched thin."


    They stood at the windows, staring at the cityscape like generals surveying a battlefield.


    "By tomorrow," he said quietly, "Victoria Kane''s empire begins to fall."


    Rose slipped her hand into his. "And we''ll be there to watch it burn."


    After a moment of silence, Herod turned to her. "When this is over, when Camille and Victoria have lost everything and Kane Industries belongs to me, what then?"


    The question caught Rose off guard. Her life had been defined by wanting what others had, by taking what wasn''t hers.


    "I don''t know," she admitted.


    "Would you stay? With me?"


    Rose looked up, surprised by his vulnerability. Their rtionship had begun as an alliance of convenience but had be something more.


    "Are you asking because you need me, or because you want me?"


    "Both," he answered without hesitation. "I need


    your fire, your ruthlessness. But I also want you, the woman who refuses to ept defeat, who fought her way out of foster care and built herself into someone formidable."


    Rose felt something unfamiliar stir within her. No one had ever wanted her for herself, for the qualities others found disturbing or dangerous. Stefan had wanted the mask she wore. Her adoptive I But Herod saw her.... truly saw her.... and wanted her anyway.


    "Yes," she said softly. "I''ll stay."


    A sudden chime interrupted them. Herod checked the notification. "Another data packet from the Grid. Section B is scheduled tomorrow, but they''re running preliminary tests now." He scrolled through the numbers. "The same patterns. Too perfect. Too predictable."


    "You''re certain they know?"


    Herod nodded. "Which means we need to be prepared for resistance."


    "Let them resist," Rose said, her voice hardening. "By the time they realize what''s really happening, it will be toote." Later, wrapped in tangled sheets, Rosey with her head on Herod''s chest. "No matter what happens tomorrow," he said quietly, "remember that we''ve already won. We forced them to discover the sabotage. We made them change their ns, react to our moves."


    Rose nodded, understanding. If their n somehow failed, it wouldn''t be the end, just one battle in a longer war they would eventually win together.


    "I know," she murmured, looking into his eyes. "But we won''t fail."


    As he pulled her down for another kiss, Rose realized that for the first time in her life, she wasn''t fighting alone.