Camille followed the doctor down


    the sterile corridor, each step echoing against the polished floor. Alexander walked beside her, his presence steadying as the world seemed to tilt beneath


    her feet. The hospital''s antiseptic smell burned her nostrils, mingling with the lingering scent of coffee on her breath.


    "Is she..." Camille couldn''t finish the question, fear clogging her throat.


    The doctor nced back, his face unreadable beneath his surgical mask. "The chief surgeon will exin everything."


    They turned a corner into a small consultation room where Dr. Lin, Victoria''s lead surgeon, stood washing her hands. She turned as they entered, pulling


    down her mask. Exhaustion lined her face, but her eyes held a rity that made Camille''s heart leap.


    "The surgery was sessful," Dr. Lin said without preamble.


    The words hit Camille like a physical force. She reached for the wall to


    steady herself, her knees suddenly weak. Alexander''s arm came around her waist, supporting her weight.


    "She''s alive," Camille whispered, the two words holding the weight of a universe.


    Dr. Lin nodded. "We encountered aplication during the


    procedure, unexpected bleeding that concerned us enough to notify you. But Ms. Kane responded well. We removed the tumorpletely


    and found less spread than the imaging suggested."


    Camille pressed a hand to her mouth, containing a sob of relief. "When can I see her?"


    "She''s in recovery now. The anesthesia will take time to wear off." Dr. Lin checked her watch. "Perhaps another hour. She''ll be groggy, confused. That''s normal.”


    "But she''ll recover? Fully


    recover?" Alexander asked, his voice steady where Camille''s could not be.


    "The prognosis is excellent," Dr. Lin confirmed. "We''ll need to monitor her closely and begin immunotherapy once she''s healed from surgery, but yes, I believe Ms. Kane has a very good chance of full recovery."


    Camille closed her eyes, waves


    of relief washing through her. The tightness in her chest, present since Victoria had copsed in her office, finally began to ease.


    "Thank you,"


    managed, opening her eyes to meet the surgeon''s gaze. "Thank


    you for saving her."


    Dr. Lin''s professional demeanor softened slightly. "Ms. Kane is remarkably strong. Her body responded the surgery better than someone half her age might have. She did most of the work herself."


    "That sounds like Victoria," Alexander said with a faint smile.


    Dr. Lin excused herself to check on her patient, leaving Camille and Alexander alone in the consultation


    room. The moment the door closed, Camille''sposure crumbled. She turned to Alexander, burying her face against his chest as tears came, not tears


    of fear or grief now, but overwhelming relief.


    "She''s going to live,” she whispered against the fabric of his shirt. "She''s going to live."


    Alexander held her, one hand


    stroking her hair. "I told you she was too stubborn to give up."


    Augh bubbled up through Camille''s tears. "She is the most stubborn person I''ve ever met."


    They stayed like that for several minutes, Camille allowing herself this moment of vulnerability. When she finally pulled away, wiping her eyes, she felt lighter somehow, as if a weight had shifted inside her. "I need to call the office," she said, reaching for her phone. "The board expects an update this morning."


    Alexander caught her hand. "What will you tell them?"


    Camille hesitated. Victoria had been clear, no one could know


    about her illness. "That Victoria came through her medical procedure sessfully and is restingfortably. That she''ll be working remotely during her recovery from... exhaustion."


    Alexander nodded. "And Rose and Herod?"


    "They don''t get to know anything," Camille said, her voice hardening. "If they suspect Victoria is weakened, they''ll elerate whatever they''re nning."


    "They already are," Alexander reminded her. "The stock purchases, the whisper campaign, the


    attempts to ess our systems."


    Sessfully unlocked!


    "Then we''ll be ready," Camille said, a new deterna ung nie win Victoria alive, with the threat of loss retreating, her mind cleared. "In fact, let theme. I''m tired of ying defense."


    *** **


    An hourter, Camille stood outside Victoria''s recovery room, her heart hammering against her ribs. Through the small


    window in the door, she could see


    Victoria''s still form, surrounded by machines that beeped and hummed.


    "Go on," Alexander urged gently. "I''ll wait here."


    Camille nodded, squaring her shoulders before pushing the door open. The room was dimly lit, the blinds drawn against the morning sun. Victoriay against white sheets, her silver hair spread across the pillow


    She approached the bed quietly, sinking into the chair positioned beside it. Victoria''s handy atop the nket, an IV line snaking from her wrist. Camille hesitated, then carefully took that hand in her


    own.


    "I''m here," she said softly.


    Victoria''s eyelids fluttered at the sound of her voice. Camille held her breath, watching as Victoria struggled toward consciousness, fighting against the heavy pull of anesthesia.


    Finally, her eyes opened-


    unfocused at first, then gradually sharpening as they found Camille''s face.


    "Camille," she murmured, her voice rough and faint.


    "I''m here," Camille repeated, squeezing her hand gently. "The surgery was sessful. They got the entire tumor."


    Victoria''s gaze drifted around the room, taking in her surroundings with growing awareness. “How long?"


    "Just over four hours," Camille told her. "Dr. Lin said


    there was less spread than they feared. Your prognosis is excellent."


    Victoria nodded slightly, the movement clearly requiring effort. "Thepany?"


    Even now, even here, Victoria''s thoughts turned to Kane Industries. Camille almost smiled.


    "Everything is under control," she assured her. "Section B of the Grid is fully operational. The stock price is stable. I''ve updated the


    board that your procedure was sessful and you''re resting."


    "Good," Victoria whispered. Her eyelids drooped, the medication still heavy in her system.


    Camille leaned closer. "Victoria," she said softly. "I read your notes."


    Victoria''s eyes opened again, fixing on Camille''s face with surprising rity.


    "I need to tell you something," Camille continued, her voice catching. "Something I should have said before."


    Victoria waited, a rare patience in her


    gaze.


    "You saved me," Camille said simply. "Not just from Rose and Stefan. Not just from being destroyed. You saved me from bing like them, someone who only takes, who only ruins what others build."


    She paused, gathering courage for the words that mattered most. "When my own mother chose Ros me. You saw me when no one else did. You became..."


    er me, you chose


    Camille''s voice faltered, tears threatening again. "You became my mother. Not by blood, but


    by everything that matters." Victoria''s fingers tightened around hers with unexpected strength. For a moment, Camille feared she had gone too


    far, crossed a


    boundary that Victoria would never permit. But when she met Victoria''s eyes, she saw something she had never witnessed before- tears gathering at the corners, making the gray irises shine in the dim light.


    "I know," Victoria whispered.


    Just those two words, but they held everything Camille needed to hear. Victoria knew. She understood. She epted the bond between them, not mentor and student, not


    benefactor and recipient, but mother and daughter in the ways that truly mattered.


    Victoria''s eyes began to close again, the medication pulling her back toward sleep. "Stay," she murmured, her grip on Camille''s hand loosening as consciousness slipped away.


    "I will," Camille promised. "As long as you need me."


    She sat with Victoria


    as her breathing deepened into sleep, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest. Through the window, sunlight had begun to break through the clouds, casting a warm glow across the bed.


    After some time, Camille wasn''t sure how long, a quiet knock sounded at the door. Alexander entered, carrying two cups of fresh coffee.


    "How is she?" he asked, handing Camille one of the cups.


    "Sleeping now," Camille replied. "But she woke briefly. She knew me. Asked about thepany, of course."


    Alexander smiled. "Some things never change."


    "Did you tell her?" he asked after a moment.


    Camille nodded, her eyes still on Victoria''s sleeping face. "Yes. And she..." She paused, remembering the shine of tears in Victoria''s eyes, the simple acknowledgment that had meant everything. "She already knew."


    Alexander pulled a chair beside Camille''s, sitting close enough that their shoulders touched. "What happens now?"


    23


    Camille took a sip of her coffee, organizing her thoughts. "Victoria will need time to recover, then begin immunotherapy. We keep running Kane Industries ording to her directives. And we prepare for whateve She turned to him, a new fire lighting her eyes. "But we don''t just defend anymore. We attack."


    Alexander studied her face. "You''re different today."


    "Am I?"


    "Yes." He gestured toward Victoria. "Yesterday, you were terrified of losing her. Of being left to


    face everything alone. Today...


    "Today I know she''ll live," Camille finished. "And that changes everything."


    She stood, moving to the window to look out at the city sprawled


    below them. Somewhere out there, Rose and Herod were plotting, believing Victoria Kane was simply suffering from exhaustion, unaware that Camille now stood ready to protect everything Victoria had built. "We need to identify their next move," she said. "The stock purchases, the technical probes, those are just the beginning. Herod wants Kane Industries. Rose wants to destroy me. They won''t stop until they get


    "Or until we stop them," Alexander added,ing to stand beside her.


    Camille nodded, her reflection in the ss showing a woman transformed, no longer just


    Victoria''s creation, but something new. Someone who had found her own strength, her own purpose.


    "I''ll need your help," she said quietly.


    Alexander''s hand found hers, their fingers intertwining. "You have it. Always."


    Behind them, Victoria slept on, her breathing deep and regr, each rise and fall of her chest a silent victory. The machines


    beeped steadily, marking the rhythm of her survival.


    Camille turned back to look at her, the woman who had be her mother in every way that


    mattered. For twenty five months, Camille had followed Victoria''s lead, learning


    from her, bing what Victoria shaped her to be. Now, for the first time, their roles would reverse. Camille


    would protect Victoria, would guard her secret, would fight her battles while she healed.


    The thought no longer terrified her. Instead, it filled her with a fierce determination that burned brighter than any desire for revenge ever had.


    "We should go," she said softly. "There''s work to do."


    Alexander nodded, understanding in his eyes. As they moved toward the door, Camille paused for on


    look at Victoria.


    In sleep, the formidable CEO of Kane Industries looked almost peaceful, the lines ofmand and control softened by vulnerable humanity.


    "Rest," Camille whispered. "Recover your strength. I''ll handle everything until you return."


    She closed the door quietly behind them, her mind already racing with ns and strategies. Victoria Kane had survived. Now it was Camille''s turn to ensure that everything Victoria valued survived as well, herpany, her legacy, and most


    importantly, her vision for the future they would build together.


    Mother and daughter, not by blood, but by choice. By strength. By love.