Rose hurled the crystal ss


    across the penthouse. It shattered against the wall in a spray of liquid and glittering shards. On the television screen, Camille and Alexander stood side by side at their press conference, hands joined, faces "How?" Rose screamed at the screen. "How is this happening?"


    She grabbed the remote, increasing the volume to hear her sister''s voice, calm, dignified, unashamed: "Yes, Alexander Pierce and I are in a rtionship. It began recently, but it is genuine and important to both Genuine. Important. The words


    burned in Rose''s ears like acid. This was not how it was supposed to go. Camille should have been destroyed by this exposure, her reputation in tatters, her position at Kane Industriespromised. Instead, sl Rose grabbed another ss, ready to send it flying, when the penthouse door opened. Herod entered, his face a thundercloud of barely contained rage. He tossed his phone onto the coffee table, where it displ "They''ve turned it aroundpletely," he said, his voice dangerously quiet. "The market is responding positively to their announcement. The financial


    documents we nted are being questioned by every major outlet."


    "I can see that," Rose snapped, gesturing to the television where financial analysts were now discussing the "Kane-


    Pierce power alliance" with enthusiasm. "They''re practically celebrating them!"


    Herod loosened his tie with sharp, angry movements. "Victoria. This has her fingerprints all


    over it. Only she would have the audacity to turn a scandal into a strategic announcement."


    Rose paced across the penthouse, unable to contain the energy coursing through her. "I nned this perfectly," she hissed. "The photos, the timing, the fake emails, it should have destroyed them both!"


    "Yet here we are," Herod said, pouring himself a drink from the bar. He didn''t offer Rose one, knowing she was beyond such niceties now. "Our strategy has not only failed but backfired spectacrly."


    On the screen, the camera showed Camille and Alexander leaving the press conference together. Thementator''s voice gushed: *"In an age of spin and denial, the directness of Kane and Pierce''s approach


    has resonated deeply with the public. Social media is overwhelmingly supportive, with many praising their honesty and courage in the face of what appears to be a targeted attack.“*


    "Turn it off," Rose demanded, her voice shaking with fury. "Turn it off now."


    Herod obliged, the screen going ck, leaving only their reflections staring back at them, Rose with her hair disheveled from running her hands through it repeatedly, Herod still outwardlyposed but with rag "This was your strategy," he reminded her, a dangerous edge to his voice. "Your expertise in social maniption. Your certainty that exposing their rtionship would destroy them."


    Rose whirled on him. "Don''t you dare me this all on me! You approved every step. You provided the resources, the connections to get


    those photos, to nt those documents."


    "Which we''ve now wasted," Herod replied coldly. "Hundreds of thousands of dors for what? To make your sister and Pierce more popr than ever? To strengthen Kane Industries'' stock position?" Rose''s hands curled into fists, nails digging into her palms hard enough to leave half-


    moon


    marks. "It should have worked," she insisted. "No one recovers from a scandal like this. No one."


    "Apparently, they do." Herod drained his ss. "The question is, what now? Our opening move has failed. We''ve lost the element of surprise. They''ll be watching for our next attack."


    Rose walked to the floor-to-


    ceiling windows, staring out at the city lights. Somewhere out there, Camille was probably celebrating her victory,ughing with Alexander about how they had turned Rose''s attack against her. The thought mad "We need something bigger," she said, her breath fogging


    the ss. "Something they can''t spin into a positive."


    "Such as?" Herod asked, his reflection appearing behind her in the window.


    Rose turned to face him. "Victoria. She''s their weak point. Remove her


    from the equation, and Camille loses her guide, her mentor, her backup n."


    "Victoria Kane is untouchable," Herod said dismissively. "We''ve been through this."


    "No one is untouchable," Rose insisted, a new fire burning in her eyes. "Everyone has secrets. Everyone has vulnerabilities. We just haven''t found hers yet."


    13


    Herod studied her for a long moment. "You truly hate her, don''t you? Your sister."


    "She''s not my sister," Rose snapped automatically. "And hate doesn''t begin to describe what I feel for her."


    She moved closer to Herod, energy radiating from her in waves. "Camille took everything from me. My reputation, my business, my future. She exposed me to the world as a fraud, a cheat, a viin. And now sh in shadows?"


    Her voice rose with each word, trembling with rage, with injustice, with the bitter taste of defeat. "I will not ept this. I will not let her win. Not after everything I''ve sacrificed, everything I''ve endured." Something shifted in Herod''s expression as he watched


    her, a dark appreciation for the fury burning through her. He set down his


    empty ss and stepped closer.


    "Then we''ll find another way," he said, his voice lower now. "A more direct approach."


    "What do you mean?"


    “?


    mean," Herod said carefully, "that perhaps we''ve been too subtle. Too focused on financial maneuvers and public opinion. Perhaps it''s time for something more... definitive."


    The implication hung in the air between them. Rose felt her heart beat faster, not with fear but with a terrible excitement You mean..."


    "I mean Victoria Kane is scheduled to return to work next week, Herod interrupted. "The Phoenix Grid''s final section goes live the day after. Both events will require their physical presence at specific locations, a His eyes held hers, dark and unblinking. “Predictability creates vulnerability."


    Rose felt her breath catch. This was new territory, beyond anything they had discussed before. Not reputation destruction or financial ruin, but something far more permanent. The thought should have frightened "Would you really go that far?" she asked quietly.


    Herod''s hand came up, fingers tracing the line of her


    jaw with unexpected gentleness. "The Prestons have a long memory for those who destroy what''s ours. Victoria took everything from my family. I''ve waited years for my chance at justice." His touch sent an ele "And you?" he asked, his fingers still against her skin. "How far would you go to destroy your sister?"


    Rose didn''t hesitate. "All the way."


    Something sparked between them then, a recognition, an understanding deeper than words. Herod''s hand slid to the back of her neck, pulling her toward him. Their lips met in a kiss that contained nothing of te Rose''s anger didn''t diminish


    with his touch, it transformed, channeling into a different kind of heat that raced through her veins. She pressed against him, fingers digging into his shoulders hard enough to bruise. Their bodies collided like st Clothes fell away, scattered across the penthouse floor as they moved toward the bedroom. Rose weed the pain of his grip, the harsh press of his mouth against hers. This wasn''t about pleasure or affectio Later, tangled in sheets damp with sweat, Rose stared at the ceiling, her body still humming with nervous


    energy despite physical exhaustion. Beside her, Herod traced the line of her spine with idle fingers.


    "We''ll need to be careful," he said, breaking the long silence. "What we''re considering... there''s noing back from it." Rose turned to face him, her eyes glittering in the dim light. "I crossed the point of no retu parking garage."


    A shadow crossed Herod''s face. "You never told me the details of that night."


    "I never meant for her to die," Rose admitted, the words sounding hollow even to her own ears. "I just wanted her scared enough to leave town, to disappear from my life. Things... escted."


    "And now?"


    Rose''s lips curved in a smile that held no warmth. "Now I understand my mistake. Half measures. I left too much to chance." She sat up, the sheet falling away, her naked body silver in the moonlight streaming same error. This time, there will be no room for failure."


    Herod watched her, his expression unreadable. "Victoria first?"


    Rose nodded. "Cut off the head, and the body will follow. Without Victoria, Camille is just a woman ying dress-


    up in


    someone else''s life. She''ll crumble."


    "And Alexander?"


    "Will be too busy grieving to see using," Rose replied coldly. She leaned down, her hair creating a curtain around their faces as she kissed him again, harder this time, iming, marking. "Together, we''ll tak Herod pulled her back down beside


    him, his hands tangling in her hair. "Tomorrow we n. Tonight..."


    "Tonight we celebrate the beginning of the end," Rose finished for him, her body moving against his with renewed purpose. The anger that had consumed her earlier hadn''t disappeared, it had transformed into


    As dawn broke over the city, Rose stood naked at the penthouse windows, watching the first light touch the buildings where her enemies slept, unaware of what wasing for


    them. Behind her, Herod''s reflection appeared as he approached, wrapping his arms around her waist.


    "What are you thinking?" he asked, his breath warm against her neck.


    Rose ced her palm against the cool ss, as if reaching for the city beyond.


    "I''m thinking about the day Camille found


    those divorce papers. How surprised she looked, how hurt. How satisfying it was to finally drop the mask after all those years of pretending to care about her."


    She turned in


    his arms, her eyes hard with certainty. "I want to see that look on her face again. The


    moment she realizes she''s lost everything. The moment before the end."


    Herod''s hands tightened on her waist. "And you will. I promise you that."


    Rose smiled as she kissed him again, the taste of victory


    already sweet on her tongue. This time, there would be


    no clever press conferences, no strategic announcements, no spinning failure into sess.


    This time, there would be only ashes.