Spotlights swept across the Grand za Hotel''s ballroom, catching on crystal chandeliers that scattered light like diamonds. Underneath them, New York''s elite mingled in formal wear that cost more than most people earned in months. Women draped in silk and jewels. Men in perfectly tailored tuxedos. The soft notes of a string quartet floated above the murmur of conversations and tinkling champagne sses.


    Camille Kane stood just outside the ballroom doors, watching through a crack. Her blue gown shimmered in the dim light of the hallway, but she had never felt less festive.


    "Security checkplete," said Jason, Alexander''s head of security, into his earpiece. "Main floor is clear. Balconies and kitchens clear. All entrances covered."


    Camille nodded, barely hearing him. Her thoughts remained with Victoria, who was gathering her strength in a private room upstairs before making her entrance.


    "Camille." Alexander''s voice brought her back to the present. He stood beside her in his tuxedo, handsome as ever, though worry lined his eyes. "Everyone''s waiting. It''s time."


    She smoothed her dress, checking her reflection in a nearby mirror. Hours of professional makeup had hidden the evidence of her tears, but nothing could conceal the sorrow in her eyes.


    "I can''t believe we''re doing this," she whispered. "Pretending everything is normal when Victoria is...."


    "Following her wishes," Alexander cut in gently. "Being exactly who she''s always been."


    Camille touched the phoenix pendant at her throat. "I just want to keep her safe."


    "I know." Alexander squeezed her hand. "That''s why we have thirty security personnel in the ballroom alone. Another twenty covering the surrounding blocks. Two teams on the roof. Nothing gets through tonight."


    Camille wished she could believe him. But the dread that had haunted her since her nightmare remained, hovering at the edges of her mind like a shadow.


    "Ms. Kane?" Another security guard approached. "Ms. Victoria Kane is ready for you."


    They followed him to a small elevator reserved for staff. As the doors closed, Camille''s stomach knotted with anxiety-not for herself, but for what waited upstairs.


    The private room on the tenth floor had been converted into a makeshift preparation area. Victoria sat in a chair by the window, her silver hair styled elegantly, her ck evening gown showing no hint of the weight she had lost. Only the pallor of her skin and the slight tremor in her hands betrayed her condition.


    She looked up as Camille entered, a flicker of vulnerability crossing her face before her usual mask of strength slid back into ce.


    "You look beautiful," Victoria said.


    Camille approached, kneeling before Victoria''s chair to look up into her face. "How are you feeling? Really?"


    "Well enough for what needs to be done." Victoria touched Camille''s cheek. "No more tears now. Tonight isn''t about my illness. It''s about what we''ve built together."


    Camille nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "The doctor said you should only stay an hour. Two at most."


    "I''ll stay as long as necessary." Victoria stood with effort, her back straight despite the pain Camille knew she must be feeling. "Now, help me with these earrings. My hands aren''t cooperating tonight."


    Camille fastened the diamond earrings, noticing how Victoria''s cheekbones had be more prominent, how the skin of her neck had grown thinner. Signs she had missed for months.


    "Are you ready for your speech?" Victoria asked, checking her reflection.


    "Yes." Camille had spent the afternoon rewriting it, focusing on the foundation''s initiatives rather than the emotional tribute to Victoria she had originally nned. Victoria had insisted on it. No hint of farewell. No suggestion of endings.


    Alexander knocked and entered. "The guests are getting restless. We should make our entrance soon."


    Victoria squared her shoulders. "Then let''s not keep them waiting."


    The three of them took the private elevator down to the main level. Security personnel lined their path to the ballroom. At the doors, the master of ceremonies waited to announce them.


    "Remember," Victoria said quietly to Camille. "Head high. Shoulders back. Show no weakness."


    Camille nodded, taking her ce beside her mentor. The doors swung open.


    "Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer''s voice boomed. "The Grand za Hotel and Kane Industries are proud to present Ms. Victoria Kane and Ms. Camille Kane!"


    Apuse filled the room as they entered, Victoria moving with a grace that belied her condition. Camille felt the weight of hundreds of eyes upon them as they made their way through the crowd. Important people stepped forward to greet them, politicians, business leaders, celebrities. All wanting a moment with the famous Kane women.


    Through it all, Camille scanned the room. Not for familiar faces, but for unfamiliar ones. For staff members who didn''t belong. For anyone who might be working for Rose.


    "Stop looking so tense," Victoria murmured as they epted champagne from a waiter. "You''ll make everyone nervous."


    Camille forced a smile. "I can''t help it. I feel like she''s here. Watching us."


    "If she is, she''ll regret it." Victoria nodded toward the perimeter of the room, where security personnel stood at regr intervals. "Alexander has this ce locked down tighter than Fort Knox."


    Before Camille could respond, the mayor approached, hand extended.


    "Victoria! Magnificent as always. And Camille, you look stunning." He bent to kiss Victoria''s cheek. "I hear you''ve raised over three million tonight for the children''s hospital wing."


    "Four million now," Victoria corrected with a smile. "The Westfield Foundation doubled their contribution this afternoon."


    The conversation continued, Victoria ying her role perfectly. If the mayor noticed her asional winces of pain, he showed no sign. Camille stayed close, ready to support Victoria if needed, while maintaining her own part in the social dance.


    After what seemed like hours but was likely only thirty minutes, the master of ceremonies called for attention.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats for dinner and the program."


    As guests moved toward the elegantly set tables, Alexander appeared at Camille''s side.


    "Everything okay?" he asked quietly.


    "So far." Camille nced at Victoria, who was now seated at the head table, engaged in conversation with the hospital director. "Any sign of trouble?"


    "None. Every guest has been verified. Every staff member checked and double- checked." He touched the small earpiece he wore. "Security teams are reporting all clear at regr intervals."


    Camille nodded, not entirely relieved. "Keep watching."


    "Always." Alexander escorted her to her seat beside Victoria.


    Dinner passed in a blur of exquisite food that Camille barely tasted and conversation she hardly heard. Her focus remained on Victoria, who ate little but spoke with animation, her public persona never slipping.


    When the dessert tes were cleared, the master of ceremonies returned to the microphone.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce Ms. Camille Kane, Executive Director of the Phoenix Foundation."


    The ballroom erupted in apuse as Camille stood and made her way to the podium. Hundreds of expectant faces turned toward her. In the back of the room, security personnel remained vignt. Camille took a deep breath and began.


    "Thank you all foring tonight. Your generosity will change countless lives." She looked out at the audience, fixing a smile on her face. "The Phoenix Foundation was born from a simple truth: that from the ashes of our darkest moments, we can rise stronger."


    As she spoke, Camille felt a strange sensation. A prickling at the back of her neck. The feeling of being watched, not by the audience, but by someone else. Someone hidden.


    She continued her speech, describing the foundation''s three major initiatives: a nationwidework of shelters for abuse survivors; legal support for those seeking to escape dangerous rtionships; and education programs to help women rebuild their lives.


    "Tonight, I''m proud to announce that the Phoenix Foundation''s first shelter will open next month right here in New York." Apuse interrupted her. "This facility will offer not just safety, butprehensive support, from legal aid to job training to trauma counseling."


    As the audience apuded again, Camille''s gaze swept the room. The feeling of being watched had intensified. Her eyes caught on a server standing near the kitchen doors. Something about her posture seemed off. Too still. Too focused.


    Camille faltered slightly, then recovered. "In addition, we are establishing a schrship program for survivors seeking to continue their education..."


    She finished her speech to enthusiastic apuse, but her mind was elsewhere. As she returned to her seat, she leaned close to Alexander.


    "The server by the kitchen door. Dark hair. Red lipstick. Check her."


    Alexander nodded subtly, touching his earpiece to ry the instruction.


    Victoria squeezed Camille''s hand under the table. "Beautifully done," she whispered. "I''m proud of you."


    The words, so simple, made Camille''s eyes sting with unshed tears. How many more times would she hear Victoria say that? How many more moments like this did they have left?


    The master of ceremonies returned to introduce Victoria. As she rose to approach the podium, Camille noticed how she gripped the table for support, how carefully she measured each step. But by the time Victoria reached the microphone, she stood tall andmanding, every inch the powerful woman the world knew. "Twenty years ago," Victoria began, her voice strong despite her weakened state, "Kane Industries was just a dream. Today, it stands as proof that with vision and determination, anything is possible."


    As Victoria spoke about thepany''smitment to phnthropy, Camille watched Alexander receive a message through his earpiece. His expression remained neutral, but she saw his posture tighten. Something was wrong.


    He slipped back to their table, bending to whisper in Camille''s ear. one matching that description is on the approved staff list


    "The server is gone.


    for tonight."


    Camille''s blood ran cold. "Find her."


    Alexander nodded, moving away to coordinate with his security team.


    On stage, Victoria continued her speech, unaware of the potential threat. "The Phoenix Foundation represents the future of Kane Industries'' phnthropic efforts. Under Camille''s leadership, it will transform countless lives..."


    Camille tried to focus on Victoria''s words, but her attention kept returning to the ballroom doors, the kitchen entrance, the service corridors. Where had the mysterious server gone? What was she nning?


    And then, as Victoria concluded her speech to thunderous apuse, Camille saw


    her. Not the server this time. A woman in a green evening gown, her dark hair pulled back in an elegant twist, standing near the exit. For a split second, their eyes met across the crowded room.


    Rose.


    Despite the distance, despite the subtle changes to her appearance, Camille knew her sister instantly. The recognition hit her like a physical blow.


    Rose smiled, a small, knowing smile, then turned and disappeared through the


    exit.


    Camille stood, heart pounding. "Alexander!" she called, but he was already moving toward the exit, security personnel following.


    Victoria returned to the table, flushed with the sess of her speech but clearly exhausted. "What''s wrong?" she asked, seeing Camille''s face.


    "Rose is here," Camille said quietly, not wanting to cause panic. "I just saw her."


    Victoria''s expression hardened. "Are you sure?"


    "Positive."


    Victoria reached for her clutch purse, removing a small phone. "I had hoped we


    wouldn''t need this," she said, pressing a single button. "But I came prepared." Within moments, additional security personnel entered the ballroom, positioning themselves near all exits and around their table. The head of Victoria''s private security team approached.


    "The building is being locked down, Ms. Kane," he said quietly. "No one leaves until we find her."


    Camille looked around at the guests, still enjoying their drinks and conversation as the orchestra began ying for dancing. "We can''t cause a panic."


    "We won''t," Victoria assured her. "The security teams will handle this discreetly."


    But Camille couldn''t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Rose wouldn''t show herself without a reason. Without a n.


    "She wanted me to see her," Camille realized aloud. "She wanted me to know she was here."


    "Why?" Victoria asked.


    Before Camille could answer, Alexander returned, his expression grim.


    "She''s gone," he reported. "Security footage shows her leaving the building two


    minutes ago. But that''s not all." He lowered his voice further. "The missing server was found unconscious in a storage closet. Her uniform is gone." Camille scanned the crowd, looking for any staff member who seemed out of ce. "She has someone else inside." "We''re checking everyone now," Alexander assured her.


    Victoria touched Camille''s arm. "We should leave. It''s not safe."


    Camille shook her head. "No. That''s what she wants. To disrupt the g. To make


    us run scared." She looked at Alexander. "Double the security around Victoria. I''m


    going to finish what we started tonight."


    As Alexander moved toply, Camille took Victoria''s hand. "I won''t let her ruin this. Not after everything you''ve done to make it happen."


    Victoria studied Camille''s face, then nodded slowly. "Very well. But you stay where


    I can see you. No wandering off."


    The orchestra continued ying, the dance floor filling with elegantly dressed


    couples. The charity auction was about to begin, with priceless art and luxury experiences up for bid. The g was in full swing, with hours still to go.


    But beneath the glittering surface, tension ran like an electric current. Security


    personnel moved through the crowd, checking every server, every staff member.


    Alexander stood at Camille''s side, hyperaware, watching every movement in the ballroom.


    As Victoria presented the first auction item, a week at a private ind resort, Camille felt the weight of Rose''s presence like a shadow. She was here. Maybe not physically anymore, but her threat remained. Waiting. Watching. nning. The feeling of danger hung over Camille like a storm cloud, making the hairs on her arms stand on end. Whatever Rose had nned, it was stilling. The g continued around them, champagne flowing, music ying, wealthy


    donors bidding higher and higher amounts for charity. But for Camille, every moment stretched with tension, everyugh seemed too loud, every movement in the corner of her eye a potential threat.


    Rose had made her move tonight, not to attack, but to send a message: I can


    reach you anywhere. Even in your moment of triumph. Even surrounded by


    security.


    And there was nothing Camille could do but wait for the next strike, knowing it woulde when they least expected it.