The silver wedding binder sat open on Camille''s desk, pages filled with fabric samples and venue photos. After months of courtrooms and business takeovers, the sight of something so normal, so hopeful, felt almost strange. Camille ran her fingers over a scrap of ivory silk, allowing herself a small smile.


    "Penny for your thoughts," Alexander said, entering her office with two coffee cups in hand.


    "Just thinking how different this feels now." She epted the coffee, breathing in its rich aroma. "Before Rose''s trial, nning felt... impossible. Like tempting fate."


    Alexander settled into the chair across from her desk. "And now?"


    "Now it feels real." She turned a page in the binder to reveal akeside estate. "What do you think of this one?"


    "Beautiful," he said, studying the photograph. "But what really matters is if you like


    it."


    Camille considered the image, gardens sloping down to a privateke, mountains in the background, a grand house with wraparound porches. Nothing like the ultra-modern Manhattan venues she''d initially considered.


    "I do," she admitted. "It reminds me of Cedar Lake. The good memories, before Rose."


    The phone on her desk buzzed. Her assistant''s voice came through the speaker. "Ms. Kane, your mother Victoria is on line one."


    Camille nced at Alexander, who raised an eyebrow. Victoria rarely called during business hours, adhering strictly to the boundaries she''d established since stepping down.


    "Put her through," Camille said, pressing the speaker button.


    "Camille," Victoria''s voice filled the room, its usual crispness softened by the hint


    of a smile. "I''ve made a decision that isn''t up for debate."


    Alexander smothered augh. Some things never changed.


    "Hello to you too, Victoria," Camille replied. "What non-debatable decision have you made now?"


    "I''m hosting your engagement party. Two weeks from Saturday at my home." Camille and Alexander exchanged nces. Though Victoria''s cancer treatment was going well, she tired easily. Hosting a major social event would tax her strength.


    "Victoria, that''s not necessary...."


    "It absolutely is," Victoria cut in. "You two have been engaged for months while dealing with Rose''s trial and my treatment. It''s time to celebrate properly."


    Camille twisted her engagement ring, the diamond catching the morning light. The phoenix design Alexander hadmissioned glinted gold and tinum around her finger – a symbol of her transformation, her rise from ashes.


    "Are you sure you''re up to it?" she asked gently.


    Victoria''s sigh crackled through the speaker. "Camille, I may have cancer, but I''m not an invalid. My doctors say I''m responding exceptionally well to treatment. Besides," her voice softened further, "I want to do this for you. For both of you." The unexpected tenderness in Victoria''s voice made Camille''s throat tighten. This was the woman who had rebuilt her from broken pieces, who had taught her strength but never softness. Now, in her illness, Victoria was changing too.


    "Alright," Camille conceded. "But a small gathering."


    "Fifty people at most," Victoria agreed too quickly, making it clear she''d already nned for this number.


    "And my parents will be there, of course?" Camille asked.


    "I already spoke with Margaretst week," Victoria confirmed. "She''s offered to handle the floral arrangements. Your father and I discussed the wine selection yesterday."


    Alexander raised his eyebrows, impressed by how Victoria had already set things in motion, including coordinating with the Lewises.


    "Good," Camille said, pleasantly surprised at how smoothly Victoria and her parents continued to work together. Their cordial rtionship had been one of the unexpected benefits of the reconciliation process.


    "Then that''s settled," Victoria dered. "My assistant will coordinate with yours for the remaining details. And Alexander?"


    "Yes, Victoria?" he answered.


    "Make sure she actually takes time to enjoy this. She works too hard." The line clicked dead before either could respond.


    Alexander grinned. "Physician, heal thyself."


    Camille closed the binder and leaned back in her chair. "She''s really throwing herself into this."


    "It''s good to see her and your parents cooperating," Alexander remarked. "Their rtionship may not be close, but it''s nice they can work together on something important to you."


    "It''s still strange sometimes," Camille admitted. "The Lewis name carries weight in its own circles, but..."


    "But Victoria operates in a different sphere of influence," Alexander finished. "Old money versus new power."


    Camille nodded. Though her parents movedfortably among Boston''s elite and maintained their ce in the Social Register, Victoria''s self-made empire represented a different kind of authority altogether. Bothmanded respect, but in vastly different ways. That they could maintain a cordial rtionship despite these differences spoke volumes about their shared priority: Camille''s happiness. "Speaking of social positioning," Alexander said, pulling a newspaper from his briefcase, "have you seen this?"


    Heid the society pages before her. The headline read: "Phoenix Rising: America''s New Power Couple Emerges from Ashes of Tragedy." Below it stretched a photo of Camille and Alexander atst week''s charity g, her phoenix pendant gleaming at her throat.


    "They''re really leaning into the metaphor, aren''t they?" Camille said dryly.


    Alexander pointed to a paragraph midway through the article. "This part actually surprised me."


    Camille read aloud:


    "Sources close


    to the couple reveal that Lewis has reconnected with her parents, Richard and Margaret Lewis of the New York Lewises, bringing ful circle the remarkable story of family restoration. The couple was spotted dining with Victoria Kanest month at Le Cirque, suggesting a surprising alliance between old New York aristocracy and New York''s corporate royalty. The phoenix, a symbol of rebirth embraced by both Kane Industries and Pierce


    Enterprises in their joint ventures, seems an apt metaphor for this union, a rtionship forged in fire, emerging stronger and more brilliant than before."


    She set the paper down. "Well, at least they noticed the effort everyone''s making."


    "The press loves a good dynasty story," Alexander said. "Thebination of your family''s old money heritage and our corporate empires makes for irresistible coverage."


    "I''m just d they didn''t exaggerate the tension between Victoria and my parents," Camille said. "Their rtionship may be strictly cordial, but they''ve been remarkably civil since the reconciliation began."


    "They all want what''s best for you," Alexander pointed out. "That''smon ground no matter their differences."


    Camille considered this. The press


    had indeed shifted how they


    portrayed her rtionship with Alexander. What had begun as spection about a business. merger or Victoria''s session n had evolved into something the public found irresistible, a love story emerging from tragedy, two powerful individuals joining forces both personally and professionally, with the added dimension of family healing across different social worlds.


    The phoenix motif that had started with Camille''s pendant, then appeared in their engagement ring design andter in their joint business ventures, had captured the public''s imagination. Where Victoria had once taught Camille to use symbols to intimidate, now those same symbols served a different purpose, inspiring hope and possibility.


    "Do you think the media attention will ever die down?" she asked.


    Alexander shook his head. "Notpletely. We''re too visible now. But we can control the narrative better than most."


    "And what is our narrative?" Camille asked, genuinely curious about how he saw their story.


    Alexander considered before answering. "That real strength isn''t about revenge or power for its own sake. It''s about building something meaningful from pain. It''s about choosing creation over destruction."


    His words hit her with unexpected force. Wasn''t that exactly what she''d been trying to do since Rose''s conviction? What she hoped to continue with their marriage and whatever came after?


    "I can live with that story," she said softly.


    Returning to the wedding binder, Camille flipped through venue options with new purpose. "Let''s visit thekeside property this weekend. Before Victoria persuades us to host at some ultra-modern venue that wouldn''t suit us at all."


    "Agreed," Alexander said, checking his calendar. "And perhaps we should call your parents. See if they want to join us for the site visit."


    Camille nodded, reaching for her phone. The invitation would be another small step in strengthening the bonds between all parts of her life.


    "Mom? It''s me," she said when Margaret answered. "Alexander and I are going to look at a potential wedding venue this weekend. Would you and Dad like to join


    us?"


    Her mother''s voice came through, polished and warm. "We''d love to, darling. Actually, Victoria called this morning about the engagement party. She mentioned you might be considering a venue outside the city."


    "She did?" Camille wasn''t surprised that Victoria had already touched base with


    her mother. Their cordial rtionship had evolved to include regrmunication about matters concerning Camille, though she knew they weren''t exactly friends.


    "Yes, she asked for my opinion on having live music versus a DJ for the engagement party. I suggested the string quartet that yed at the Whitfields'' anniversary. I hope that''s alright?"


    "That''s perfect, Mom. I''m d you two are coordinating."


    "Well, your father and Victoria have been discussing business opportunitiestely, so we''ve been in more regr contact," Margaret exined. "Nothing serious, just exploring some potential phnthropic partnerships. It''s been... enlightening." Camille raised an eyebrow, surprised but pleased. Her mother''s diplomatic phrasing told her everything she needed to know: Victoria and her parents maintained their cordial rtionship without forcing artificial closeness, finding


    appropriate ways to interact that respected their different backgrounds and perspectives.


    "We''ll be at Victoria''s by ten on Saturday to discuss final arrangements for the engagement party," Margaret continued. "Should we meet you at the venue after


    that?"


    "That would be perfect," Camille replied, jotting down the details. "I''ll text you the address."


    After she hung up, Camille sat quietly, absorbing the weight of that exchange. Alexander watched her, giving her the space to process.


    "It sounds like they''re all working together better than I realized," she said finally.


    "Your parents and Victoria have found their bnce," he pointed out. "They each


    bring something valuable to the table, and they all care about you."


    Camille nodded, turning back to the wedding binder. As she flipped through options for flowers and music, she felt a lightness she hadn''t expected. Rose was in pri


    Victoria''s cancer was responding to treatment. Her parents and Victoria


    maintained their cordial rtionship without strain or pretense. And here sat Alexander, steady and sure


    beside her.


    For the first time in years, perhaps ever, Camille allowed herself to imagine a


    future built not around survival or revenge, but around joy. A future where the past informed but did not dictate her choices. Where damaged rtionships could heal, though the scars would always remain.


    "What are you thinking about?" Alexander asked, noting her pause.


    "That it might actually be possible to be happy," Camille said. "Really happy, not


    just safe or sessful."


    Alexander''s smile warmed his entire face. "That''s the whole point of all this, isn''t


    it?"


    The wedding binder, the engagement party ns, the news articles celebrating their union, all of it suddenly felt like more than mere details or publicity. They


    were pieces of a life being built deliberately, thoughtfully, with love as its foundation rather than fear or obligation.


    The true test woulde at Victoria''s party, where the various spheres of Camille''s life would intersect more visibly than before. Victoria''s corporate power. Alexander''s innovative brilliance. Her parents'' old-money pedigree. All circling around the woman who had been broken and reborn through fire. Camille looked down at her phoenix ring, sunlight catching its facets and sending


    tiny rainbows across her desk. "You know what? I think it is."


    The future remained unwritten, with challenges ahead they couldn''t predict. Victoria''s health. The continued attention of the press. The evolving dynamic between Victoria and her parents. But for now, in this moment, nning a celebration of love felt like exactly the right thing to do.


    A phoenix didn''t rise from the ashes to live in fear of the next fire. It rose to soar.