Chapter 108

Stefan Rodriguez waited at a corner table in the dimly lit bar, nursing a drink he didn't want. The place reeked of stale beer and cheap perfume, a far cry from the upscale establishments he'd frequented in better days. But that was the point. No one would recognize him here. No reporters lurking, no business associates to witness his fall from grace. No one except the woman who had helped destroy his life.

The door swung open, admitting a gust of chilly evening air. Rose Lewis stood framed in the doorway, her eyes scanning the room. When she spotted Stefan, her face hardened into the familiar mask—beautiful and cold as carved ice. Dressed entirely in black, her outfit likely cost more than most people's monthly rent, despite her recent financial troubles. Always maintaining appearances, always the perfect facade.

Rose moved between tables, ignoring the admiring glances from men at the bar. She slid into the booth opposite Stefan without a greeting.

"This better be important," she said, her voice clipped. "I have plans tonight."

"With Herod Preston?" Stefan watched her face, catching the flicker of shock before she masked it.

"My personal life is no longer your concern." Rose signaled a passing server. "Vodka martini, extra dry."

Stefan leaned forward. "I know what you're planning, Rose. You and Preston. With the Phoenix Grid."

Rose's eyes narrowed. "Been talking to your new friends at Kane Industries? Or perhaps directly to my dear sister?" The last words dripped with venom.

"Eduardo Martinez told me," Stefan said, watching her carefully. Eduardo had been a longtime friend of the Rodriguez family, someone with connections throughout the city's business community. "He saw you with Preston at the marina last week. Heard you talking about the Grid launch."

Rose laughed, a humorless sound. "Eduardo always did have an overactive imagination. And loose lips." She took the martini from the server with a cold smile. "You called me here based on secondhand gossip? How pathetic."

"It's not just Eduardo," Stefan said, keeping his voice low and steady. "The whole city is talking about the sabotage attempts at the Grid. And now you're seen with Herod Preston, a man with every reason to hate Victoria Kane."

"Guilt by association now?" Rose sipped her drink. "I wasn't aware who I spend my time with was any of your concern. Not anymore."

"Whatever you and Preston are planning for the Grid launch, you need to stop it," Stefan said, his hands tightening around his glass. "Now. Before people get hurt."

Rose studied him over the rim of her glass. "You know nothing," she said finally.

"I know enough," Stefan met her gaze. "Even after everything that's happened, after everything was exposed at the gala, you're still plotting against Camille."

"After everything that happened at the gala?" Rose's voice sharpened. "You mean after my sister publicly humiliated me? After she destroyed my career, my reputation, everything I built?"

"After she revealed the truth," Stefan corrected. "That you tried to have her killed."

Rose didn't deny it. Not anymore. Not after her public exposure at the Phoenix Gala.

"When does it end, Rose?" Stefan pressed. "Isn't it enough? The damage is already done… to Camille, to you, to all of us."

"When she's destroyed," Rose's eyes glittered. "When Victoria Kane is destroyed. When they've lost everything, just like I did."

"You lost everything because of your own actions," Stefan said quietly. "Not Camille's."

Rose's face flushed with anger. "She took everything from me! Everything that should have been mine."

"She never took anything from you, Rose. You stole from her," Stefan felt a strange calm as he spoke the truth. "Her husband. Her family's trust. And when that wasn't enough, you tried to take her life."

"Don't you dare judge me," Rose's voice cut like a blade. "You were happy enough to be stolen when it suited you. Remember? 'I've always loved you, Rose. Camille was a mistake.' Your words, Stefan. Your betrayal."

Shame burned in Stefan's gut, but he pushed through it. "Yes. I betrayed her. I'll carry that guilt forever." He met Rose's gaze steadily. "But I won't let you hurt her again."

Something shifted in Rose's expression, a flicker of uncertainty, quickly replaced by cold fury. "So that's why you wanted to meet. To tell me you've switched sides. Abandoned me for Camille."

"This isn't about sides, Rose. It's about stopping something terrible before it happens."

Rose laughed, the sound sharp enough to cut. "Oh, Stefan. It's far too late for that. The wheels are already in motion. The Grid launches in three days. And after that…" Her lips curved into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "After that, nothing will ever be the same."

Alarm shot through Stefan. "What are you planning?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Rose sipped her martini, her eyes never leaving his face. "I thought you were weak when you cried over losing your company. When you flinched every time Camille's name was mentioned. But this…" She gestured at him with undisguised contempt. "This is beyond pathetic."

"People could get hurt, Rose," Stefan fought to keep his voice steady. "Real people. Not just Camille and Victoria. Is that what you want? To be responsible for innocent lives?"

"Spare me the moral lecture," Rose set down her glass with a sharp click. "Victoria Kane destroyed Herod's entire family without a second thought. Where was your concern for 'innocent lives' then?"

"This isn't about Victoria's past actions. This is about you. Right now." Stefan reached across the table, but Rose pulled her hand away before he could touch it. "It's not too late to stop this."

Rose studied him, her expression growing colder. "You really care about her still, don't you? After everything. After she humiliated you in front of all of New York. After she took your family's company."

"I care about doing the right thing. For once in my life," Stefan didn't deny his feelings for Camille. They were complicated, tangled with regret and shame, but still there. "And deep down, I think you still care too, Rose. About what's right. About who you are."

For a brief moment, something flickered in Rose's eyes—pain, perhaps, or doubt. But it vanished so quickly Stefan wondered if he'd imagined it.

"You know nothing about who I am," Rose's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "You never did. You saw what you wanted to see. The perfect girlfriend. The devoted lover. Just like my parents saw the perfect daughter. Just like everyone always has."

"I see you now," Stefan said quietly. "The real you. And I think deep down, you're terrified of what you've become."

Rose's hand moved so fast he didn't see it coming. The slap cracked across his face, sending his head snapping sideways. The bar fell momentarily silent, dozens of eyes turning toward them.

"You'll pay for this," Rose hissed, her perfect composure shattered. "You'll pay for the embarrassment. For the betrayal." She leaned down, her face inches from his. "I gave you everything, Stefan. And this is how you repay me? By crawling back to her?"

Stefan touched his stinging cheek, feeling a strange detachment from the pain. "I'm not crawling back to anyone. I'm trying to do one right thing after a lifetime of wrong ones."

"How noble," Rose's voice dripped venom. "Well, enjoy your newfound conscience while you can. Because in a few days, you'll be just as ruined as Camille and Victoria Kane."

She straightened, smoothing her dress with trembling hands. "Goodbye, Stefan. The next time we meet, you'll be begging me for forgiveness."

"Rose, please," Stefan made one last attempt. "Whatever you and Preston have planned, it won't bring you peace. It won't fix what happened in your past. It will only make things worse."

"Peace?" Rose's laugh was brittle. "I don't want peace, Stefan. I want justice. And I'll get it, with or without you."

She turned and strode toward the door, her back rigid, her steps swift and precise. The bar patrons watched her go, then returned to their drinks and conversations, the drama already forgotten.

But Stefan couldn't forget. Rose's words echoed in his mind, each one laden with threat. A few days until the Grid launch. Three days until whatever catastrophe she and Preston had engineered.