SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan) novel Chapter 207

Chapter 207

Stefan crouched behind a rusted shipping container at Pier 47, his breath forming small clouds in the cold night air. The abandoned waterfront stretched out before him like a graveyard of industrial dreams - broken concrete, twisted metal, and the constant sound of water lapping against rotting wooden posts.

His phone showed 11:58 PM. Alexander would arrive any moment for his meeting with the mysterious Guardian. Stefan adjusted the small camera he'd positioned to record whatever happened, making sure the night vision lens had a clear view of the meeting spot.

Footsteps echoed across the empty pier. Stefan pressed himself lower behind the container, watching as Alexander's familiar figure appeared under a flickering streetlight. Even from this distance, Stefan could see the tension in Alexander's posture, the way his shoulders hunched against both the cold and the weight of what he believed he was fighting for.

Alexander stopped at the designated meeting point and checked his watch. The wind off the water carried the sound of his nervous breathing, the tap of his foot against concrete as he waited.

More footsteps approached from the opposite direction. Stefan shifted position carefully, trying to get a better view without exposing himself. A second figure emerged from the shadows between two storage buildings.

Stefan's heart pounded as he raised his phone to record. Finally, he would see the face of the person who had been manipulating Alexander, who had destroyed his marriage to Camille, who had orchestrated the attacks on Kane Industries.

But as the figure stepped into the dim light, Stefan's hope turned to frustration. The Guardian wore a dark wool coat and a black ski mask that completely covered his face. Only his eyes were visible through the holes, and from this distance, even those were impossible to make out clearly.

"You're late," Alexander said, his voice carrying across the water.

"I had to make sure you weren't followed." The Guardian's voice was muffled by the mask, electronically distorted in a way that made it impossible to identify. "Did Richard Lewis convince you to abandon justice for his daughter's feelings?"

Stefan strained to hear every word, his phone recording both audio and video despite the poor lighting conditions.

"He tried. He showed me fake documents claiming my uncle was responsible for the factory deaths." Alexander's voice was bitter with anger. "He thinks I'm stupid enough to believe Victoria Kane's lies just because they're printed on official-looking paper."

"The Lewis family will say anything to protect their reputation. They've spent generations buying judges and senators to shield themselves from consequences." The Guardian moved closer to Alexander, his masked face impossible to read. "Are you ready to proceed with exposing their crimes?"

Stefan felt his jaw clench. The Guardian was still pushing Alexander toward attacking Camille's family, still feeding his rage with carefully crafted lies.

"I'm ready," Alexander said. "But I want to understand exactly what we're planning. You said we would expose Victoria's crimes publicly. How?"

The Guardian pulled out a tablet, the screen's glow casting eerie shadows on his masked features. "Tomorrow morning, every major news outlet will receive a comprehensive package documenting Victoria Kane's cover-up of the Meridian Technologies factory explosion. Video testimony from the victims' families. Financial records showing how she bribed safety inspectors. Engineering reports proving she knew about the defective equipment before it was installed."

Stefan's blood turned cold. The Guardian had created an entire false narrative, complete with fabricated evidence designed to destroy Victoria's reputation completely.

"What about the Lewis family?" Alexander asked.

"When Victoria's crimes are exposed, Richard Lewis and Senator Alvarez will have a choice. They can distance themselves from a mass murderer, or they can continue protecting her and face the consequences."

"What consequences?"

The Guardian's masked face turned toward Alexander with predatory focus. "Financial ruin. Political destruction. Criminal investigation for conspiracy to obstruct justice." His electronically distorted voice carried cold satisfaction. "By tomorrow night, either Victoria Kane will be arrested for murder, or everyone protecting her will share her fate."

Stefan realized he was witnessing the final stages of a plan months in the making. The Guardian wasn't just trying to destroy Victoria - he was planning to take down the entire Lewis family, Senator Alvarez, and anyone else who stood in his way.

"And Camille?" Alexander's voice was quieter now, uncertain for the first time.

"Camille made her choice when she chose Victoria over you. When she decided protecting a killer was more important than standing with her husband." The Guardian's voice hardened. "She'll face the consequences of her loyalty to murderers."

Stefan saw Alexander flinch at those words, saw the moment when doubt crept into his rigid certainty.

"She doesn't know about Victoria's crimes. She's innocent in all this."

"Is she? She's been running Kane Industries during Victoria's hospitalization. She's been making decisions to protect the company built on the graves of seventeen people. She's chosen her side, Alexander."

The Guardian moved even closer, his masked presence intimidating despite Alexander being taller and younger. "Don't let sentiment cloud your judgment now. Your uncle deserves justice. Those seventeen families deserve truth. Camille Kane made her choice to stand with killers."

Stefan watched Alexander's internal struggle play out in his body language. The man was torn between his need for revenge and whatever love he still felt for Camille.