Chapter 113
Victoria Kane sat propped against white hospital pillows, her silver hair swept back from her face in a neat chignon. Even in a hospital gown, connected to monitors that beeped rhythmically in the background, she maintained an air of command. The room, the hospital’s finest private suite, had been transformed with fresh flowers, silk sheets from her home, and a mahogany lap desk now balanced across her knees.
Her lawyer, Frederick Winters, a man who had served the Kane family for thirty years, sat in an armchair beside the bed. His silver–rimmed glasses caught the afternoon light as he arranged documents with practiced precision.
“You’re certain about this?” he asked, his voice low and measured. “The board will have questions.”
Victoria’s mouth thinned. “The board’s questions are not my concern, Frederick. My decision is final.”
The door opened, and Camille entered, dressed in a tailored navy suit that Victoria recognized as one she had selected for her. Their eyes met, an understanding passing between them. Victoria gestured to the chair on the opposite side of her bed.
“Good, you’re here. We can begin.”
Camille glanced at Frederick, then back to Victoria. “Begin what?”
“Updating my will,” Victoria answered matter–of–factly. “Please, sit.”
Camille lowered herself into the chair, her movements careful, as if the ground beneath her might suddenly give way. For the past two days, she had been splitting her time between the hospital and Kane Industries, maintaining the fiction that Victoria was simply working remotely while recovering from exhaustion. Only Alexander knew the truth, that Victoria was fighting for her life, with surgery scheduled for the following morning.
“Is this rea
necessary right now?” Camille asked quietly. “The doctors said you should rest before tomorrow’s procedure.”
Victoria waved away her concern. “I don’t leave matters of importance to chance, Camille. You know that.”
Frederick cleared his throat. “Ms. Kane has asked me to prepare a new version of her last will and testament, along with updated instructions regarding the control of Kane Industries in the event of her… incapacitation.”
Camille’s fingers tightened on the armrests. “You’re going to be fine. The doctors said the procedure has an excellent success rate.”
“Of course,”
Victoria said, though something in her eyes suggested she was less certain than her words implied. “But prudence dictates preparation, regardless of probability.”
She turned to Frederick. “Proceed.”
Frederick adjusted his glasses. “The primary change concerns the disposition of Ms. Kane’s personal estate and her controlling interest in Kane Industries. Previously, these assets were divided among several beneficiaries and charitable foundations.”
He glanced at Victoria, who nodded for him to continue.
“Under the new will, Ms. Kane names you, Camille Kane, as her sole heir and successor. This includes all personal property, financial assets, real estate holdings, and her sixty percent controlling interest in Kane Industries.”
Camille felt the air leave her lungs in a rush. She stared at Victoria, searching her face for some explanation. “Victoria, I…”
“The decision is made,” Victoria interrupted, her tone brooking no argument. She turned to Frederick. “Show her the documents.”
Frederick handed Camille a thick folder. She opened it with unsteady fingers, scanning pages dense with legal terminology. Numbers jumped out at her, figures with so many zeros they seemed unreal.
“This is… everything,” she whispered.
“Yes,” Victoria confirmed simply.
“But why? There must be others, board members who’ve been with you for decades, charitable foundations, relatives….”
“No relatives,” Victoria corrected. “Not since Sophia.” A shadow crossed her face at the mention of her daughter. “As for the board, they serve at the pleasure of the controlling shareholder. And the foundations will continue to receive their annual donations as stipulated in separate agreements.”
Victoria’s gaze held Camille’s, unwavering. “You are my heir, Camille. The daughter of my choice, if not my blood. I have watched you transform from a woman broken by betrayal into someone extraordinary. Someone worthy of everything I’ve built.”
Emotion closed Camille’s throat. She thought of the night Victoria had found her in that hotel parking garage, beaten and left for dead by Rose’s hired thugs. The moment Victoria had offered her a choice, to run away and start over elsewhere, or to stay and become something new. She had chosen revenge then, but somewhere along the way, that choice had led to
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Chapter 113
something unexpected, a bond between her and Victoria that transcended mentor and student.
“There are a few additional provisions,” Frederick continued when Camille remained silent. “A personal letter to be delivered to you in the event of Ms. Kane’s death. Instructions for the continuation of the Phoenix Grid project. And specific directives regarding certain individuals Ms. Kane considers… adversaries.”
Victoria’s lips curved in a cold smile. “Insurance policies, you might say.”
Camille knew she meant Rose and Herod. Even facing surgery, Victoria was thinking ten moves ahead, planning counters to attacks that hadn’t yet materialized.
“I don’t want to have this conversation,” Camille said suddenly. “You’re going to survive the surgery. You’re going to recover. We can discuss succession plans after you’re back at the office.”
Victoria reached out, taking Camille’s hand in a rare gesture of physical affection. Her skin felt cool and paper–thin, the blue veins visible beneath the surface.
“Camille,” she said softly. “Look at me.”
Camille raised her eyes reluctantly.
“I have lived my life preparing for every possibility,” Victoria continued. “It’s why I’ve survived this long in a world eager to see women like me fail. Tomorrow may go perfectly according to plan–I certainly intend it to–but I will not leave anything to chance. Not my company. Not my legacy. And especially not your future.”
She squeezed Camille’s hand once before releasing it. “Now, shall we proceed with the signatures, Frederick?” Frederick nodded, extracting a silver pen from his breast pocket. “If you’ll initial here, Ms. Kane, and sign on the final page.” Victoria took the pen, her hand steady as she marked the documents. The scratch of the nib against paper was the only sound in the room besides the quiet beeping of the monitors.
When she finished, she handed the pen to Camille. “Your signature is required as witness and acknowledging recipient.” Camille hesitated, the pen heavy in her hand. Signing felt like admitting a possibility she refused to accept–that Victoria might not survive.
“This changes nothing about tomorrow,” Victoria said, reading her thoughts. “It simply ensures that no matter what happens, you will be protected. Kane Industries will be protected.”
Camille took a deep breath and signed her name. The letters seemed strange to her–Camille Kane–st unfamiliar after all this time. A name Victoria had given her, along with a new identity, a new purpose, a
an empire.
omewhat now, potentially,
Frederick collected the documents, slipping them into his briefcase. “I’ll file these immediately. By this time tomorrow, everything will be legally.binding.”
Victoria nodded. “Thank you, Frederick. That will be all.”
The lawyer stood, buttoning his jacket. “If I may say so, Ms. Kane… it’s been an honor serving you these many years.” Something passed between them–thirty years of history distilled into a single look. Then Frederick bowed slightly and left the room, the door closing softly behind him.
Silence settled around them. Outside the window, the sun was beginning to set, painting the city skyline in shades of gold and amber.
“You didn’t have to do this,” Camille said finally.
“Yes,” Victoria countered. “I did.”
She shifted against the pillows, a flicker of discomfort crossing her features. “When Sophia died, I lost my future. Everything I had built suddenly felt hollow. What was the point of creating an empire if there was no one to inherit it?” She looked toward the window, her profile sharp against the fading light. “Then you came into my life. Not as a replacement for Sophia–no one could ever be that–but as something unexpected. A second chance, perhaps.”
Camille had never heard Victoria speak so openly about her feelings. It frightened her more than the surgery, more than the cancer, more than the will. Victoria Kane did not share her inner thoughts unless she feared she might not have another opportunity.
“When I took you in,” Victoria continued, “it was partly for Sophia. You reminded me of her, your potential, your raw strength that others had tried to crush. I thought helping you would somehow honor her memory.”
She turned back to Camille, her eyes clear and direct. “But somewhere along the way, it became about you. Just you. The woman you were becoming. The woman you are now.”
Camille felt tears threatening and fought them back. Victoria despised emotional displays.
“I’m not ready to take your place,” she admitted.
Chapter 113
Victoria’s expression softened marginally. “No one ever feels ready for power, Camille. Those who think they are invariably prove themselves unworthy of it.”
She gestured to the bedside table. “Hand me that folder–the blue one.”
Camille passed it to her. Victoria opened it, removing several sheets of paper covered in her distinctive handwriting.
“These are notes I’ve prepared for you. Things I want you to know, strategies I might not have time to teach you.” She hesitated, uncharacteristically uncertain. “And some personal thoughts as well.”
She held out the papers. Camille took them, careful not to let their hands touch, afraid that physical contact might break the fragile control she was maintaining.
“Read them after I’m in surgery,” Victoria instructed. “They might help you understand… certain decisions I’ve made.” A nurse entered the room, carrying a tray of medication. “Time for your pre–op preparation, Ms. Kane.” Victoria nodded. “Very well.” She looked at Camille. “You should go. Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day.” Camille stood, clutching the folder to her chest. She wanted to say something meaningful, something that captured the complexity of her feelings, but words seemed inadequate.
“I’ll be here when you wake up,” she promised instead.
Victoria’s mouth curved slightly. “I expect nothing less.
At the door, Camille paused and looked back. Victoria was already speaking to the nurse, her manner brisk and businesslike, showing no trace of fear about the procedure that awaited her. The sight struck Camille with a sudden clarity, this was the kind of strength she had been learning all these months. Not just the ability to fight enemies or run a company, but the courage to face whatever came with unflinching resolve.
Outside in the corridor, Camille leaned against the wall, the folder pressed against her heart like a shield. Throughout her transformation from Camille Lewis to Camille Kane, she had focused on becoming powerful enough to destroy her enemies. She had never considered what it might mean to become powerful enough to carry Victoria’s legacy. Her phone buzzed. Alexander, texting to check on Victoria.
*Surgery tomorrow morning. She’s ready. Just updated her will.*
She hesitated, then added: *She named me her sole heir.*
Alexander’s response came seconds later: *Of course she did. There was never any doubt.*
Camille stared at his words, wondering how something so monumental to her could seem so obvious to him.
The elevator doors opened, and she stepped inside, still clutching Victoria’s folder. As the doors closed, she caught a final glimpse of Victoria’s room down the corridor, the last place she had expected to find herself when she signed those divorce papers eighteen months ago.
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