Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Camille’s point of view
There’s a particular satisfaction in watching something fall apart from a distance, in witnessing the precise moment when confidence shatters and reality crashes down Victoria had taught me that. “True power isn’t in the destruction itself,” she’d told me once, “but in knowing you orchestrated it while they never saw you coming.” As I sat at the head of the conference table in Kane industries executive boardroom, I savored that lesson, watching the faces of Pacific Maritime’s leadership crumble under the weight of their impending ruin.
I watched the numbers change on my tablet as Pacific Marline’s stock price plummeted. Each drop represented another piece of Stefan’s empire crumbling. The company’s board members sat across from me in Kane Industries main conference room, their faces growing paler by the minute.
“Your company lost forty percent of its value in the last hour,” I said, my voice carrying through the silent room. In fifteen minutes, when the market fully reacts to the news about your accounting irregularities, that number will hit sixty percent.”
Michael Chen, Pacific Maritime’s CEO, gripped his water glass so hard I thought it might shatter. “These accusations are baseless.”
“Are they?” I slid a folder across the polished table. “Our audit team spent six months combing through your records. Every questionable contract, every hidden payment, every secret deal with Rodriguez Shipping – it’s all
there.”
The board members exchanged worried glances. They knew what this meant. Pacific Maritime controlled Stefan’s most important shipping routes. Without them, his entire operation would collapse.
“Kane Industries is offering to buy your remaining shares at thirty dollars each,” I continued. “Generous, considering they’ll be worth nothing by market close.”
“You can’t do this,” Thomas Rodriguez, Stefan’s uncle and Pacific Maritime chairman, pushed back from the table. “Rodriguez Shipping will fight-
“With what resources?” I cut him off. “The Rodriguez company is already overextended. Three banks have quietly frozen there credit lines. And their upcoming wedding is draining what cash reserves remain.”
My phone buzzed- a message from our source inside Rodriguez Shipping: Stefan just got the news. Complete meltdown in his office. Board calling emergency meeting.
I allowed myself a small smile. Let him rage. Let him feel powerless. Let him understand exactly what it meant to watch everything slip through his fingers.
“You have thirty minutes to accept our offer,” I told the board. “After that, these findings go to the SEC and every major financial publication”
“This is extortion,” Chen protested weakly.
“No, Mr. Chen. This is karma.” I met his eyes steadily. “You chose to tie your company’s future to Rodriguez Shipping Now you pay the price for that choice.”
My phone lit up with updates from our trading desk. Pacific Maritime’s stock In free fall. Investors dumping shares in panic. The trap I’d spent months setting had snapped shut perfectly.
The company’s chief counsel spoke up. “We need time to review.”
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Chapter 36
“Twenty–eight minutes now,” I interrupted. “Tick tock.”
In my earpiece, Victoria’s voice: “Well done. They’re crumbling exactly as predicted.”
I kept my expression neutral as the board members whispered urgently among themselves. Six months of planning had led to this moment. Every detail mapped out, every weakness exposed, every escape route blocked.
My tablet chimed again, Rodriguez Shipping’s stock starting to drop as news spread about Pacific Maritime’s troubles. The first domino falling exactly as planned.
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“This will destroy him,” Thomas Rodriguez said quietly. “My nephew… his whole future depends on these shipping routes.”
“Perhaps he should have thought about his future before making certain choices,” I replied, letting ice coat my words. “Actions have consequences, Mr. Rodriguez. Even for those who think themselves untouchable.”
Twenty minutes later, they signed the papers. Kane Industries now owned controlling interest in Pacific Maritime. Stefan’s most crucial supply chain partner had fallen into enemy hands.
In my private bathroom afterward, I finally allowed my hands to shake. Not from fear or doubt, but from the pure rush of power. I’d done it. Landed the first major blow in my campaign to systematically dismantle everything Stefan valued.
My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number: *Impressive show. But what happens when winning doesn’t fill the void? – AP
Alexander Pierce. Of course he’d been watching. He seemed to see everything these days.
I ignored his message, focusing instead on the news alerts flooding my screen. Business publications already running stories about Pacific Maritime’s sudden takeover, Financial analysts speculating about what this meant for Rodriguez Shipping’s future.
Victoria entered without knocking. “The board is pleased. Clean execution, minimal exposure, maximum damage.
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“Stefan’s company will lose forty percent of its shipping capacity overnight,” I reported. “His stock is already down twelve percent.”
“And how do you feel?”
I considered the question carefully. “Powerful. In control.” paused. “Empty.”
“That passes,” she said dismissively. “Focus on the next target. We move on Jensen Partners tomorrow–their infrastructure supports another thirty percent of his operations.”
But as she outlined the next phase of our plan, I found myself wondering about Pierce’s question. What would happen when I’d taken everything? When Stefan’s empire lay in ruins and Rose’s fashion dreams were ashes? Would the void inside me finally fill?
My reflection in the bathroom mirror showed nothing of these doubts. Just the polished exterior of Camille Kane, Victoria’s perfect heir, methodically destroying her enemies.
I straightened my jacket and checked my lipstick. The afternoon would bring meetings with Pacific Maritime’s new management team. Orders to be given. Changes to be implemented. Each step carefully designed to tighten the noose around Stefan’s corporate neck.
I gathered my papers and headed for the next meeting. There was more work to be done. More pieces to position. More of Stefan’s carefully built world to tear down.
Chapter 36
Tomorrow would bring new targets, new strategies, new vii
And it was only the beginning.
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