Chapter 94
Chapter 94
Rose stepped onto the balcony of Herod’s penthouse, a glass of champagne catching the golden light of sunset. Below, Manhattan sprawled in all its glittering glory, oblivious to the small victory celebration taking place sixty floors above.
“To successful beginnings,” Herod said, joining her with his own glass. The evening breeze ruffled his dark hair, softening his usually severe appearance.
“Six p
ix percent,” Rose replied, satisfaction warming her voice “Six percent drop in a single day. Millions wiped from Kane Industries‘ value.”
Their glasses clinked, crystal meeting crystal with a delicate ring. Rose sipped the expensive champagne, bubbles dancing on her tongue. The taste of revenge was even sweeter than the Dom Pérignon.
“You should have seen Victoria’s face during that press conference,” she said, leaning against the railing “So controlled on the surface, but I know that look in her eyes. She’s rattled.”
iling. “So”
Herod studied her, his expression curious. “You enjoy this, don’t you? Not just the outcome, but the process. The game itself.”
Rose considered this. “I never thought of myself as someone who enjoyed causing pain. But watching Camille squirm, seeing her precious project questioned.” She trailed off, surprised by the Intensity of her feelings. “Yes, I enjoy it.”
“Most people lie to themselves about such things,” Herod observed, moving closer. “They pretend their revenge is only about justice, not pleasure.”
“I stopped lying to myself a long time ago,” Rose replied. When you grow up unwanted, you learn to see things clearly.”
Something flickered in Herod’s eyes, recognition, perhaps Understanding. The setting sun cast half his face in shadow, half in golden light, emphasizing the sharp angles of his cheekbones.
“Your honesty is refreshing,” he said.
Rose felt a strange flutter in her chest. For weeks, they had worked together with cold precision, their partnership purely transactional. But tonight, celebrating their first victory, something subtle had shifted in the air between
them.
“Tell me something real about yourself,” she said suddenly “Not about your family or Victoria Kane or business. Something I don’t know yet.”
Herod seemed surprised by the request. He turned to face the skyline, considering.
“I collect first editions,” he said finally. “Books from the 19th century, mostly. I find comfort in things that have survived their time, outlasted their creators.”
The admission was unexpected, a small, human detail about a man who had revealed so little of himself beyond his thirst for revenge.
“Do you read them?” Rose asked. “Or just collect them?”
“Both. Some nights, when sleep won’t come, I read by the window until dawn.” He glanced at her. “Your turn. Something real.”
Rose felt oddly vulnerable under his gaze. She was accustomed to crafting herself for othare –
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Chapter 94
the supportive sister, the devoted girlfriend. Revealing anything authentic felt dangerous.
“Lcan’t swim,” she admitted. “I nearly drowned as a child, before the foster system. I’ve never been able to put my head underwater since.”
The words hung between them, more revealing than she’d intended. Not just a fact, but a weakness. A fear.
Herod didn’t fill the silence with empty reassurances or prying questions. He simply nodded, accepting her truth as she had accepted his.
“We all have our depths we can’t face,” he said finally.
Inside, Herod’s phone rang. He excused himself, stepping back into the penthouse. Rose remained on the balcony, watching darkness claim the city. Lights flickered on across Manhattan, creating new constellations against the deepening blue.
Through the glass doors, she observed Herod taking the call. His posture shifted subtly, straightening, tensing. Business mode. She’d learned to read his body language during their weeks of planning. Whatever news he was receiving, it was significant.
When he returned to the balcony, his expression had hardened back into the calculating mask she recognized from their strategy sessions.
“Good news?” she asked.
“Confirmation that phase two is ready,” he replied. “Our contact at the engineering firm has implemented the modified specs in the Brooklyn site components. Everything appears exactly as it should, until full system load tests six weeks after installation.”
Rose felt a familiar thrill of anticipation. “And then?”
“Complete system failure. Harmless to humans, as promised, but catastrophic for Kane Industries‘ reputation. Especially when the ‘overlooked‘ safety warnings surface.
Rose smiled, imagining the scene, Camille watching helplessly as her precious Phoenix Grid collapsed, taking her reputation with it.
“Perfect timing,” she said. “Just as they recover from this week’s crisis, just as they think they’re safe…”
“The true damage arrives,” Herod finished. “Patience rewards those who wait.”
He refilled their champagne glasses, his fingers brushing against hers as he handed back her drink. The brief contact sent an unexpected warmth up her arm. Rose found herself noticing details she’d previously ignored, the precise way he moved, the subtle cologne he wore, the intensity in his dark eyes when they focused on her.
“Why did you agree to help me?” she asked abruptly. “You had your own plans for Victoria. Why include me?” Herod considered her question carefully. “Initially? Strategy. Your knowledge of Camille’s weaknesses, your personal connection to the situation, it was valuable.”
“And now?”
Something shifted in his expression, a softening around the eyes, a slight tension at the corner of his mouth.” Now I find our partnership has… additional benefits.”
The Implication hung in the air between them. Ruse felt her heartbeat quicken. For so long, her relationships had been calculated moves in a larger game, Stefan, the men before him, each one a stepping stone to something else. Uulity, not connection
This felt different. Dangerous in a new way
Chapter 4
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“We should celebrate properly,” Herod said, breaking the tension. “Not just champagne on the balcony. Dinner, perhaps.”
“Here?” Rose asked, gesturing toward the penthouse.
“No. Out. In public.”
Rose stared at him. “I can’t be seen. Not after the press conference disaster. Every reporter in the city would pounce.”
“Not in New York,” Herod clarified. “My jet is fueled and waiting at Teterboro. We could be in Montreal for
gat dinner, back by morning. No one would know.”
The spontaneity of the suggestion startled her. “Montreal? Tonight?”
“Why not? We’ve earned a moment of pleasure amid all this planning.” His eyes held hers. “Unless you’re afraid to leave your hiding place.”
The challenge was subtle but clear. Rose felt something stir inside her, pride, defiance, and something else she couldn’t quite name.
“I’m not afraid,” she said firmly. “But this seems… impulsive. Not like you.”
“Perhaps you don’t know me as well as you think.” A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “I can be impulsive when the occasion warrants.”
Rose found herself returning his smile, conscious of how rarely she’d done so genuinely in recent weeks. Most of her smiles were performances, calculated to achieve a specific effect. This one surprised her with its authenticity.
“Montreal,” she repeated, considering. “French food, anonymity, no press…”
“Freedom,” Herod added. “Even if just for an evening.”
The word resonated within her. Since the disaster at the Kane Foundation gala, she’d been living in shadows, moving between hotel rooms, avoiding public spaces, watching from afar as her carefully constructed life collapsed. The thought of stepping into the world again, even briefly, even far away, felt both frightening and exhilarating.
“Yes,” she decided suddenly. “Let’s go.”
Surprise flickered across Herod’s face, as if he hadn’t expected her to accept. It vanished quickly, replaced by pleasure. “Excellent. Pack lightly. We leave in an hour.”
As Rose turned to go inside, Herod caught her wrist gently. The unexpected contact froze her in place.
“One condition,” he said, his voice lower than before. “Tonight, no talk of Camille, Victoria, or revenge. Just dinner, conversation, and whatever comes after.”
The implication sent heat rushing through Rose’s body. She met his gaze, searching for calculation or manipulation, the currencies she understood best. Instead, she found something more unsettling: genuine Interest.
“Agreed,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt.
