Chapter 16
671 Words
Camille
The moment I stepped out of Enrique’s building the next morning, I knew something was off.
The air felt thick. Heavy. Like a warning.
A black car idled across the street. Not Enrique’s. Not mine.
The windows were tinted too dark, the engine too quiet.
I didn’t run.
I pulled my phone out slowly, snapped a photo, and texted it to Enrique with a single word:
**Camille:**
> Watching.
Then I got in my car, locked the doors, and drove to work like I wasn’t being hunted.
---
By 10 a.m., I had the final document I needed—Vivian’s digital signature on a falsified contract. The kind of thing that didn’t just get you fired. It got you blacklisted.
I printed the evidence and slid it into a crisp, black folder marked *Confidential*. It wasn’t enough to take her down publicly—I wanted it permanent. Irreversible.
So I walked it straight to the boardroom, handed it to the company’s legal counsel, and smiled.
“This should complete your investigation,” I said, voice calm. “You’ll find the timestamp aligns with the project she claimed to lead. I actually ran it.”
The woman blinked at me. “You have proof?”
“More than enough.”
I left before she could respond. Let them piece it together. Let Vivian sweat.
---
By noon, Enrique had already sent one of his private security teams to my condo.
Not just cameras.
Bodyguards.
I didn’t argue.
Instead, I sent him a voice message.
**Me:**
> I don’t want you caught in the crossfire. I can handle them.
His response came fast.
**Enrique:**
> I’m already in the fire, Camille. Let them burn.
God help me… I loved him a little more for that.
---
That night, he didn’t take me to the penthouse.
He took me to his lake house, tucked in a secluded part of Illinois, surrounded by trees and silence and a view that stretched forever.
I hadn’t realized how exhausted I was until I stepped inside.
“Why here?” I asked, unzipping my coat.
“Because you need peace,” he said, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. “And I want to give it to you.”
His hands slid down my arms, gentle. His lips trailed along my neck. “Let me remind you who you are when no one’s watching.”
I turned, wrapped my arms around his neck. “I already know who I am.”
“Then let me *worship* her.”
---
He undressed me like I was something precious—peeling away layers of stress, revenge, fear. His hands were steady, his gaze locked on mine as if I held every answer he’d ever needed.
He laid me down on silk sheets and took his time.
His tongue traced every curve, every scar. His fingers teased until my body arched beneath him, greedy for more.
And when he entered me, slow and deep, my breath caught.
“You feel like fire,” he groaned.
I dug my nails into his back. “Then burn with me.”
His movements grew rougher, more desperate, as if he couldn’t get close enough. Couldn’t claim enough.
And I didn’t want him to stop.
Because in his arms, I wasn’t just strong—I was free.
---
After, we lay tangled in each other, the fire from the stone hearth crackling quietly nearby.
“I want to keep you safe,” Enrique whispered, tracing lazy circles on my thigh. “But I know you’re not someone who needs saving.”
I smiled, eyes half-closed. “You’re right. I just need someone who won’t flinch when it gets ugly.”
He kissed my forehead. “I’ll never flinch.”
And I believed him.
---
Back in Chicago, Matt was spiraling. I knew it.
And Vivian?
She was plotting.
But they had no idea what was coming.
Because the next move?
Was mine.
And this time… it wouldn’t just be revenge.
It would be *destruction*.
- Writer
