The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 248

Chapter 222: Olivier’s Campaign

Bella POV

On a Tuesday morning, a firm knock sounded at my door.

“Who is it?” I called out, glancing up from my work.

“Lena,” her voice came through the door.

“Come in,” I said.

The door swung open, and Lena walked into my office. She did not say a word. She just laid a printed stack of papers on my desk.

I looked down at the pages. Normally, Lena sent everything by sss. When she brought paper directly to my desk, it meant the news was serious.

“What is this?” I asked, pulling the papers toward me.

“Media monitoring from the last ten days,” Lena said, crossing her arms. “Social media posts, gossip columns, and business news in Europe. Someone is talking about you, Bella.”

I read through the pages twice. The prose was simple but dangerous. No one used my name. No one made direct accusations that we could sue over. Instead, it was a quiet stream of hints.

One article from a Paris business summit mentioned an unnamed source asking about a new person in Sebastien Marchetti’s life. Another luxury newsletter raised questions about the timing of my appearance, right when the Marchetti family was rewriting their inheritance plans.

The message was clear: How convenient that this random woman showed up right now.

“They are trying to make you look like a gold digger,” Lena said bluntly.

“Who wrote these?” I asked, looking at the vague quotes.

Lena pointed a finger at the top page. “The articles don’t have a name on them. More importantly, we ran a trace on the people quoted. Two of the main sources have public social media accounts. Every single one of their friends, likes, and photos overlaps with one specific woman, named Camille Fontaine.”

“Camille Fontaine,” I murmured.

“Yes,” Lena said. “And we know exactly who Camille is linked to, she has been living with Olivier Marchetti for two years. She is his girlfriend, lives in his house, attends his corporate events, and is building a future with him. Now as you have entered the picture, she is scared Olivier will lose power, and Camille loses her dream life, so she is doing his dirty work.”

I stared at the Silverton skyline outside my window. Camille was afraid and fear makes people do desperate things, and she was using the tools she knew best-gossip and media manipulation to protect Olivier’s empire.

“Pull everything,” I told Lena, my voice flat. “Every mention, every blog, every source. I want a full map where these stories started and who is reading them.”

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Chapter 222 h Campaign

already started,” Lena replied.

Clam

“Keep it thorough, and keep it completely invisible,” I said, setting the papers down. “She planted these seeds. I want to see how far they grew before I cut them down.”

Lena nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.

I didn’t hesitate, I picked up my phone and dialed Sebastien. He answered on the second ring.

“Bella,” he said, his voice warm.

“I need to tell you something directly,” I said, keeping my tone calm and factual. “I want you to hear it from me first. There is a quiet media campaign running against me in Europe, People are questioning my motives and my timing regarding your family’s money. It is hidden well, but my team traced the sources.”

The line went quiet for a second. “Go on,” Sebastien said.

“The leaks are coming from Camille Fontaine,” I said clearly. “Olivier’s girlfriend. She is trying to protect his inheritance by painting me as a fraud.”

The silence on his end was brief, but when he spoke, his voice was freezing cold. “I see,” Sebastien said. “Thank you for telling me, Bella.”

“I am not asking you to fix this for me,” I told him. “I can handle myself. I am telling you because I want us to be honest with each other, no secrets.”

“I understand,” Sebastien said quietly.

We said goodbye, and I hung up, ready for the fight.

Some hours later, my direct line rang. I looked down at the screen. It was an unknown number with a London prefix so I answered it.

“Bella Black,” I said, keeping my tone perfectly professional.

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. Then, a woman spoke.”This is Camille Fontaine.”

Her voice was calm and composed. She spoke in English, but she had a very smooth, perfectly polite French accent.

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“I believe we have a mutual connection in Sebastien Marchetti,” she continued. “I have been meaning to reach out to you.”

“Have you,” I said, keeping my voice completely flat.

“I think there may have been some misunderstanding,” she said. Her tone was warm now, but it felt fake and carefully planned. “It is around some comments I made recently in professional contexts. Things that were, perhaps, taken out of their intended framing. I want you to know that I have only the greatest respect for what you have built, and any suggestion otherwise was never my intention.”

I let the silence run between us for a few seconds.

“I appreciate you reaching out, Camille,” I said, my voice completely pleasant. “Let’s make sure there are no further misunderstandings.”

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Chapter 222 em Campaign

Clam

Another pause came from her end, much shorter this time. She sounded a bit thrown off by how calm I

was

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