The morning at Vance Capital Holdings began like any other.
Eleanor sat behind her desk, reviewing a stack of contracts while Sebastian stood across from her with his tablet.
"You have three meetings today," he said.
"Cancel two."
Sebastian sighed.
"Which two?"
"The ones I don't need."
"That doesn't help."
Eleanor looked up.
"Then choose for me."
"You're impossible."
"So I've been told."
Before Sebastian could answer, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Jane stepped inside.
"Ms. Vance, someone is here to see you."
Eleanor looked up.
"Who?"
Jane glanced toward the hallway.
"Raven."
Eleanor's expression immediately changed.
Sebastian noticed.
"Send her in."
Jane nodded and left.
A few seconds later, Raven walked into the office.
Black suit.
Black gloves.
Black mask.
As usual.
Eleanor couldn't help smiling.
"You're early."
Raven looked at her.
"You noticed."
"I always notice when you're early."
Sebastian's eyebrows rose.
Eleanor immediately cleared her throat.
"I mean… for business."
"Of course," Sebastian muttered.
Eleanor glared at him.
Raven looked between them.
"Am I interrupting?"
"No," Eleanor quickly answered.
Sebastian smiled.
"Not at all."
He gathered his tablet.
"I'll leave you two to discuss business."
The way he said business made Eleanor narrow her eyes.
After he left, Raven took a seat opposite Eleanor.
"I came to discuss the next phase of our partnership."
Eleanor nodded.
"Good. I've been reviewing the proposal."
They spent the next thirty minutes discussing investments, expansion plans, and the Chicago market.
It was professional.
At least, it was supposed to be.
Eleanor noticed Raven seemed distracted.
"You're somewhere else."
Raven looked at her.
"I'm listening."
"I know."
Eleanor closed the folder.
"But something is bothering you."
Raven was quiet.
"You notice too much."
"Occupational hazard."
A faint smile appeared beneath Raven's mask.
"It's nothing you need to worry about."
Eleanor studied her.
"That's not very convincing."
Raven stood.
"Trust me."
Eleanor looked at her.
"I do."
Those two words made Raven pause.
For a moment, neither woman spoke.
Then Raven nodded.
"Good."
---
A few minutes later, Charlotte and Genevieve walked into Eleanor's office.
Charlotte stopped when she saw Raven.
"Oh."
Genevieve immediately smiled.
"So this is Raven."
Eleanor sighed.
"Don't start."
Charlotte looked at Eleanor.
"This is the business partner you've been talking about?"
"I haven't been talking about her."
Genevieve laughed.
"You definitely have."
"I have not."
Raven remained silent, clearly amused.
Charlotte looked at her.
"You know, I've heard a lot about you."
Raven raised an eyebrow.
"Hopefully nothing terrible."
Charlotte smiled.
"Nothing terrible."
Genevieve looked at Eleanor.
"You look happy."
Eleanor's smile disappeared.
"I'm always happy."
Charlotte and Genevieve exchanged a knowing look.
Raven noticed.
She stood.
"I'll let you ladies talk."
Eleanor looked at her.
"You're leaving already?"
Raven paused.
"I have work."
"Oh."
Again, that tiny disappointment appeared on Eleanor's face.
Raven noticed.
"I'll call you tonight."
Eleanor smiled.
"Okay."
Charlotte watched Raven leave.
Then she slowly turned toward Eleanor.
"So…"
Eleanor pointed at her.
"Don't."
Charlotte laughed.
---
Across the city, Raven sat inside her car.
Andrea was waiting for her.
"We need to talk."
Raven looked at her.
"What happened?"
Andrea handed her a folder.
"The group we've been watching has been asking questions about Apex Raven Global."
Raven's expression hardened.
"How much do they know?"
"Not much."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Andrea paused.
"But they're getting closer."
Raven looked out the window.
"Then we find out who they are before they find out who I am."
Andrea nodded.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"They've also been asking about Blackwood Heights properties."
Raven's eyes narrowed.
"Which properties?"
"Several of the ones you've recently acquired."
Raven became silent.
Someone was paying attention.
And Raven didn't like it.
---
Meanwhile, Jeff was facing his own problems.
He sat in his office staring at a financial statement.
Another property had been sold.
Another investment had disappeared.
Another payment was due.
His assistant stood nervously in front of him.
"Sir, the bank is asking for immediate repayment."
"How much?"
The assistant gave him the figure.
Jeff slammed the document down.
"Impossible."
"Sir…"
"Who keeps buying these properties?"
"We haven't been able to identify the buyer."
Jeff stared at him.
"Find out."
"Yes, sir."
After the assistant left, Jeff leaned back.
Something about the situation didn't make sense.
Someone was deliberately buying his assets.
And they weren't even negotiating.
They simply waited until he became desperate.
Then they bought.
One by one.
Jeff's phone rang.
He answered angrily.
"What?"
The voice on the other end was cold.
"You have another payment due."
Jeff closed his eyes.
"I'll get it."
"You said that last time."
"I said I'll get it!"
The call ended.
Jeff threw the phone onto his desk.
His gambling had become a prison.
And he had no idea how to escape.
---
That evening, Bella sat at home going through some of Jeff's documents.
She wasn't trying to invade his privacy.
She was trying to understand how bad things had become.
Then she found something.
A list of properties.
Several of them were connected to Raven's mother.
Bella's hands began to shake.
"No…"
She continued reading.
Property after property had been sold.
And the buyer was hidden behind different companies.
Bella knew enough about business to understand what was happening.
Someone was taking everything back.
Everything they had taken from Raven.
Her heart began racing.
Could it be?
No.
Raven had been gone for five years.
She couldn't possibly—
Bella stopped herself.
She didn't know.
But for the first time, she was afraid Raven hadn't disappeared.
Maybe Raven had simply been waiting.
---
That night, Raven stood in her office overlooking Chicago.
Her phone vibrated.
Andrea.
She answered.
"What is it?"
Andrea's voice was serious.
"We found something."
Raven turned from the window.
"What?"
"We identified the person connected to the masked group."
Raven's eyes narrowed.
"Who?"
Andrea hesitated.
"We're still confirming everything, but the name is…"
Raven waited.
Then Andrea said it.
Raven's expression changed.
She slowly lowered the phone.
The name was familiar.
Far too familiar.
And suddenly, the mysterious organization wasn't as distant as she thought.
It was closer to her life than she ever imagined.
To be continued…