The first thing Eleanor remembered when she opened her eyes was the kiss.
She smiled before she could stop herself.
The hill.
The stars.
Raven's hand holding hers.
The way Raven had looked at her before leaning in.
Eleanor buried her face in her pillow.
"Oh my God."
She had actually kissed Raven.
And somehow, she already wanted to do it again.
Her phone vibrated on the bedside table.
Raven:
Good morning, beautiful.
Eleanor stared at the message.
Her smile became impossible to hide.
She typed a reply.
Eleanor:
Good morning, mysterious woman.
The response came almost immediately.
Raven:
Did you sleep well?
Eleanor smiled.
Eleanor:
Not really.
There was a pause.
Raven:
Why?
Eleanor hesitated before typing.
Eleanor:
I kept thinking about last night.
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally:
Raven:
So did I.
Eleanor's heart skipped.
---
Later That Afternoon
Eleanor sat in the private section of the restaurant with Charlotte and Genevieve.
Charlotte had been watching her for the past five minutes.
Finally, she put down her fork.
"Okay. Enough."
Eleanor looked up.
"What?"
"You're glowing."
Genevieve laughed.
"She is."
"I am not."
Charlotte leaned forward.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
"Eleanor."
"Nothing happened."
Charlotte looked at Genevieve.
"She's lying."
Genevieve smiled.
"Definitely."
Eleanor sighed.
"You two are impossible."
Charlotte folded her arms.
"Did you kiss her?"
Eleanor froze.
Charlotte's eyes widened.
"Oh my God."
Genevieve immediately smiled.
"You did."
Eleanor covered her face.
"It was just a kiss."
Charlotte nearly jumped out of her seat.
"JUST A KISS?"
"Keep your voice down!"
"You kissed Raven!"
"Yes."
Charlotte grabbed Genevieve's arm.
"She kissed Raven!"
Genevieve laughed.
"I heard her."
Charlotte looked at Eleanor.
"How was it?"
Eleanor lowered her hands.
"Magical."
Charlotte stared at her.
Then smiled.
"Oh, you're in trouble."
Eleanor laughed.
"Maybe."
Genevieve reached across the table.
"Are you happy?"
Eleanor looked down at her hands.
"Yes."
Her voice was quieter this time.
"Really happy."
Genevieve smiled.
"Then enjoy it."
Charlotte nodded.
"Exactly. But don't fall too hard."
Eleanor looked at her.
"Why?"
Charlotte shrugged.
"Because people are complicated."
Eleanor's smile faded slightly.
She knew exactly what Charlotte meant.
Raven was complicated.
And Eleanor knew something about Raven that neither of her friends knew.
She knew her real identity.
She knew she was Raven Hale.
But she wasn't ready to tell anyone.
Not even Charlotte.
---
Across Chicago
Raven sat behind her desk at Apex Raven Global.
She had been staring at the same document for nearly ten minutes.
Jane walked in.
"Are you working?"
"Yes."
Jane looked at the untouched document.
"Clearly."
Raven looked up.
"What?"
Jane smiled.
"You're distracted."
"I'm not."
"You've read the same page six times."
Raven closed the folder.
"I was thinking."
"About Eleanor?"
Raven's expression immediately hardened.
Jane smiled.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Before Raven could answer, Andrea walked in.
"What's going on?"
Jane looked at her.
"Raven is distracted."
Andrea looked at Raven.
"Eleanor?"
Raven gave them both a warning look.
Andrea laughed.
"So you finally kissed her."
Raven went completely still.
Jane covered her mouth to hide her smile.
Andrea's grin widened.
"I knew it."
Raven leaned back.
"Are you both finished?"
"No," Andrea said.
Raven sighed.
"I regret trusting either of you."
---
The laughter eventually faded.
Andrea placed a folder on Raven's desk.
"Now, something serious."
Raven opened it.
"The final property?"
Andrea nodded.
"The negotiations have moved forward."
Raven's eyes sharpened.
"Good."
"But there's a problem."
"What?"
"Someone has been accessing the building after hours."
Raven's expression immediately changed.
"Who?"
"We don't know."
"Security footage?"
"Deleted."
Raven closed the folder.
"Find out."
Andrea nodded.
"Already working on it."
Raven looked at the photograph of her mother sitting on her desk.
The main building had been hers.
And Raven intended to take it back.
Whatever was hidden inside it—
she would find it.
---
That Night
Raven returned to her penthouse.
She had barely removed her coat when her phone vibrated.
Unknown Number.
She opened the message.
There was an old photograph attached.
Raven froze.
It was her mother.
Standing outside the Hale main building.
Raven zoomed in.
Someone was standing beside her.
But the person's face had been deliberately scratched out.
Her heart began pounding.
Then she noticed writing on the back of the photograph.
She turned it over.
One sentence.
«Your mother didn't die because of Jeff.»
Raven stared at it.
"No…"
Another message arrived.
«If you want the truth, open the basement.»
Raven's expression hardened.
The basement.
She had never been allowed there as a child.
Her mother had always told her it was off-limits.
Raven slowly looked toward the photograph of her mother.
For years, she had believed Jeff and Bella were the center of her mother's death.
But what if they weren't?
What if Jeff had only been part of the story?
Raven clenched the photograph in her hand.
"Mom…"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"What were you hiding from me?"
She looked toward the city.
The softness Eleanor had brought into her life disappeared.
The ruthless Raven returned.
And this time, she wasn't hunting Jeff.
She was hunting the truth.
To be continued…