The next morning, Eleanor woke up with one thought on her mind.
She needed to talk to Raven.
Not about business.
Not about the mysterious messages.
About the past.
She stared at her phone for several minutes before finally sending a message.
Eleanor:
Can I see you today?
Raven's reply came almost immediately.
Raven:
Of course. Is something wrong?
Eleanor hesitated.
Eleanor:
I just want to talk.
The three dots appeared.
Raven:
I'll come to you.
Eleanor smiled faintly.
Eleanor:
Okay.
She placed her phone down.
She had made her decision.
She wasn't going to accuse Raven.
She wasn't going to tell her about the messages just yet.
She simply wanted Raven to tell her the truth in her own words.
---
At Apex Raven Global, Raven stood behind her desk while Jane went over the day's schedule.
"You have a meeting at eleven."
"Cancel it."
Jane looked up.
"You're cancelling a meeting with the Henderson Group?"
"Yes."
"That's a major client."
"I know."
Jane gave her a knowing look.
"Eleanor?"
Raven ignored the question.
"Move everything else to tomorrow."
Jane smiled.
"Understood."
As she turned to leave, Raven's phone vibrated.
Andrea.
Raven answered.
"What did you find?"
"We traced one of the shell companies connected to the security operation."
"And?"
"It was established five years ago."
Raven's expression changed.
"Five years."
"Yes."
The same year everything had fallen apart.
The same year her mother died.
The same year Raven disappeared.
"Who funded it?"
"We're still tracing that."
Raven looked toward the city.
"Keep digging."
"There's something else."
"What?"
"The company has been paying people to monitor several members of Chicago's elite."
Raven frowned.
"Who?"
Andrea listed several names.
Then she said:
"Eleanor Vance."
Raven's jaw tightened.
"Anything else?"
"Your mother."
Raven froze.
"Explain."
"The same network monitored your mother before she died."
Silence.
Raven's eyes hardened.
"So they've been watching Eleanor because of her connection to me."
"Possibly."
Raven ended the call.
For the first time, the pieces were beginning to connect.
But she didn't yet understand how Eleanor fit into the picture.
And that frightened her.
---
That afternoon, Raven arrived at Vance Capital Holdings.
Eleanor was waiting for her in a private lounge.
When Raven walked in, Eleanor smiled.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Raven approached her.
"You wanted to talk."
Eleanor nodded.
"Yes."
Raven sat opposite her.
"What's going on?"
Eleanor studied her.
She wanted to ask immediately.
Instead, she reached across the table and took Raven's hand.
Raven looked down at their intertwined fingers.
Then back at Eleanor.
"You're nervous."
"A little."
"Why?"
Eleanor took a breath.
"Because there's something I want to ask you."
Raven's expression softened.
"Ask."
Eleanor looked directly into her eyes.
"Why did you really come back to blackwood's height?"
Raven went still.
The question wasn't what she expected.
She slowly withdrew her hand.
"You know why."
"Do I?"
Raven's gaze hardened slightly.
"Eleanor—"
"I know about Bella."
Raven said nothing.
"I know about Jeff."
Still nothing.
"I know what they did to your family."
Raven's eyes narrowed.
"How?"
Eleanor realized she'd said too much.
She quickly looked away.
"I've heard things."
Raven studied her carefully.
"You've been asking questions."
"No."
"Eleanor."
"I haven't."
Raven leaned back.
Something wasn't right.
But before she could press further, Eleanor's phone vibrated.
Both women looked at it.
Unknown number.
Eleanor's heart sank.
She didn't want to open it.
Raven noticed.
"Answer it."
Eleanor shook her head.
"It's nothing."
Raven's voice became firm.
"Eleanor."
She finally opened the message.
There was only one sentence.
Tell her you know about Raven Hale.
Eleanor's face went pale.
Raven saw it.
"What did they say?"
Eleanor locked her phone.
"Nothing."
Raven's eyes hardened.
"Don't lie to me."
Eleanor looked at her.
"I wasn't trying to—"
"Someone is threatening you."
It wasn't a question.
Eleanor remained silent.
Raven stood.
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"How long?"
Eleanor looked down.
"A few days."
Raven's expression changed completely.
"You should have told me."
"I didn't want you to think I was afraid of you."
Raven stared at her.
"I'm not the person you should be afraid of."
Eleanor's eyes filled with emotion.
"I know."
Raven walked around the table and stopped in front of her.
She gently lifted Eleanor's chin.
"Then trust me."
Eleanor looked into her eyes.
"I do."
Raven's thumb brushed lightly across her cheek.
"Good."
For a moment, neither woman spoke.
Then Eleanor whispered,
"There is something else."
Raven waited.
Eleanor took a breath.
"I knew who you were before you told me."
Raven froze.
"What?"
Eleanor's heart pounded.
"I knew you were Raven Hale."
Silence.
Raven slowly stepped back.
Her face became unreadable.
"How long?"
Eleanor swallowed.
"Since the night at your penthouse."
Raven stared at her.
"You knew?"
"Yes."
"And you never said anything?"
"I was waiting for you to trust me enough to tell me yourself."
Raven looked away.
For years, Raven had hidden behind her mask because she didn't trust anyone with the truth.
And Eleanor had known.
Yet she stayed.
Raven finally looked back at her.
"Why didn't you leave?"
Eleanor stood.
"Because I fell in love with you."
The words hung between them.
Raven's expression softened.
But before she could respond, her phone rang.
Andrea.
Raven answered.
"What?"
Andrea's voice was urgent.
"We found the person who ordered the surveillance."
Raven's eyes sharpened.
"Who?"
A pause.
Then Andrea said something that made Raven's entire body go still.
"It's someone connected to your mother's inner circle."
Raven looked at Eleanor.
The woman she loved.
The secrets surrounding her mother.
The Blackwood Circle.
Everything was beginning to collide.
And Raven suddenly realized that Eleanor's family might be much closer to the truth than either of them knew.
To be continued…