Raven stared at the photograph in her hands.
She couldn't breathe.
She couldn't think.
She could barely hear the rain beginning to fall against the windows of the abandoned building.
The photograph was old.
The edges were slightly worn, but the faces were clear.
Her mother, Ellen Hale, stood in the center.
Beside her was Mark Vance.
Adrian stood on the other side.
The woman wearing the silver mask stood slightly behind them.
And in front of all four adults was a little girl.
Eleanor.
Raven's fingers tightened around the photograph.
"No."
She looked at it again.
There was no mistake.
That was Eleanor.
Younger.
Maybe six or seven years old.
She was holding Ellen's hand.
Raven's heart hammered against her chest.
Why would her mother have been photographed with Eleanor?
Why would Mark and Adrian have been there?
And why had someone deliberately given Raven this photograph now?
Her phone vibrated.
Andrea.
Raven answered immediately.
"Where are you?"
"I found something."
Raven's voice was cold.
"I found something too."
"What?"
Raven looked down at the photograph.
"Eleanor."
There was silence.
"What do you mean?"
"She's in a photograph with my mother."
Andrea went quiet.
"Send it to me."
Raven took a picture and sent it.
Several seconds passed.
Then Andrea spoke.
"Raven…"
"What?"
"This changes things."
"I know."
"No, you don't understand."
Andrea's voice became more serious.
"I've seen this photograph before."
Raven froze.
"Where?"
"In one of the files connected to Mark Vance."
Raven's eyes narrowed.
"What file?"
"A file that was heavily redacted."
"Send it."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because it was removed from the system."
Raven's expression hardened.
"By who?"
"I don't know."
"Find out."
"I will."
Raven looked at the photograph again.
There was something about Ellen's expression.
She wasn't smiling.
She looked worried.
Protective.
As if she knew something terrible was coming.
Raven remembered her mother.
She remembered the last night she had seen her.
Ellen had stood in Raven's bedroom doorway.
She had kissed her forehead.
She had smiled.
And she had said something Raven had never understood.
No matter what happens, don't let anyone convince you that love is a weakness.
Raven had thought it was simply something a mother said to her daughter.
Now she wasn't so sure.
---
Eleanor woke to find Raven gone.
At first, she wasn't worried.
Raven had warned her she needed to investigate something.
But when Eleanor checked her phone, there were no messages.
She called.
No answer.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
A strange feeling settled in her stomach.
She got dressed quickly.
Sebastian was already waiting downstairs.
"Good morning."
"Sebastian, has Raven contacted you?"
He frowned.
"No."
"Have you heard from her assistant?"
"No."
Eleanor checked her phone again.
Nothing.
She tried Raven one more time.
This time the call went directly to voicemail.
Eleanor's expression changed.
"Something's wrong."
Sebastian stepped closer.
"Do you want me to call someone?"
"Andrea."
"Raven's head of security?"
"Yes."
Sebastian immediately called.
After a brief conversation, he ended the call.
"She hasn't heard from Raven either."
Eleanor's heart dropped.
"That's not normal."
"No."
Eleanor grabbed her handbag.
"I'm going to find her."
---
Raven returned to her penthouse just before noon.
She hadn't slept.
She hadn't told Eleanor about the photograph.
She had spent hours going through everything she knew about her mother.
Ellen Hale.
The name carried more weight now.
Raven opened an old box she had kept hidden in the back of her closet.
Inside were photographs, letters, jewelry, and a few documents.
She searched through them.
Then she found an old photograph of Ellen.
Raven placed it beside the photograph from the abandoned club.
She studied them.
Same woman.
Same eyes.
Same expression.
But something was different.
The photograph from the club had been taken years before Ellen's death.
And Eleanor was there.
Raven's phone rang.
Andrea.
"Tell me."
"We found the original file."
Raven sat upright.
"How?"
"It was hidden in an old server belonging to Vance Capital."
Raven's eyes narrowed.
"What's inside?"
"Financial records."
"Anything about Ellen?"
"Yes."
Raven's heart stopped.
"What?"
"Ellen had been transferring money into an account controlled by Mark and Adrian."
"For how long?"
"Almost four years."
Raven frowned.
"Why?"
"We don't know."
"Then find out."
"There is one more thing."
Raven waited.
"Eleanor's name appears in the records."
Raven went completely still.
"What?"
"Her name was listed as a protected beneficiary."
Raven's mind raced.
"Protected from what?"
"We're trying to determine that."
Raven stood.
"Andrea…"
"Yes?"
"Was Eleanor ever in danger?"
A pause.
"According to the file, yes."
Raven's blood went cold.
"From whom?"
"We don't know."
Raven ended the call.
She stared at the city through the glass.
Her mother had protected Eleanor.
Mark and Adrian had been involved.
And somehow, Eleanor had been placed inside the middle of it all as a child.
This wasn't a coincidence.
It couldn't be.
---
At the Vance estate, Eleanor sat across from Sofia.
She had barely touched her breakfast.
"Mom."
Sofia looked up.
"Yes?"
"Did I know Ellen Hale?"
Sofia's hand froze.
Eleanor immediately noticed.
"You did."
It wasn't a question anymore.
Sofia sighed.
"Yes."
"How?"
"You were young."
"But I met her."
"Yes."
"Why don't I remember?"
"You were a child."
Eleanor leaned forward.
"Why was I with her?"
Sofia looked away.
"Your father took you to a business gathering."
"That doesn't explain anything."
"It was a long time ago."
"Mom."
Sofia looked at her daughter.
There were tears in her eyes.
"Ellen was trying to protect you."
Eleanor's heart stopped.
"From what?"
Sofia remained silent.
"Mom, please."
Sofia finally whispered,
"From your father."
Eleanor froze.
"My father?"
Sofia immediately regretted saying it.
She looked away.
"I shouldn't have said that."
"Why would Dad want to hurt me?"
"He didn't."
"Then what were you protecting me from?"
Sofia closed her eyes.
"Eleanor, there are things you don't understand."
"Then help me understand."
Before Sofia could respond, the front door opened.
Mark walked in.
He stopped when he saw them.
His eyes immediately went to Sofia.
"What have you told her?"
Sofia stood.
"Nothing."
Eleanor slowly looked at her father.
"Dad."
Mark's expression softened.
"What is it?"
"Did I know Ellen Hale?"
Silence.
Mark didn't answer.
Eleanor's heart sank.
"You did."
Mark looked at Sofia.
"Who told you?"
"My mother."
Mark's face hardened.
"Sofia."
"Don't."
Sofia stepped between them.
"She deserves to know."
Mark's voice dropped.
"You don't understand what you're doing."
"No," Sofia replied. "You don't understand what you've done."
Eleanor looked between them.
"What happened?"
Mark stared at his daughter.
Then he said something that left her completely stunned.
"Your mother is right about one thing."
"What?"
"Ellen Hale was trying to protect you."
Eleanor's voice trembled.
"From you?"
Mark didn't answer.
And that silence was more terrifying than any confession.
---
Raven finally called Eleanor.
Eleanor answered immediately.
"Where have you been?"
"I had something to investigate."
"You disappeared."
"I know."
"I was worried."
Raven closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"Are you okay?"
"No."
Eleanor sat down.
"What happened?"
Raven hesitated.
She wanted to tell her.
She needed to.
But she couldn't bring herself to say it over the phone.
"Can I see you?"
"Yes."
"Come to my penthouse."
Eleanor grabbed her keys.
"I'm coming."
---
Twenty minutes later, Eleanor walked into Raven's penthouse.
Raven was waiting near the windows.
The moment Eleanor saw her face, she knew something was terribly wrong.
"What happened?"
Raven didn't answer.
Instead, she walked toward the table.
She picked up the photograph.
Then turned around.
"Eleanor."
"Yes?"
Raven held the photograph out.
"I found this."
Eleanor took it.
Her eyes moved across the image.
Her face went pale.
She recognized herself.
She recognized Mark.
She recognized Adrian.
But she didn't recognize the woman standing beside them.
And she definitely didn't recognize the woman beside whom she was standing.
"Who's she?"
Raven's voice was barely above a whisper.
"My mother."
Eleanor stared at her.
"Ellen?"
"Yes."
Eleanor's fingers trembled.
"I knew her?"
Raven nodded.
"Apparently."
Eleanor looked at the photograph again.
Then at Raven.
"Why didn't I remember?"
"I don't know."
Raven stepped closer.
"Your mother told you Ellen was trying to protect you."
Eleanor froze.
"How did you know that?"
Raven's eyes widened.
"Your mother told you?"
Eleanor nodded slowly.
Raven stared at her.
The pieces were falling into place.
Ellen had protected Eleanor.
Mark and Adrian had been involved.
The silver-masked woman knew the truth.
And both families had spent years hiding what happened.
Raven reached for Eleanor's hand.
"We're going to find out."
Eleanor looked into her eyes.
"Together?"
"Together."
Then Raven noticed something on the back of the photograph.
A handwritten sentence.
She hadn't seen it before.
She turned the photograph over.
There were six words written in Ellen's handwriting.
"She was never supposed to remember."
Raven and Eleanor stared at the words.
Neither of them spoke.
Because suddenly, the biggest question wasn't what Ellen had been protecting Eleanor from.
It was what had been done to make Eleanor forget.
To be continued…