Five years later.
Blackwood Heights had changed.
But Raven knew the moment she stepped out of her car that some things never did.
The wealthy town still stood exactly as she remembered it—massive estates, expensive cars, private security, and families who believed their money made them untouchable.
Raven stood beside her black SUV, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit.
Her face was hidden behind her signature black mask.
She stared at the town in silence.
She was finally home.
Not as the broken woman they had thrown away.
But as the CEO of Apex Raven Global.
"Ma'am?"
Raven turned slightly.
Her assistant, Jane, a female Beta, stood beside her holding a tablet.
"Yes?"
"We've arrived."
Raven looked toward the massive headquarters of the company she had recently acquired in Blackwood Heights.
"Good."
Jane glanced at her tablet.
"We have a meeting in thirty minutes with a company that wants to establish a partnership with Apex Raven Global."
Raven nodded.
"Cancel it."
Jane blinked.
"Cancel it?"
"I said I don't want it."
"But they're already on their way."
Raven stopped walking.
Her cold gaze settled on Jane.
"Then let them come."
Jane immediately understood.
"Yes, ma'am."
Thirty minutes later, Raven sat at the head of the conference table.
The representatives of the other company sat opposite her.
There were four of them.
And all four looked nervous.
Raven hadn't said a word.
She didn't have to.
Her Alpha aura filled the room like a heavy weight.
Even though she kept it controlled, the pressure was enough to make the representatives shift uncomfortably in their seats.
One of them cleared his throat.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Raven. We are—"
He stopped.
Raven stared at him.
"Continue."
"Yes... of course."
He looked down at his documents.
"We... we came to discuss the... partnership between our companies."
Raven leaned back.
"Then discuss it."
The man swallowed.
"Yes. The partnership would... potentially... benefit both... companies."
Raven's eyes narrowed.
"Potentially?"
"I mean—yes. Definitely. It would definitely benefit both companies."
Jane stood quietly beside Raven, trying not to react.
Raven looked at the proposal.
"You want Apex Raven Global to invest seventy million dollars."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And what are you offering in return?"
The representative opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Raven waited.
The silence became unbearable.
Finally, he stammered, "We... we believe the opportunity itself would be—"
"Enough."
Raven's voice was quiet.
But the entire room went still.
She pushed the proposal across the table.
"You came into my company without knowing what you were going to offer me."
Nobody spoke.
Raven stood.
"Meeting over."
The representatives immediately gathered their papers.
"Yes, ma'am."
As they hurried out, Jane waited until the door closed.
"Were they always this nervous?"
Raven glanced at her.
"No."
She walked toward the window.
"They became nervous when they realized who they were sitting across from."
Jane smiled faintly.
"Your aura?"
Raven said nothing.
She looked down at Blackwood Heights.
Five years ago, she had left this town with nothing.
Now she owned a company powerful enough to make its richest families nervous.
And somewhere in this town were the people who had destroyed her life.
Raven's eyes hardened.
She had returned.
And this time, she wasn't leaving until she got everything back.