RAVEN
I didn't sleep that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the photograph inside Arthur's folder.
Cyprian.
My husband.
And those three words written beneath his picture.
THE MORETTI HEIR.
I had spent hours trying to understand what I had seen, but the more I thought about it, the less sense it made.
Why was my baby involved in Arthur's war?
What did the bloodline record have to do with my pregnancy?
And who was the man who had visited Arthur?
I turned onto my side, pulling the blanket closer.
My stomach felt uncomfortable, although not as badly as it had earlier. I had taken the medication the doctor prescribed and tried to follow his instructions.
But resting was difficult when I didn't even know what I was resting for.
A soft knock came from the door.
I sat up.
"Come in."
Margaret entered carrying a fresh glass of water.
"Good morning, Miss Hayes."
I looked at the clock.
It was barely past seven.
"Good morning."
She placed the glass on the bedside table.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Not particularly."
She gave me a sympathetic look.
"Would you like something for breakfast?"
I shook my head.
"Margaret, please. I need you to do something for me."
She glanced at the door.
"What is it?"
"I need to see Claire."
Her expression changed slightly.
I immediately sat straighter.
"Have you heard anything?"
Margaret hesitated.
"She's still here."
"Where?"
"I believe she's being kept in the east wing."
I stared at her.
"Can you take me there?"
"Miss, I'm not sure that's possible."
"Margaret, please. She's my best friend. I don't even know what they've done to her."
The older woman looked at me for a long moment.
Then she sighed.
"I'll see what I can do."
I reached for her hand.
"Thank you."
She nodded before leaving.
I waited.
Ten minutes passed.
Then fifteen.
I was beginning to think she wouldn't return when the door opened again.
Margaret stepped inside.
"Come with me."
I immediately got up.
"Did you find her?"
"Keep your voice down."
I followed her into the corridor.
She led me past several rooms before stopping in front of a door near the end of the hallway.
"She's inside."
My heart began racing.
I reached for the handle.
The door opened.
"Raven?"
I froze.
Claire was sitting on the edge of a bed.
Her hair was dishevelled, and there was a small bruise near her temple.
But she was alive.
"Claire!"
I rushed towards her.
She stood immediately, and we wrapped our arms around each other.
"Oh my God," she whispered.
I held her tighter.
"I thought something had happened to you."
"I thought the same thing about you."
I pulled away to examine her face.
"What happened? Are you hurt?"
"Just a little. They knocked me out when they took us."
I touched the bruise near her temple.
"Did they take you to a hospital?"
"No. I woke up in a room somewhere in this house."
I swallowed.
"Have they treated you badly?"
Claire shook her head.
"Not physically. They've mostly kept me locked up."
I looked at Margaret.
She was standing near the doorway.
"Thank you."
She gave a small nod.
"I'll give you a few minutes."
The door closed.
I turned back to Claire.
"Have you spoken to Arthur?"
"Briefly."
"What did he say?"
"Nothing useful. Apparently, we're guests who aren't allowed to leave."
I let out a humourless laugh.
"That's exactly what I was told."
Claire took my hands.
"Raven, are you okay?"
I nodded.
Then shook my head.
"I don't know."
Her eyes softened.
"What about the baby?"
I looked down.
"The doctor says I need to avoid stress. They've been monitoring me, but I'm still scared."
Claire pulled me into another embrace.
"You're going to be okay."
I closed my eyes.
"I need Cyprian to find us."
"He will."
I pulled away.
"Do you really think so?"
"Raven, that man has probably turned the entire city upside down looking for you."
Despite everything, a faint smile touched my lips.
"I hope so."
Claire studied me.
"Did Arthur tell you why he brought us here?"
I shook my head.
"He keeps talking about Cyprian, the Moretti family and some bloodline record."
"Bloodline record?"
"Yes. Apparently, he wants something from Cyprian. And I think it has something to do with our baby."
Claire's expression tightened.
"Your baby?"
I nodded.
"I saw a photograph of Cyprian in his office. There were three words written beneath it. The Moretti heir."
Claire went quiet.
"That's strange."
"Everything about this is strange."
She glanced towards the door.
"Raven, I heard something last night."
"What?"
"Two guards were talking outside my room. One of them mentioned that everything had to be ready before midnight tomorrow."
My stomach tightened.
"Midnight tomorrow?"
"Yes. I couldn't hear the entire conversation, but I heard them mention the Moretti family."
I looked away.
That was the same deadline Arthur had given Cyprian.
Whatever was supposed to happen tomorrow night, it was getting closer.
And I had a terrible feeling that neither of us would be allowed to leave before it happened.
CYPRIAN
"You're telling me the man who visited Arthur has been missing for six years?"
Adrian nodded.
"Not missing exactly. He withdrew from public affairs after the previous Commission restructuring. His name hasn't appeared in any official records since."
I looked at the photograph on the tablet.
The man from Arthur's office.
"Who is he?"
"Sebastian Vale. He served as a legal adviser to the Commission for almost fifteen years."
I frowned.
"Why would a former legal adviser be meeting with Arthur?"
"That's what we're trying to establish."
I placed the tablet on the desk.
"Find out what he knows about the bloodline record."
Adrian opened the folder.
"There's something else. The vehicle that left the clinic was registered to a company that has no legitimate business operations."
"Who owns it?"
"We're tracing the ownership, but the company has received payments from several accounts connected to Arthur's old associates."
I leaned back.
"So he's using people who were already involved in whatever happened years ago."
"Looks that way."
I looked towards the folder Lorenzo had given me.
The original bloodline record.
I had spent most of the night studying it, but several sections were difficult to understand.
There were agreements between families, references to succession rights and signatures belonging to men who had been dead for decades.
The Hayes name appeared repeatedly.
So did the Moretti name.
But something about the arrangement bothered me.
"Adrian."
"Yes?"
"Why would Arthur need the original document if he already knows its contents?"
Adrian considered the question.
"Maybe he needs something that can't be established through copies."
"Such as?"
"An original signature. A seal. Proof of authenticity."
I nodded slowly.
That made sense.
But it still didn't explain why Raven was involved.
I opened the folder again.
"Get my father."
Adrian looked at me.
"Now?"
"Now."
Lorenzo entered my office twenty minutes later.
He glanced at the documents spread across my desk.
"You've been busy."
"Sit down."
He remained standing.
"What is it?"
I pushed the folder towards him.
"Explain the Hayes connection."
His eyes settled on the open page.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he looked at me.
"You've been examining the original record."
"Yes."
"And what have you discovered?"
"That my wife and my family are connected through an agreement nobody thought necessary to explain to me."
Lorenzo pulled out a chair.
"Some matters are better left undisturbed."
I laughed quietly.
"That's becoming your favourite excuse."
He ignored me.
"Cyprian, the record is older than the current Commission. It contains the original agreements that established certain privileges and succession arrangements between the founding families."
"And the Hayes family?"
"One of the families involved."
"Why?"
He paused.
"Because Raven's maternal family was connected to one of the founding bloodlines."
I stared at him.
"Her mother's family?"
"Yes."
I looked down at the document.
"Then why is Arthur using her?"
"Because he believes the agreement gives him a legitimate claim to something he lost."
"What exactly?"
Lorenzo leaned back.
"Influence. Recognition. Authority within the Commission. Depending on how the original agreement is interpreted, he may believe he has grounds to challenge the existing structure."
I frowned.
"And my child?"
His expression changed.
"Your child is the connection between two bloodlines."
I went still.
"What does that mean?"
"It means Arthur may believe the child strengthens a claim that neither family could establish independently."
I stared at him.
"You're telling me my unborn child is part of a political arrangement?"
"Your child is part of a bloodline, Cyprian. Whether you like it or not."
I stood abruptly.
"That child is not a bargaining instrument."
"I never said it was."
"But Arthur clearly thinks otherwise."
Lorenzo said nothing.
I walked around the desk.
"Is there anything else?"
He looked at me.
"Yes."
I stopped.
"The original record isn't the only document that matters."
I turned.
"What?"
"There is an additional agreement. A sealed addendum that was never included in the copies circulated among the Commission."
"Where is it?"
"I don't know."
I stared at him.
"You're telling me there's another document, and you don't know where it is?"
"It was kept separately."
"By whom?"
Lorenzo hesitated.
Then he answered.
"Raven's maternal family."
My jaw tightened.
"Does Arthur know about it?"
"I believe he does."
I looked towards the window.
Suddenly, the pieces were beginning to look different.
Arthur didn't simply want the record.
He wanted whatever had been withheld from it.
And Raven was the only connection he had to the family that once kept it.
"Find that agreement," I said.
Lorenzo stood.
"Cyprian—"
"Whatever it takes. Find it."
"And what if Arthur already has it?"
I turned towards him.
"Then we have a bigger problem than I thought."
RAVEN
Claire had been gone for almost an hour when Arthur finally summoned me.
I was sitting beside the window when Margaret came to get me.
"Mr. Hayes wants to see you."
I sighed.
"Of course he does."
She helped me down the stairs.
This time, Arthur was waiting in the drawing room.
He was standing beside the fireplace, holding a glass of water.
"Sit down, Raven."
"I'd rather stand."
He glanced at my face.
"How is your friend?"
I stared at him.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?"
"I understand you've been reunited."
"Yes. And I'd like to know why you separated us in the first place."
"Because I needed to ensure you both understood the seriousness of your situation."
I laughed.
"By kidnapping us?"
He ignored me.
"How is your pregnancy?"
"Fine."
"Have you taken your medication?"
"Yes."
He nodded.
"Good."
I folded my arms.
"Are we done?"
"No."
He placed his glass on the table.
"Your husband has until midnight tomorrow."
I looked at him.
"To do what?"
"Deliver the original bloodline record."
"And if he doesn't?"
Arthur studied me.
"Then things will become considerably more complicated."
I swallowed.
"You're going to hurt him?"
"That depends on the decisions he makes."
"Then leave him alone."
Arthur's eyebrows lifted.
"You're asking me to abandon something I've spent years trying to recover?"
"I'm asking you to stop using innocent people to settle your problems."
He walked closer.
"You have no idea what your family was involved in."
"Then tell me!"
My voice echoed through the room.
"Tell me what my mother had to do with your war. Tell me why you suddenly care about a bloodline record. Tell me why my baby is in that folder!"
Arthur's expression hardened.
"Your mother made choices that affected more than her immediate family."
I stared at him.
"What choices?"
He looked away.
"That's not a conversation we're having today."
I shook my head.
"You keep saying that. You keep bringing me close to the truth, then refusing to explain anything."
"Because you're not ready to understand it."
"Stop deciding what I can understand!"
He turned towards me.
"Your mother was more involved in the affairs of the founding families than you realise."
My heart began to pound.
"Was she part of the Commission?"
Arthur didn't answer.
"Was she?"
"She was connected to people who held considerable influence."
I swallowed.
"Then why was I told she died in an accident?"
His expression changed.
It was brief, but I saw it.
"What?"
I stepped closer.
"Why did you look at me like that?"
"Raven…."
"Did my mother really die in that accident?"
Silence settled between us.
For several seconds, Arthur looked as though he was considering what to say.
Then he picked up his glass.
"You should return to your room."
I stared at him.
"Answer me."
"Not now."
I shook my head.
"You're unbelievable."
I turned towards the door.
"Raven."
I stopped.
"Tomorrow night, you will understand why I brought you here."
I looked over my shoulder.
"And what if I don't want to understand?"
His expression was cold.
"That choice was taken away from you a long time ago."
I left without another word.
But his final statement followed me all the way upstairs.
A long time ago.
What did he mean?
And what had my mother done?
CYPRIAN
The clock showed 9:47 p.m. when Adrian returned.
He looked different.
More serious than usual.
"What happened?"
"We found something."
He placed a photograph on my desk.
I picked it up.
It showed an old building surrounded by trees. The photograph was taken from a distance, but the structure was unmistakable.
I looked at him.
"Where is this?"
"An estate outside the city. It belongs to a company linked to Arthur."
"Was it the clinic?"
"No. But one of the vehicles connected to the clinic was seen entering the property yesterday."
My grip tightened around the photograph.
"Are Raven and Claire there?"
"We don't have confirmation."
"Then why are you showing me this?"
"Because we found something else."
He placed another photograph beside the first.
This one showed a man entering the estate.
I recognized him immediately.
Sebastian Vale.
"When was this taken?"
"Three hours ago."
I looked at the photograph again.
"He's with Arthur."
"Yes."
"Then that's where we're going."
Adrian nodded.
"I've already assembled a team."
I picked up my jacket.
"How many men?"
"Twenty."
"Too many for a quiet operation. Keep the rest on standby."
"Understood."
I moved towards the door.
My phone vibrated.
An incoming message.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
A change of plans, Moretti.
Another message appeared.
The record alone will no longer be sufficient.
I stopped walking.
Adrian looked at me.
"What is it?"
I read the final message.
Bring the original agreement concerning the Hayes family. And come alone.
My blood ran cold.
The additional agreement.
The document Lorenzo had just told me about.
Arthur knew about it.
I stared at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
A photograph.
This time, it wasn't Raven.
It was Claire.
She was sitting on a bed, her hands resting in her lap. Her face was turned slightly towards the camera.
Beneath the photograph were six words.
One woman is not enough anymore.
I slowly lowered the phone.
Adrian stepped closer.
"Cyprian?"
I handed him the device.
He examined the photograph, and his expression darkened.
"He's changing the terms."
"He's escalating."
"What are you going to do?"
I looked towards the folder on my desk.
Then towards the photograph of Raven I had kept beside it.
I had promised myself I wouldn't make another decision that put her in danger.
But Arthur was making it impossible to keep her out of this.
"Get the team ready."
"Are we going to the estate?"
I shook my head.
"Not yet."
Adrian frowned.
"Why?"
I looked at him.
"Because Arthur has just told us exactly what he wants."
"And?"
I picked up the original bloodline record.
"We're going to find out what he intends to do with it before we hand him anything."
Adrian nodded.
I placed the folder inside my briefcase.
Then I looked at the clock.
10:03 p.m.
A little over twenty-five hours remained before the deadline.
And somewhere inside Arthur's house, my wife was waiting for me.
I intended to get her back.
But first, I needed to understand what my father had spent years keeping hidden.
Because if Arthur was willing to change the terms of his demands, it meant the bloodline record was only the beginning.
And I was beginning to suspect that the greatest secret in this war wasn't about the Moretti family.
It was about the woman I had married.
And the family she had been born into.