RAVEN
CHAPTER 41
THE SECRETS WE INHERIT
RAVEN
I couldn't stop thinking about what Arthur had said.
Your mother made choices that affected more than her immediate family.
I had repeated those words so many times in my head that they were beginning to lose meaning.
What choices?
And why did he look so uncomfortable when I questioned the circumstances surrounding her death?
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the medication beside my glass of water.
My mother had died when I was young. At least, that was what I had always believed.
An accident.
A tragic incident that had taken her life and left me with very few memories of the woman who gave birth to me.
Nobody had ever suggested otherwise.
Not until now.
A knock interrupted my thoughts.
"Come in."
Margaret entered carrying a small tray.
"I thought you might be hungry, Miss Hayes."
I glanced at the food.
"I don't think I can eat."
"You should try. You need your strength."
I sighed but reached for the plate.
Margaret placed it on the bedside table before turning towards the door.
"Margaret?"
She stopped.
"Yes?"
I hesitated.
"How long have you worked for Arthur?"
"Almost twelve years."
I looked at her.
"Did you know my mother?"
Something changed in her expression.
It was subtle, but I noticed.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because Arthur mentioned her today. He said she was involved with people who held considerable influence. I want to know what that means."
Margaret looked towards the hallway.
"Perhaps you should discuss that with Mr. Hayes."
"I've tried. He refuses to tell me anything."
She remained silent.
I studied her face.
"Did you know her?"
After a moment, she nodded.
"Yes. I met your mother several times."
My heart skipped.
"You did?"
"She was a very kind woman."
I leaned forward.
"What was she like?"
Margaret gave a small smile.
"She was gentle. Intelligent. And rather stubborn when she believed something was right."
I almost laughed.
"That sounds familiar."
Her smile faded slightly.
"She loved you very much."
I looked down at my hands.
"I wish I remembered more about her."
Margaret stepped closer.
"She would have wanted you to have a peaceful life."
I looked up.
"Then why does everyone keep dragging me into things I know nothing about?"
Margaret didn't answer.
Instead, she adjusted the tray.
"Please eat something, Miss Hayes."
"Margaret, wait."
She turned again.
"Do you know how my mother died?"
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she quietly replied.
"I think you should ask Mr. Hayes."
I frowned.
"That's what everyone keeps telling me."
"I'm sorry."
She left before I could ask another question.
I stared at the closed door.
There was something everyone knew.
Something they had collectively decided I wasn't supposed to know.
And somehow, my mother's death was connected to it.
My phone was nowhere to be found. They had taken it when we arrived, leaving me with no way to contact anyone outside the estate.
I looked towards the window.
The garden was quiet, and the afternoon sun was beginning to disappear behind the trees.
I wondered what Cyprian was doing.
Was he still trying to find me?
Had Arthur's latest demand reached him?
And what would happen when midnight arrived?
I placed a hand over my stomach.
"Your father is going to find us," I whispered.
I needed to believe that.
A sudden knock came from the door.
Before I could respond, Claire entered.
"Hey."
I immediately looked up.
"Claire."
She closed the door behind her.
"Margaret said you were back."
I nodded.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better than you, apparently."
I frowned.
"What?"
She pointed towards the untouched food.
"You're supposed to be eating."
I rolled my eyes.
"Please don't start."
Claire sat beside me.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she looked at me.
"Did Arthur tell you anything?"
I shook my head.
"Not much. He said my mother was involved with the founding families."
Claire frowned.
"Your mother?"
"Apparently, she was connected to people who had influence within the Commission."
"That's interesting."
"That's one way to describe it."
I looked down.
"Claire, I asked Margaret about my mother. She knew her."
"And?"
"She wouldn't tell me how she died."
Claire's expression changed.
"Why would she refuse to answer that?"
"Exactly."
Claire leaned back against the headboard.
"Do you think there's more to your mother's death than you've been told?"
I swallowed.
"I don't know anymore."
She took my hand.
"Whatever happened, we'll figure it out."
I gave her a small smile.
"Together?"
"Obviously."
For the first time that day, I felt slightly less alone.
Then Claire's expression changed.
"Raven, there's something else."
I turned towards her.
"What?"
"When I was brought here, I heard Arthur speaking to someone."
"Who?"
"I don't know. I couldn't see his face."
"What did they say?"
Claire hesitated.
"I heard him mention your mother. Then he said something about the agreement being incomplete."
My stomach tightened.
"The agreement?"
"Yes. I couldn't hear much else, but the other man said something about the original witness."
I stared at her.
"Original witness?"
She nodded.
"That's all I heard."
I looked towards the door.
The additional agreement.
The original witness.
My mother.
Suddenly, I wondered whether the document Cyprian was searching for contained more than just the names of two families.
What if my mother had signed it?
What if she had been the person who knew the truth?
And what if her death had something to do with keeping that truth buried?
I slowly turned towards Claire.
"I think Arthur is hiding something much bigger than a family dispute."
She squeezed my hand.
"I think you're right."
Neither of us spoke again.
But one thing had become painfully clear.
Whatever happened to my mother, it hadn't ended with her death.
It had followed me into my marriage.
And now, it was threatening my unborn child.
CYPRIAN
"You're making a mistake."
I looked up from the documents.
Lorenzo stood across my desk, his expression unusually tense.
"Which part?"
"Considering Arthur's demands."
I closed the folder.
"I'm not considering them. I'm investigating them."
"He's deliberately provoking you."
"And he's using my wife to do it."
Lorenzo's jaw tightened.
"Then you should understand why you cannot act carelessly."
I stood.
"Do you have any idea what he's planning?"
"No."
"Then stop telling me what I should understand."
He stared at me.
I walked towards the window, trying to organize the thoughts running through my head.
The original bloodline record was in my possession.
Arthur wanted the additional agreement.
And now he was demanding that I come alone.
It was obvious he had anticipated that I would resist his first demand.
But what I couldn't understand was why he needed both documents.
"Father."
He looked at me.
"Did you ever meet Raven's mother?"
A brief silence followed.
"Yes."
I turned.
"When?"
"Many years ago."
"What was she like?"
Lorenzo considered the question.
"Intelligent. Careful. She understood the implications of the agreement better than most people involved."
"Did she know about the arrangement between our families?"
"She knew everything."
I stared at him.
"Then why was Raven never told?"
"Because the agreement was never meant to involve her personally."
I laughed without humour.
"That's an interesting explanation, considering she's currently being held hostage because of it."
Lorenzo looked away.
I approached the desk.
"Did you know her mother died?"
"Of course."
"Was it an accident?"
He didn't answer immediately.
That was enough to make my stomach tighten.
"Father."
"I wasn't present when it happened."
"That isn't what I asked."
He sighed.
"Her death was investigated at the time."
"And?"
"The investigation was closed."
"Was it conclusive?"
Lorenzo's expression hardened.
"Cyprian, there are things from that period you should leave alone."
I stared at him.
"Everyone keeps saying that."
"Because you don't understand what you're dealing with."
"Then explain it."
He shook his head.
"I've already told you what I know."
I studied him.
He was withholding something.
I didn't know whether it was because he was protecting himself, the family, or someone else.
But I was running out of patience.
"Get out."
His eyebrows lifted.
"What?"
"Until you're ready to tell me the truth, I have nothing else to discuss with you."
Lorenzo stared at me before collecting his jacket.
At the door, he stopped.
"One more thing."
I didn't turn.
"Arthur isn't the only person interested in that agreement."
I slowly looked over my shoulder.
"What do you mean?"
"Someone else has been searching for it."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"Do you have a name?"
He hesitated.
"Sebastian Vale."
My eyes narrowed.
"Sebastian?"
"Yes."
I looked towards the photograph Adrian had brought earlier.
The same man who had visited Arthur's estate.
"Why would he want the agreement?"
Lorenzo adjusted his jacket.
"Because he was there when the original agreement was signed."
I went still.
"You're telling me Sebastian was involved in the original arrangement?"
"He was a legal adviser to the Commission. He witnessed several of the proceedings."
I looked at the documents.
"Then he knows what's in the addendum."
"Possibly."
"Does he know where it is?"
Lorenzo shook his head.
"I don't know."
I picked up my phone.
"Adrian!"
The door opened almost immediately.
"Yes, sir?"
"Find Sebastian Vale. I want his complete history, every connection he has to the Commission and every person he was associated with before he disappeared."
Adrian nodded.
"Understood."
"And find out whether he had any connection to Raven's mother."
He glanced at Lorenzo before looking back at me.
"Anything else?"
I looked at the photograph of Raven on my desk.
"Yes. Double the security around the estate. I don't want Arthur getting anywhere near her again."
Adrian left.
Lorenzo remained by the door.
"Cyprian."
I looked at him.
"Be careful. If Sebastian has decided to come out of hiding, there's a reason."
"Then I'll find out what it is."
He nodded and finally left.
I stared at the closed door.
For years, my father had treated the family's history as something I wasn't entitled to question.
Now, that history was threatening the woman I loved.
I wasn't going to let another secret put her in danger.
RAVEN
It was almost nine when Margaret returned.
This time, she wasn't carrying food or medication.
She looked worried.
"Miss Hayes, you need to come with me."
I frowned.
"Where?"
"Mr. Hayes wants to see you."
I sighed.
"Again?"
"Please. He's waiting."
I glanced towards Claire.
"Can you come with me?"
Margaret hesitated.
"He's requested to see you alone."
I looked at Claire.
She gave me a reassuring nod.
"I'll be here."
I reluctantly followed Margaret downstairs.
Arthur wasn't in the drawing room.
Instead, she led me through another corridor and stopped outside a door I hadn't seen before.
"Wait here."
She knocked.
"Mr. Hayes, she's here."
"Send her in."
Margaret opened the door.
I stepped inside.
Arthur was standing behind a large desk, examining several papers.
A man I had never seen before stood beside the window.
He was older, probably in his late fifties, with neatly combed grey hair and a dark suit.
His eyes moved towards me.
Then he looked at Arthur.
"Is this her?"
Arthur nodded.
"Yes."
I frowned.
"Who is he?"
The man stepped forward.
"Sebastian Vale."
The name meant nothing to me.
I looked at Arthur.
"Why am I here?"
He placed the papers on his desk.
"Because there's something you need to understand."
I folded my arms.
"I'm listening."
Sebastian continued studying me.
Then he spoke.
"You look remarkably like your mother."
My stomach tightened.
I stared at him.
"You knew my mother?"
"Very well."
I took a small step forward.
"Then perhaps you can answer a few questions."
Arthur's expression changed.
"Raven…"
"No. I'm tired of everyone telling me what I should and shouldn't know."
I looked directly at Sebastian.
"How did my mother die?"
The room became silent.
Sebastian glanced at Arthur.
Then back at me.
"She died under circumstances that were never properly explained."
My heart began pounding.
"What does that mean?"
Arthur stepped away from the desk.
"That's enough."
I turned towards him.
"No. It isn't."
I looked at Sebastian again.
"Was it really an accident?"
He remained silent.
And that silence told me more than his words had.
My throat tightened.
"Did someone kill my mother?"
Arthur's voice cut through the room.
"Raven, leave."
I shook my head.
"Answer me!"
For the first time since I had met him, Sebastian looked genuinely uncomfortable.
He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and removed a small envelope.
"There's something you should see."
Arthur immediately stepped forward.
"Sebastian."
The older man ignored him.
He placed the envelope on the desk.
I stared at it.
"What is that?"
"Something your mother left behind."
My breath caught.
"Where did you get it?"
He looked at me.
"From the person who was instructed to keep it safe."
I reached for the envelope.
Arthur caught my wrist.
"Don't."
I looked at his hand.
Then at his face.
"Let go of me."
He released me slowly.
I picked up the envelope.
My fingers trembled as I turned it over.
There was a name written across the front.
Raven.
My name.
But beneath it was another line.
To be opened only when the original agreement is found.
I looked up.
"What does this mean?"
Neither man answered.
I turned the envelope over again.
There was a small handwritten signature at the bottom.
My mother's.
I recognized it immediately.
My eyes filled with tears.
"She wrote this?"
Sebastian nodded.
"Yes."
I looked at Arthur.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
He said nothing.
I held the envelope against my chest.
For the first time since arriving at the estate, I wasn't thinking about Cyprian, the Commission or the deadline.
I was thinking about my mother.
About the woman I had barely known.
And about the possibility that she had left something behind for me.
Something that had been hidden for years.
I looked at Sebastian.
"Where is the original agreement?"
His expression changed.
Then he glanced at Arthur.
"That's precisely the problem."
My stomach tightened.
"What problem?"
He looked back at me.
"The original agreement was never kept by your mother's family."
I frowned.
"But Arthur said…"
"Arthur is mistaken."
I turned towards Arthur.
His face had become unreadable.
Sebastian continued.
"Your mother wasn't the keeper of the agreement, Raven."
I stared at him.
"Then who was?"
He paused.
"She was the witness."
My fingers tightened around the envelope.
And suddenly, I understood why Arthur had been so desperate to get his hands on the document.
My mother hadn't simply been connected to the agreement.
She had been part of the reason it existed.
But before I could ask another question, Arthur's phone began ringing.
He looked at the screen.
His expression changed immediately.
He answered.
"What?"
A brief silence followed.
Then his jaw tightened.
"When?"
I watched him carefully.
He turned away from us.
"Find it. I don't care how you do it. Just find it before Moretti does."
My heart skipped.
Cyprian.
Arthur ended the call and slowly turned back towards us.
Something had happened.
And judging by his expression, it wasn't good.
"What's going on?" I asked.
He looked at Sebastian.
Then at me.
"Your husband has made a move."
I swallowed.
"What kind of move?"
Arthur picked up the envelope from the desk and examined it.
Then he looked directly at me.
"One that may have just put all our lives in danger."
And I had a terrible feeling that the worst part of this nightmare was only beginning.