The Empire That Burned Her

Chapter Nine

The room erupted into questions the moment Raven's expression changed.

Board members who had remained composed moments ago were now speaking over one another.

"What is it?"

"Who is in the photograph?"

"Ms. Laurent?"

Raven heard none of it.

Her eyes remained fixed on the image displayed on the tablet.

The deck of the yacht.

The guests.

The lights.

The ocean behind them.

And the man standing near the railing.

For five years she had replayed that night in her mind.

Every memory.

Every detail.

Every scream.

Yet she had never seen this photograph before.

Never.

Which meant someone had hidden it.

Deliberately.

Slowly, Raven lowered the tablet.

Her face had returned to its usual calm expression, but inside, her thoughts were racing.

Who took the photograph?

Why release it now?

And most importantly...

Who was the man standing on that deck?

The chairman stood.

"Ms. Laurent."

Raven looked up.

"Excuse me."

The room fell silent.

"Excuse you?"

One of the directors frowned.

"You can't simply leave."

Raven met his gaze.

"I can."

The simple answer caught him off guard.

Without another word, she handed the tablet back to her assistant and walked toward the door.

The chairman called after her.

"We are not finished."

Raven paused briefly.

Then spoke without turning around.

"No."

Her voice was calm.

Dangerously calm.

"I think we are."

Then she left.

Behind her, the boardroom exploded into arguments.

Outside, Raven walked quickly toward her office.

Her assistant struggled to keep up.

"Ms. Laurent."

No response.

"Ms. Laurent."

Still nothing.

The assistant finally stepped in front of her.

"Are you okay?"

Raven stopped.

The question surprised her.

Not because it was unusual.

Because it was genuine.

For a moment, she almost smiled.

Almost.

"I'm fine."

The assistant clearly didn't believe her.

Neither did Raven.

They entered the office together.

The moment the door closed, Raven turned toward her assistant.

"I want everything we know about that photograph."

The younger woman blinked.

"Everything?"

"Who posted it."

A pause.

"Where it came from."

Another pause.

"And who saw it first."

The assistant nodded quickly.

"I'll start immediately."

As she hurried from the room, Raven walked toward the windows.

The city stretched endlessly below.

Five years.

Five years of hiding.

Five years of searching.

And somehow she felt further from the truth than ever.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

The assistant returned far sooner than expected.

This time looking nervous.

"There's someone here to see you."

Raven frowned.

"I don't have any appointments."

"I know."

The assistant hesitated.

"He said you would make time."

That immediately caught her attention.

"Who is he?"

The assistant swallowed.

"Marcus Reed."

Across the city, Damien sat alone in his office.

The board meeting had ended nearly an hour ago.

Unfortunately, the questions hadn't.

The file containing evidence against Eva Laurent still sat on his desk.

Untouched.

His assistant entered quietly.

"Sir."

Damien looked up.

"What?"

"The media is requesting a statement."

"Denied."

"The shareholders?"

"Denied."

"The board?"

A dangerous pause.

"Especially the board."

His assistant nodded.

Then placed another file on the desk.

"We found something."

That got his attention.

Damien opened the folder.

His expression immediately darkened.

The documents inside weren't about Raven.

They weren't about Laurent Dynamics.

They were about the yacht.

Specifically, the investigation conducted five years ago.

Several pages had been removed.

Others had been altered.

And one section had been completely erased.

Someone had tampered with the original case file.

Not recently.

Years ago.

Damien slowly looked up.

"Who authorized this?"

His assistant shook her head.

"We can't find any records."

Silence.

A cold feeling settled in Damien's chest.

Because he suddenly realized something.

The cover-up didn't begin today.

It began five years ago.

And whoever started it was still active.

Still watching.

Still controlling the narrative.

His phone vibrated.

Unknown number.

Damien almost ignored it.

Almost.

Instead, he answered.

Silence greeted him.

Then a distorted voice spoke.

"You're asking the wrong questions."

Damien's expression hardened.

"Who is this?"

A soft chuckle answered.

Then:

"If Raven discovers the truth..."

A pause.

"She'll never forgive you."

The line went dead.

Damien remained perfectly still.

Because for the first time since Raven returned—

he wasn't worried about the people hunting her.

He was worried about what would happen when she learned what he had done five years ago.