The wind tugged at Raine’s coat as she stood on the rooftop, the city sprawling beneath her like a labyrinth of light and shadow. From this height, the world seemed almost peaceful, the roar of traffic muted to a distant hum. But she couldn’t escape the sight of it - Erisen’s towers, gleaming pillars of glass and steel, rising higher than all the rest.

  She tightened her grip on the railing. Why do I always end up looking at them? she wondered bitterly. No matter where she went, those buildings seemed to follow her, just like the man behind them. No matter how much I grow, he always makes me feel like a little girl.

  A voice broke the stillness. “You always did like the view from up high.”

  Raine spun, her breath catching in her throat. Andrew Solara stood a few steps behind her, impeccably dressed as always, his coat fluttering slightly in the wind. His presence filled the space, his calm confidence as suffocating as the skyline he had built. When you speak of the Devil, the Devil appears.

  “How did you find me?” she demanded, her voice sharper than she intended.

  He raised an eyebrow, as if the question were beneath him. “You’re my daughter, Raine. Did you really think I wouldn’t keep an eye on you?”

  “That’s not keeping an eye - that’s stalking,” she shot back, turning away to face the city again.

  Andrew chuckled softly, the sound devoid of warmth. “Call it what you like. I prefer to think of it as vigilance. Especially now, with what’s coming.”

  Her stomach tightened. “You mean the deal with Corvex?”

  His smile faltered, just for a moment, but it was enough to confirm her suspicion. She had pieced it together from whispers and rumors, the kind of thing Andrew thought she was too disinterested to notice.

  “It’s not just a deal, Raine. It’s a turning point,” he said, stepping closer. “Corvex has the resources to push Erisen into the future - clean energy, AI integration, healthcare innovations that could change everything. And I want you to be part of it.”

  She laughed, the sound bitter. “Part of it? You mean you want me to sit at your boardroom table and rubber-stamp whatever new dystopia you’re building, is that it?”

  Andrew’s gaze hardened. “Don’t be naive. The world is moving forward whether you like it or not. You can fight it, or you can help shape it. That’s what I’ve been doing my whole life - building something that lasts.”

  “At what cost?” she snapped, turning to face him fully. “How many people have you crushed, how many lives destroyed, all for...what? More power? More control?”

  “For stability,” he said sharply. “For order in a chaotic world. Someone has to take responsibility, Raine. And if you can’t see that yet, maybe you’re not ready.”

  The words hit harder than she wanted to admit. After all this time, how does he still make me crave his approval? She looked away, her jaw tightening.

  “You don’t get it,” she said quietly. “I don’t want your order. I don’t want your empire. I just want to be free of it.”

  Andrew sighed, a trace of genuine disappointment flickering across his face. “Freedom is an illusion. It’s just a word to placate the fools of this world. The sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll be.”

  He turned to leave, but paused at the edge of the rooftop doorway. “Think about it, Raine. Corvex will be in motion by the end of the month. If you want to do more than stand on the sidelines, you know where to find me.”

  With that, he was gone, his footsteps echoing softly down the stairwell. Raine stayed where she was, her hands gripping the railing until her knuckles turned white. The wind howled around her, but it couldn’t drown out his words - or the part of her that feared he might be right.

  Raine stood rooted to the spot, Andrew’s footsteps fading down the stairwell. The wind picked up, slicing through her coat and sending a chill down her spine. It wasn’t just the cold; it was the lingering weight of his presence, the way he had found her here - on this rooftop, of all places.

  She turned back to the cityscape, her eyes scanning the maze of buildings below. This rooftop wasn’t hers; it wasn’t even open to the public. She had been “Spider Manning” as she liked to call it. The building was part of an abandoned office block in a part of the city she thought no one cared about anymore. How had he known?

  Her breath fogged the air as she tried to piece it together. She hadn’t told anyone about her habit of sneaking up here. It was her escape, a secret vantage point where she could think without the walls closing in.

  Her father’s words echoed in her mind. You’re my daughter, Raine. Did you really think I wouldn’t keep an eye on you? Who was she kidding? He was the Wunderkind of Wall Street, the Corporate Architect himself. He had a spy network even the government envied.

  “Damn it,” she muttered, her voice barely audible over the gusts.

  While she sat there in thought, the rooftop door creaked open again.

  Raine spun, her heart lurching. For a split second, she thought her father had returned. Instead, a shadowy figure stepped out, silhouetted against the dim light from the stairwell.

  It wasn’t her father.

  The figure hesitated, then moved closer, boots crunching softly on the gravel. As they stepped into the light of a nearby floodlamp, Raine recognized them - Mira, one of key figures in Erisen’s underground network of hackers and spies, and her childhood friend.

  “You picked a hell of a spot for a family reunion,” Mira said, her voice tinged with dry amusement.

  Raine let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “What are you doing here?”

  “Who do you think found you for your Old Man?” Mira asked, pulling her hood back to reveal sharp, dark eyes. “You left a pretty obvious trail this time.”

  Raine frowned. “Obvious how?”

  Mira tilted her head toward the city below. “Cameras everywhere. Drones, too. This building might be old, but it’s smack in the middle of Erisen’s surveillance grid. You think your dad doesn’t know every step you take in this part of town?”

  The realization hit Raine like a punch to the gut. This rooftop, her sanctuary, wasn’t safe. It probably never had been.

  Mira stepped closer, lowering her voice. “Listen, I didn’t come here just to shoot the shit. I’ve got intel - about Corvex. Your father’s up to something big, and it’s not what he’s telling you.”

  Raine folded her arms, her mind racing. “What kind of something?”

  “I don’t have the full picture yet, but it’s bad. Real bad,” Mira said. She hesitated, then added, “And he’s using you, Raine. Not just in the abstract, ‘you’re my legacy’ sort of way. I mean, you’re part of the plan. Directly.”

  Raine’s stomach twisted. “What do you mean? How?”

  Mira shook her head. “I don’t know the details, but he’s tied you into something with the Corvex deal. Maybe as a pawn, maybe as bait. Whatever it is, you need to be careful.”

  The words made Raine’s skin crawl. Her father’s parting offer replayed in her mind. If you want to do more than stand on the sidelines, you know where to find me.

  “What should I do?” she asked, her voice quieter now.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Mira’s expression softened, just a little. “Keep your head down. Be smart. And if I find anything concrete – anything - I’ll let you know. You do the same for me. We’re running out of time.”

  Raine nodded, but her thoughts were already spiraling. Andrew’s reach was everywhere, even into the corners of her life she thought were hers alone. And now, Mira was telling her she was involved, somehow tangled in his latest scheme.

  Before Mira could say more, the sound of distant rotors cut through the air. Both women froze, their eyes snapping to the sky. A drone, sleek and silent, hovered just above the rooftop’s edge, its red camera light blinking like a heartbeat.

  “Shit,” Mira hissed.

  Raine reacted first, grabbing Mira’s arm and dragging her toward the stairwell. The drone whirred closer, its mechanical eye locking onto them.

  “Move!” Raine barked, shoving Mira ahead of her down the stairs.

  Raine tugged Mira down the stairwell, her mind racing. Mira’s hand in hers felt heavier now, weighted with the knowledge of what she truly was: her father’s spy. And yet, Mira had tipped her off, warned her about Corvex, about being part of Andrew’s plan. Why?

  “Where are we going?” Mira panted, her boots clanging against the rusted metal steps.

  Raine’s grip tightened. “Away from that thing. Don’t tell me you don’t know who sent it.”

  Mira didn’t respond. Her silence was as damning as any confession.

  The drone’s hum reverberated in the stairwell, growing louder with each passing second. Raine glanced back just in time to see it hover at the rooftop’s edge, its red light sweeping across the space they had just vacated.

  It was unmistakably Erisen tech - sleek, efficient, invasive. Her father’s fingerprint was all over it.

  “What’s it doing?” Raine demanded, her voice low and sharp.

  Mira hesitated, then muttered, “Probably scanning for biometric signatures.”

  “Mine, you mean.”

  Mira winced. “Yes. And mine too, now that we’ve been seen together.”

  Raine came to an abrupt halt, yanking Mira to face her. “Why help me, Mira? Why even warn me if you’re one of his people?”

  The question hung in the air, and for a moment, the only sound was the faint whir of the drone above them. Mira’s dark eyes softened, guilt flickering in their depths.

  “Because I owe you,” Mira said quietly. “And because you deserve to know the truth, even if it puts me at risk.”

  Raine stared at her, searching for cracks in her resolve. Mira’s face was unreadable, a mask honed by years of service under Andrew Solara’s iron grip.

  “Don’t think this makes us even,” Raine said, releasing her arm. “You’re still working for him.”

  “It was a good offer, I was in a bad place, and he was your father! I never knew what I was getting into!” Mira shot back. “You think I want to be his lackey? I’m just trying to keep the worst of it off your back.”

  Raine opened her mouth to respond, but the drone’s whir dropped an octave, louder, closer. A faint red glow flickered at the base of the stairwell, where it had likely sent another unit to cut off their escape.

  “Not good,” Mira muttered. “We need to split up. It’ll divide their focus.”

  Raine shook her head. “If they find out why we were talking..”

  “They won’t,” Mira said firmly. “I know how these things work. You don’t.” She hesitated, then added, “There’s an old service tunnel two floors down. It leads into a tunnel system that comes out about a block down the street. Take it and keep going.”

  “And you?”

  “I’ll run interference. It’s what I do, Raine. Now go.”

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Raine stood before her mirror, twisting her raven hair into an elegant back braid. The dress she chose, a deep cerulean that mirrored the endless skies she commanded, clung to her figure with understated grace. She adjusted the ornate ring on her finger, feeling a faint hum of power as it touched her skin.

  Her father’s words lingered in her mind like storm clouds, heavy and oppressive. Andrew Solara rarely acted without purpose, and his schemes, while opaque, had a way of pulling people into their orbit. She didn’t want to be one of them.

  And so her thoughts returned to Theo. The way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, the warmth in his voice, the gentle confidence in his hands as he presented her with the ring - a charm, he had called it, though it was so much more. She needed someone to trust, someone outside all of the intrigue and lies that swirled around her. She thought of Theo's warm brown eyes and gentle aura and wondered if he could be that person. But first, she needed answers.

  A few minutes later, Raine steps out of the sleek black town car, the faint hum of the city framing her entrance. The silk of her blue evening dress flows elegantly with each step, catching the light of passing cars. Her heels click against the pavement, a subtle but deliberate rhythm, as she approaches Theo’s shop. The wind, ever so gentle, swirls around her, carrying a sense of purpose.

  She hesitated at the threshold, her hand hovering over the door. Was she overdressed? Would he think she was ridiculous? Her resolve wavered, but the ring on her finger pulsed faintly, as if urging her forward. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door, the bell above jingling softly. The scent of aged paper, polished wood, and something vaguely herbal greeted her. Theo stood behind the counter, absorbed in a book whose cover shimmered like dragonfly wings. He looked up, his face breaking into that easy, disarming smile.

  Theo's brow furrowed slightly behind his smudged glasses as he took in the sight before him. “From the other night, Raine wasn’t it?”

  She smiles, the corner of her lips quirking upward with a confidence that feels foreign even to her. “Hello again, Theo.”

  She felt the faintest flush creep into her cheeks. "I came to thank you," she said, her voice steady despite the nervous flutter in her chest. "The ring... it’s incredible. But I also... I had questions."

  His smile deepened, his dark eyes glinting with interest. “What… what’s all this? You look...” He gestures vaguely at her polished appearance. “You look incredible, is this your - uh - your usual style? Or are you on your way somewhere”

  She steps forward, her heels clicking softly against the wooden floor. “I was, but Im not so sure anymore. Things change, Theo. I’ve changed.” She glances around the shop, running her fingers over the edge of the counter. “And I thought it was time to stop by and… express my gratitude.”

  “Gratitude?” He raises an eyebrow, clearly confused.

  “For everything. For being there when I had nothing to offer. When I was…” She falters, her polished demeanor cracking for a moment, before she smooths it over again. “Well, let’s just say I’m in a better position now.”

  Theo looks at her cautiously. “That’s great, Raine. Really, I don't know what I did - but I'm glad I could help. But, honestly, there’s no need.”

  “I insist.” She interrupts, her voice light but firm. Her gaze flits to a display case filled with intricate antiques and rare curiosities. “I’ll take this,” she says, pointing to an ornate pocket watch encrusted with tiny sapphires. “And that,” she adds, indicating a delicate set of hand-blown glass ornaments. “Oh, and those,” she finishes, motioning toward a collection of first-edition books.

  Theo blinks, visibly stunned. “Uh, Raine, those are - those are all really expensive. Do you even know what you're buying?”

  She smiles, pulling a sleek black credit card from her clutch and placing it on the counter. The Erisen Corp logo glints faintly in the dim light. “Don’t worry about that.”

  His eyes dart to the card, then back to her. “Oh, you work at Erisen?”

  Her smile widens, just a touch smug. “You could say that. Andrew Solara is my father.”

  Theo freezes, staring at her like she’s just sprouted wings. “Hold up. The Andrew Solara? CEO of Erisen Corp? That’s your dad?”

  “Yes.” Her tone is casual, but there’s a flicker of hesitation in her eyes as she says it. “Not that it really matters. I’m my own person, after all.”

  Theo exhales sharply, leaning against the counter. “Raine, I don’t even know where to start with this.” He glances at the items she’s picked out. It seems like she selected the most expensive items in the shop but based her choices on the price tag alone “Look, I’m glad you’re doing better, and I’m glad you’re figuring things out, but this...”

  Her smile falters, and for the first time since she walked in, she looks uncertain. “I just… I wanted to show you that I appreciate you. That I’m not the same scared girl who walked in here with nothing.”

  Theo softens, stepping out from behind the counter. “I’m grateful for the recognition, but sometimes confidence isn’t about how much money you can spend, or how big your name is. It’s about knowing who you are, not what you can show off.”

  He meets her gaze directly and looks away. “I apologize, I spoke out of turn.”

  The words hit her like a gust of wind, knocking the breath out of her. She looked at the pocket watch, the books, the ornaments, things she doesn’t even want but thought would make a statement. Slowly, she sets them down.

  “You’re right,” she said quietly. “I’ve been trying so hard to prove something, but I don’t even know what.”

  Theo smiled gently. “You don’t need to prove anything, Raine. Not to me, anyway. You’re stronger now, I can see that. But strength isn’t about appearances. It’s about what’s in here.” He taps his chest.

  She let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. “You have real knack for bringing people back to earth, don’t you?”

  “It’s my job to see that everyone leaves with what they want and what they need. Nothing more and nothing less.” He replied with a grin.

  She pocketed the credit card and glanced around the shop one last time. “Thank you, Theo. For everything. Again.” She leaned over the counter and gave him a polite kiss on the cheek. As she leaves, the wind stirs gently around her, no longer carrying a sense of bravado, but something quieter. Something real.

  Theo stood there frozen for several minutes after she left, still reveling in the attention he just received from such an attractive woman.

  Theo, you’re an idiot. Sometimes I feel like you're literally allergic to making a profit.