CHAPTER 2: THE RETURN OF THE GHOST

The work from my apartment to the corner of 5th and Main was like walking into a world. The city air was cold. I did not shiver. The cold feeling inside me was worse. I looked at my shadow on the ground. It was like a picture of a woman in a dress holding a phone that held a lot of power.

Fourteen minutes later, a black car stopped at the curb.It looked out of place in this neighborhood. The back door opened before the car even stopped.

"Miss Hannah " Arthur said quietly. His eyes were still sharp. He did not look at my shoes or my rough hands. He looked at my eyes. "You look like yourself again."

"I look like a woman who has been asleep for ten years Arthur " I said. I got into the car. The smell of leather hit me hard. It smells like my childhood, like power. "Lets go. I want to see my father before I lose my courage."

The Vane Industries building is a tower of glass. For ten years I walked past it with groceries. I tried not to look. I pretended the gold 'V' on the front was not mine.

When we got to the garage under the building the tires made a humming sound. The elevator was waiting. Its doors opened wide. There were no buttons to press; it only went to one place: the floor.

The doors opened. I stepped out into the office. It is a room with a lot of marble. It is really quiet. My father, Alex Vane was standing by the windows. His back was to me.

"I told Arthur that if you did not call me by the end of the year I would tear down your apartment building just to see if you would come out " my father said. His voice sounds rough.

"I did not come crawling, Dad " I said. My heels clicked on the marble floor. "I walked out. I am not here to visit. I am here to take over."

He turned around. The man they call the "Man in Finance" looked at my dress. He started smiling like he is getting ready to attack.

"Ten years " he said slowly. "You left because you wanted to find love. You wanted to see if someone would love you without all the money and power. Did you find your man in Mike from Vertex Marketing?"

"I found a user " I said. I stepped into the light. "I found a man who used my heart to get what he wants. He used me to buy things for his girlfriend. He thinks I am a servant. He thinks I am stupid. I want him to keep thinking that until I destroy him. Until I destroy Mike from Vertex Marketing."

My father poured us two glasses of scotch. He pushed one to me. "How do you plan to do that? I can make sure he loses his job by tomorrow morning. I can make sure Mike from Vertex Marketing loses his job."

"No " I said. The scotch burned my throat. "That is too easy. I want to be in charge of the check on Vertex Marketing. I want to be 'The Architect' of the check on Mike from Vertex Marketing. I will look at everything Mike from Vertex Marketing does. I will catch all his lies. At the party month I will show everyone what Mike from Vertex Marketing really is."

My father pushed a key across the desk. "Welcome back to the fight Hannah. Just try not to get any blood on your dress."