The Ghost Returns

Clara watched the sleek luxury car speed away down the busy avenue, leaving nothing but a faint trail of exhaust in the humid air. She was certain the arrogant man they had just met was Kaelen Vance. There was no mistaking that terrifying aura. Did he actually think she used Hazel in some elaborate scheme to approach him? She rolled her eyes hard at his insufferable narcissism.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, then noticed her daughter. Haze stood frozen on the sidewalk. Her dark, starry gaze remained fixed on the empty asphalt road where Kaelen’s departing car had vanished.

Clara squatted down, gently cupping the little girl’s pale cheeks. "Haze, do you know that man?"

Her autistic daughter remained silent. She did not blink, her gaze still locked on the distance. After a tense moment, her expression reverted to its usual vacant state. She turned away from the street and wrapped her tiny arms around Clara’s neck. Her fingers curled tightly into the fabric of Clara's blouse.

Clara stood up, holding her daughter close against her chest. She turned to their driver and spotted the fresh blood trickling down the back of his hand. Guilt twisted in her chest. "I am so sorry. When Haze gets worked up, she has this sudden biting habit. I will take you to the nearby hospital to get that treated."

The driver waved his uninjured hand in dismissal. He pulled a tissue from his pocket to wipe away the blood. "Kids bite people all the time. My son often bites me too. This is nothing to worry about, Miss Clara. We should get back into the car."

Clara sighed. She had spent countless hours trying to correct Hazel’s habits, but nothing seemed to work. She ensured the driver was truly okay, then guided her children back into the safety of their vehicle.

Soon, the car pulled up to the grand entrance of Callahan Corporation. The pristine glass doors slid open, welcoming them into a lobby bathed in bright, artificial light. Clara brought her children up to the gleaming upper floors. She safely settled Declan in the comfortable waiting room, trusting her smart son to watch over his sister while she handled her business.

Inside the sleek, modern office, she met her cousin, Nolan Callahan. A sprawling view of Bay City's skyline stretched out behind him through the floor-to-ceiling windows. He had studied abroad since he was eight and only returned home once a year. Clara hardly knew him before this venture. Yet he stood out among the dozens of ambitious younger members of the Callahan family.

They wasted no time. They needed to begin the complex process of uploading her newly developed smart chip’s program into their main server system.

"Let me take a look at the code of your chip," Nolan said, pulling up a chair beside the main terminal.

Clara did not delay. She sat at the desk, pulling up a dense page of code on the large monitor. Her fingers flew across the mechanical keyboard, the rhythmic clacking filling the quiet room.

Nolan stood behind her. As a programming major, he leaned in closer to study the lines of text. Within seconds, he was stunned into silence. Clara had masterfully used simple C++ to write the most complicated, optimized code he had ever seen in his life. He knew instantly that if this code were successfully implemented, Callahan Corporation would dominate the global IoT market. It explained why his father was in such a rush to sign the paperwork.

"Nolan, I already uploaded the optimized code into the main system," Clara said, turning in her chair to outline the remaining instructions. "You just need to connect it to your internal network."

Staring at the screen in pure admiration, Nolan shook his head. "If we succeed in launching these revolutionary products, you will cement yourself as one of our greatest historical contributors."

Clara offered a warm, genuine smile. She humbly replied, "It is only because you and Uncle Arthur were willing to trust me that this revolutionary chip was able to be put to use."

Nolan knew far better. Clara possessed the world-class talent to have partnered with literally any elite family in the country. The Langdon family and the Kingsley family would have fought tooth and nail to work with her. She had chosen the Callahans for her grandmother’s sake.

Their productive meeting was interrupted by a sharp knock on the glass door. A nervous secretary entered the office, clutching a tablet to her chest.

"Young Master Nolan," she announced politely. "Miss Sloane arrived. She is demanding a meeting to discuss a potential corporate cooperation."

Clara narrowed her eyes. The temperature in the room seemed to drop. She instantly recognized the name that haunted her nightmares. Sloane Ashford.

Even though their respective families had suffered a bitter, hostile falling out four years ago, tangled business ties still lingered like rot.

Clara looked up at her cousin. "What sort of business cooperation is Callahan Corporation involved in with Ashford Corporation?"

Nolan sighed, quickly explaining the messy situation. "The struggling Ashford family wants a share of our upcoming smart products. But due to their arrogant lack of sincerity in the negotiations, no contract has been signed yet. My father is still considering the terms."

Clara slowly tapped her index finger against the polished table. Her eyes glinted with a dangerous, calculated light. She looked directly at Nolan. "If you trust me, could I handle this specific deal?"

Nolan met her calm gaze. He could easily guess the turbulent emotions stirring behind that steady exterior. He knew the grim details of what transpired four years ago. The Ashford family was directly responsible for the horrific deaths of two of Clara’s infant children.

He could not ignore the immense emotional weight of her quiet request. This was blood debt.

He nodded slowly, softly agreeing. "A massive part of this project’s shares are legally yours due to you providing the core tech. You have every right to make the final decision regarding this partnership. I will hand the reins over to you."

"Thank you, Nolan," Clara exhaled.

Meanwhile, down the hall in the lavish meeting room, Sloane Ashford leaned impatiently against the expensive leather couch. Fuming with visible anger, she crossed her arms. She had been forced to wait for twenty agonizing minutes, and the Callahan family still dared to ignore her like this.

She despised dealing with Clara’s maternal family, viewing the Callahans as beneath her station. But Ashford Corporation was rapidly going downhill, leaving her out of viable options. She had to prioritize her failing company over her own pride.

If Kaelen Vance would just announce her status to the public, all these problems would vanish overnight. Countless powerful people would scramble to curry favor with her.

Yet she sat there seething over Kaelen's strict, humiliating orders. He had commanded her to keep her supposed status as the mother of his twin children a dark secret. She could not breathe a single word about possessing any ties to the illustrious Vance family.

That harsh restriction prevented her from reaping any social or financial benefits from the terrifying Vance family name. She had successfully tricked him into believing she gave birth to his heirs, but she remained empty-handed.

The thought always made her blood boil. Sloane finished her lukewarm coffee in a sudden surge of resentment, slamming the porcelain cup onto the glass table.

Sloane suddenly heard the sharp, distinct sound of high heels clicking ominously just outside the heavy wooden door.