Chapter 1: The Unwelcome Homecoming

The iron gates of the Sterling Estate in the Hamptons swung open, admitting a dusty taxi. Out stepped Raven Sterling. She was eighteen, dressed in simple thrift store clothes, but her eyes held a darkness that unsettled the servants.

Raven wasn’t just here for a reunion. Her mentor, a mystic in New Orleans, had warned her: The Sterling family stole your luck to build their empire. You must go back, or you will die before your 19th birthday.

“So, the prodigal daughter returns,” sneered a voice from the porch.

Standing there was Eleanor Sterling, her mother, dripping in diamonds, looking at Raven like she was a stain on the marble floor. Next to her was Richard Sterling, the CEO of Sterling Corp, looking guilty but distant.

“Mom, Dad, I’m home,” Raven said, her voice flat.

“You smell like a Greyhound bus station,” a girl in a pink Chanel suit giggled, stepping out. This was Tiffany Sterling—the adopted daughter who had taken Raven’s place. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, sis. I’m just joking. Welcome to my home.”

“Tiffany, be nice,” Richard sighed. “Raven, we prepared a room for you.”

Chapter 2: Room Wars and Bad Vibes

They led Raven to a dark, north-facing room in the back of the mansion. It was cold and damp.

“I can’t stay here,” Raven said immediately. She pointed down the hall to the master suite with the balcony facing the ocean. “I want that room. It has the best solar energy. I need it for my… practices.”

“Are you crazy?” Tiffany gasped. “That’s my room! I’ve lived there for ten years!”

“And you’ve enjoyed my life for ten years,” Raven countered coldly. “Time to switch.”

“Mom!” Tiffany fake-cried, burying her face in Eleanor’s shoulder. “She’s bullying me already!”

“Raven!” Eleanor snapped. “Tiffany is fragile. You grew up in the wild; you’re tough. You take the guest room.”

Raven narrowed her eyes. She saw the black aura around her mother. She’s protecting the leech because the leech holds the family’s stolen luck.

“Fine,” Raven smiled, a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “But don’t blame me if the feng shui in this house starts to rot.”

Chapter 3: The Setup at the Gala

A week later, Sterling Corp was hosting a massive gala in Manhattan to launch their new jewelry line, “The Galaxy Tear.”

Richard Sterling wanted to use the event to introduce Raven—not because he loved her, but to look like a benevolent father to the press.

In the VIP dressing room, Raven was preparing. Her brother, Brad Sterling—a arrogant frat boy who was the company’s VP—walked in.

“Hey, swamp rat,” Brad smirked. “Dad wants you to hold onto this USB drive. It has the presentation for tonight. Don’t lose it, or you’re dead.”

Raven took the drive. She felt the trap immediately.

An hour later, on the main stage.

“And now,” Richard announced to the room full of New York’s elite, “The presentation for the Galaxy Tear!”

Brad plugged in the laptop. The screen remained black.

“Dad!” Brad shouted, feigning panic. “The files are gone! The USB drive is empty!”

The crowd murmured.

“Raven!” Brad pointed an accusing finger at his sister. “You were the last one with the drive! Did you delete it? Are you trying to sabotage this family because you’re jealous of Tiffany?”

Tiffany stepped forward, looking tearful. “Oh, Raven, how could you? I know you hate me, but don’t destroy Daddy’s hard work!”

Security surrounded Raven. The guests whispered. Trash will always be trash.

Raven didn’t flinch. She pulled out her phone. “Interesting theory, Brad. But I have a habit of recording things.”

She connected her phone to the main screen. A video played. It was from a hidden camera in the dressing room. It showed Brad wiping the USB drive before handing it to Raven, laughing, “This will get the bitch kicked out for sure.”

The ballroom went silent. Brad’s face turned pale.

“I… it’s a deep fake!” Brad stammered.

“It’s 4K resolution, Brad,” Raven said into the microphone. “And by the way, here is the real presentation.” She snapped her fingers. The screen behind her lit up with the stunning designs of the Galaxy Tear.

“I designed the marketing campaign myself,” Raven announced. “Since my brother was too busy plotting against his own family.”

The crowd erupted in applause. Julian Thorne, the young billionaire CEO of Thorne Tech, watched from the balcony, a smirk playing on his lips. She’s dangerous. I like her.

Chapter 4: The Blood Curse Revealed

Humiliated, the family tried to save face, but Raven wasn’t done. She had sensed the source of the dark magic in the house.

That night, she walked into the basement. She found a hidden altar behind a wine rack. There were photos of her as a baby, covered in dried blood and needles.

“I knew it,” Raven whispered.

“Get away from there!”

Eleanor stood at the bottom of the stairs, holding a fireplace poker. Her mask of the elegant socialite was gone.

“You used a blood ritual,” Raven said calmly. “You sacrificed my health and my future to guarantee the Sterling stock price would rise. That’s why you sent me away. I was the battery, and you were draining me.”

“It was necessary!” Eleanor screamed. “We were going bankrupt! You saved this family! You should be honored!”

“Honored to be cattle?” Raven laughed. “The ritual ends tonight.”

Raven grabbed a talisman from her pocket and slapped it onto the altar. Burn.

The altar caught fire. A sudden, unearthly wind howled through the mansion. Upstairs, Tiffany screamed as her skin broke out in hives. Brad collapsed, clutching his chest.

“What did you do?!” Eleanor shrieked.

“I took my luck back,” Raven said. “And I returned your karma.”

Chapter 5: The Hostile Takeover

The next morning, Sterling Corp’s stock plummeted. Brad was hospitalized with a “mystery illness,” and Tiffany was refusing to leave her room because her hair was falling out.

Richard Sterling was in his office, panicking. “The banks are calling in the loans! We’re ruined!”

The door opened. Raven walked in, followed by Julian Thorne.

“Get out!” Richard yelled.

“Actually,” Julian said, tossing a file on the desk. “I just bought 40% of your debt. And Raven here… she owns the other 11% through a shell company she built while she was ‘living in the wild’.”

“You?” Richard gasped. “But you’re just a girl!”

“I’m the girl you threw away,” Raven leaned over the desk. “I’m calling a board meeting. You’re fired, Dad.”

Chapter 6: The Kidnapping

Desperate and insane with rage, Brad dragged himself out of the hospital. He hired two thugs.

As Raven left the office, a van screeched up. They grabbed her, throwing a bag over her head.

Raven woke up in an abandoned warehouse in Queens. Brad was there, holding a knife.

“Undo the curse!” Brad yelled, looking gaunt and terrifying. “Give me back my life! Sign over the company!”

Raven looked at the ropes binding her hands. She closed her eyes and muttered a chant.

Snap.

The ropes loosened. But before she could move, the warehouse doors burst open. Julian Thorne and a SWAT team stormed in.

“Drop the knife, Brad!” Julian shouted.

“She’s a witch!” Brad screamed, lunging at Raven.

Raven side-stepped effortlessly. She tripped Brad, sending him crashing into a pile of rusted metal.

“I’m not a witch, Brad,” Raven whispered in his ear as the police cuffed him. “I’m just better than you.”

Chapter 7: The Aftermath

The Sterling family was finished. Richard was bankrupt. Eleanor was in a mental institution, mumbling about ghosts. Brad was in prison for kidnapping. Tiffany was working as a waitress in New Jersey, her beauty faded without the stolen luck.

Raven stood on the balcony of the Sterling Estate, which she now owned. The sun was setting over the ocean.

“You know,” Julian said, handing her a glass of champagne. “You’re terrifying.”

“I know,” Raven sipped the drink. “Are you scared?”

“Terrified,” Julian smiled, leaning in. “But I think I’m in love.”

Raven looked at him. The curse was broken. The toxicity was gone. For the first time in 18 years, she felt light.

“Good,” she said. “Because I have a company to run, and I need a partner who can keep up.”

THE END