Chapter 4 – The Crimson Queen

The grand ballroom remained silent.

Hundreds of influential guests watched the mysterious woman with curiosity.

Some tried to recall where they had seen her before.

Others discreetly ordered their assistants to investigate her identity.

But every report returned the same answer.

No public record.

It was as though she had appeared out of nowhere.

---

On the second floor...

Behind a one-way glass overlooking the ballroom...

Victor Ashford stood with Dante, Elena, Adrian, Leonarda, Alen, and Cassian.

Victor's sharp eyes remained fixed on the woman below.

"Report."

Leonarda closed his laptop with an irritated sigh.

"I searched every international database."

"Nothing."

"No childhood records."

"No educational records."

"No public business history."

Cassian frowned.

"That's impossible."

Leonarda nodded.

"It is."

"Unless..."

"Someone erased her entire existence."

Adrian remained silent.

His ruby-red eyes never left the woman.

---

Meanwhile...

On the ballroom floor...

The woman calmly accepted a glass of water from one of her assistants.

She neither smiled nor acknowledged the whispers surrounding her.

Her expression remained cold.

A middle-aged CEO approached her politely.

"Good evening, Miss."

"I don't believe we've met before."

She looked at him once.

The pressure from her ocean-violet eyes alone made the man unconsciously take half a step back.

"I don't recall asking for an introduction."

Her voice was calm...

Yet carried an unmistakable warning.

The CEO smiled awkwardly and excused himself.

No one else dared approach.

---

Just then...

The host stepped onto the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen..."

"It is my honor to welcome all of you to the Global Business Summit."

"Before we begin..."

"I would like to introduce a very special guest."

The lights dimmed.

A spotlight fell upon the mysterious woman.

"Please welcome..."

"Miss Selena Vance."

The hall instantly erupted into whispers.

"Selena Vance?"

"The CEO of Vance International?"

"I've heard rumors about her..."

"But this is the first time she's appeared publicly."

Another CEO whispered nervously,

"They say every company that tried to swallow Vance International disappeared within months."

Someone else added,

"She's called the Crimson Queen in the business world..."

The title spread through the hall.

Only Selena remained expressionless.

She acknowledged no one.

---

Upstairs...

Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly.

"So..."

"Selena Vance."

Alen immediately handed him a newly compiled file.

"Young Master."

"This information arrived moments ago."

Adrian opened it.

Name: Selena Vance.

Age: 30.

Position: CEO of Vance International.

Status: Eldest daughter of the Vance Family.

Twin Brother: Ethan Vance.

The remaining pages...

Were completely blank.

Dante frowned.

"That's all?"

Alen nodded.

"Our intelligence network couldn't find anything else."

Victor spoke quietly,

"A woman whose past cannot be traced..."

"...is far more dangerous than one whose crimes are known."

---

Across the ballroom...

Selena slowly raised her gaze.

Once again...

Her eyes met Adrian's.

Neither smiled.

Neither looked away.

There was only silence.

A silent challenge.

A promise that neither would retreat.

At that moment, an elderly underworld broker, standing among the invited guests, stared at Selena in disbelief.

His hands trembled.

His voice dropped to a frightened whisper.

"No..."

"It can't be..."

"The Hidden Queen..."

"The Second Queen of the Mafia World..."

A few nearby mafia leaders turned sharply toward him.

"What did you say?"

The old broker swallowed hard, his face pale.

"If that woman is truly Selena Vance..."

"...then tonight..."

"One Queen and the Three Kings of the Mafia World are standing under the same roof."

The realization spread like wildfire among those who understood the underworld.

For the first time in years...

The hidden Second Queen of the Mafia World had stepped into the light.

And the eyes of the King of Eclipse remained fixed on her.

The inevitable collision between the Ashford Family and the Vance Family had begun.

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