Months passed in a whirlwind of legal filings, strategic maneuvers, and quiet moments of healing for Snow. Her bond with Andreas deepened with every shared victory, every comforting embrace. He became her confidant, her rock, her partner in every sense of the word. EdenTech thrived under their combined guidance, its ethical mission strengthened by Charm Global's resources, yet retaining its independence under Snow's resolute leadership.
Then, the inevitable arrived. A formal notification, addressed to Snow and Ravenna, announcing the completion of Jeffrey's Masters degree in London and his imminent return to Abidjan. He was expected to arrive in the next two weeks.
The news hit Snow with a fresh wave of apprehension. She had just begun to process the agonizing truth about her father's death and his role in hiding Jeffrey. Now, she was not only forced to work with Ravenna, but with this unknown half-brother, a product of her father's hidden life and Ravenna's desperate secrets.
Andreas arranged the meeting at a neutral location: one of Charm Global's secure, private executive lounges. He wanted to control the environment as much as possible. Snow, accompanied by Andreas and Grumpy, arrived early. Ravenna, flanked by her perpetually stressed legal team, arrived shortly after, her face still etched with bitterness, but now also with a carefully controlled anticipation.
Finally, the doors opened, and Jeffrey stepped in.
He was strikingly handsome, with Ravenna's sharp features, but tempered by a quiet intensity that hinted at her father's intellectual gravity. He carried himself with an understated confidence, a polished demeanor acquired from years abroad. His dark hair was impeccably styled, and his suit, though less overtly ostentatious than Alex's, bespoke a refined taste.
His eyes, a piercing shade of green that subtly reflected Ravenna's, swept the room, pausing briefly on Ravenna, then Andreas, before settling on Snow. There was no warmth, no immediate recognition, just a cool, analytical assessment. He embodied the perfect fusion of Ravenna's ambition and a hint of her father's quiet intelligence, a potent, unknown quantity.
"Mother," Jeffrey said, his voice surprisingly deep and smooth, a faint British accent softening his words. He walked directly to Ravenna, embracing her with an almost formal tenderness. Ravenna clung to him, a flicker of genuine affection and relief illuminating her face, a side Snow had rarely, if ever, seen.
Then, Jeffrey turned to Snow, his gaze unreadable. "Snow White," he stated, his voice devoid of emotion, "it's been a long time. I understand we have… much to discuss."
He knew. He knew about the will, about the forced collaboration. His presence, his calm demeanor, felt like a new, unpredictable variable in an already volatile equation. The stage was now set for the most complex act yet: the forced alliance within White Cosmetics, and the unraveling of a family bound by secrets, lies, and a legacy that refused to stay buried.