After my husband threw me out of the house after our divorce, I took the old bank card my father had left behind and used it at a branch in the U.S., sending the whole bank lobby into a stir as the staff hurriedly called the manager over, and the words “Look at the name on this account!” revealed a family secret I had never known.

During those two weeks, Zelica also transformed herself. She cut her long, dull hair into a short, firm, elegant bob. She threw out all her old clothes with the help of a personal shopper hired by Seek. Her closet now contained tailored suits, silk blouses, and simple but classy dresses in strong colors—black, navy blue, burgundy. Reading glasses replaced her contacts. High heels replaced sandals.

But the biggest change was in her eyes. There was no fear anymore, only calculation.

“Are you ready to get back in the ring, ma’am?” Seek asked one afternoon.

“I’m ready,” Zelica said.

They didn’t go to a hotel. Under Zelica’s orders, Seek’s team had worked discreetly in Atlanta. They bought an old mansion in the Cascade Heights area. Not a flashy new McMansion like what Quacy liked, but a historic, solid, elegant building that emanated an aura of old Black power and generational wealth. The house was paid for in cash.