Get out of the way! Let me see my little sister!”

Leo’s usual playful demeanor vanished, his jaw clenching. “They told us Mom died in an accident twenty years ago. We grew up believing it until Julian took over the hedge fund at twenty-five and broke into the family’s encrypted archives. That’s when we found out about you.”

Julian turned around in his seat, looking at me with fierce protectiveness. “The Old Man—our father—doesn’t know you’re in the city yet. But he will soon. His network is vast. Until we figure out his next move, you stay with us. You are safe now, Autumn. I promise.”

Chapter 2: A Taste of the High Life
We arrived at a towering glass skyscraper overlooking Central Park. The penthouse took up the entire top three floors. It was a minimalist masterpiece of marble, floor-to-ceiling glass, and security guards stationed at every entrance.

For the next two hours, my life turned into a whirlwind. Julian had already summoned a team of personal shoppers. Before I could even protest, the living room was flooded with racks of designer clothes, rows of shoes that cost more than my mother’s medical treatments, and a team of stylists.

“Throw that away,” Julian told a maid, pointing to my old, dusty hoodie.

“No!” I cried out, lunging forward to grab it. “Please… Mom washed this for me before she went into the ICU. It’s all I have left of her.”

Julian paused. The cold, ruthless CEO vanished, replaced by a brother filled with profound regret. He walked over, took the hoodie gently, and handed it back to me. “I apologize. Keep it. We will have it professionally preserved. Anything of Mom’s is sacred here.”

By the time evening fell, I was wearing a soft, cream-colored cashmere sweater and tailored pants. I felt like an impostor playing dress-up. I sat on a plush velvet sofa, staring out at the sparkling lights of the New York skyline, feeling more isolated than ever.

Suddenly, the private elevator doors chimed and flew open.

A man stormed out, wearing a heavy trench coat, dark sunglasses, and a baseball cap pulled low. He tore off the sunglasses, throwing them onto the marble floor where they shattered instantly.

It was Christian Song. Up close, his handsomeness was almost surreal—sharp jawline, piercing blue-green eyes, and an aura of intense, dramatic energy. He looked exhausted, his hair disheveled, but the moment his eyes landed on me, he stopped dead in his tracks.

“Autumn?” he breathed out.

He didn’t care about his shattered sunglasses. He crossed the room in three strides, dropping to his knees right in front of the sofa. He took my hands, his fingers trembling.

“Look at you,” Christian whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “You look just like her. You look like the picture she left in my baby book.” He suddenly reached into his coat and pulled out a small, faded velvet box. “I bought this for you years ago, hoping I’d find you. It belonged to Mom. The Old Man tried to lock it in the family vault, but I stole it back when I left home.”

I opened the box. Inside was a beautiful, delicate silver necklace with a pendant shaped like an autumn leaf.

“She named you after her favorite season,” Christian said, a tear finally escaping his eye. “We never forgot you, little sister. Not for a single day.”

For the first time since my mother’s passing, the knot of grief in my chest loosened. I leaned forward and buried my face in Christian’s shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. Within seconds, Leo scrambled over, throwing his arms around both of us, and even Julian walked over, placing a solid, reassuring hand on my head.

We were together. The broken pieces of our family were finally reassembling.

But the peace was terrifyingly short-lived.

Chapter 3: The Gathering Storm
Later that night, we sat around a massive dining table. The atmosphere had shifted from emotional reunion to a war council. Julian was reviewing security footage on his laptop, his brow furrowed in deep concentration.

“The police precinct leak was immediate,” Julian said, his voice tense. “The media hasn’t picked it up yet because I paid off the precinct captain to classify the incident, but our father’s personal security firm flagged the name ‘Autumn Song’ the moment it entered the database.”

“Let him try something,” Leo snapped, aggressively stabbing a piece of steak. “I have fifty million fans. If that old bastard tries to touch her, I’ll dox his entire operation. I’ll ruin the family name online in twenty-four hours.”

“This isn’t a video game, Leo,” Christian warned, leaning back in his chair, his face grim. “The Old Man controls the board of three major banks and has half the city senate in his pocket. If he finds out Autumn is here, he won’t just try to ignore her. He’ll see her as a threat to the family’s public image—or worse, a leverage point against us.”

“Why would I be a threat?” I asked, gripping my glass of water, my heart hammering against my ribs. “I don’t want their money. I don’t want anything to do with them. I just wanted to find you guys.”

Julian looked at me, his eyes filled with a grim, heavy truth. “Because of the will, Autumn. Our grandfather passed away six months ago. His estate is worth six billion dollars. But there was a clause in his testament. A clause the Old Man has been desperately trying to hide from the public.”

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