Chapter 1

CH 1

POV: Alexander Hartwell

The Announcement

Flashing cameras lit up the Hartwell Grand Hall like lightning in a storm.

Alexander Hartwell hated press conferences. They were predictable. Controlled. Negotiable.

Today was none of those things.

Reporters filled every seat. Microphones stretched forward. The entire nation was watching live.

At exactly noon, he stepped onto the stage. Tall. Controlled. Untouchable.

Beside him stood his younger brother, Julian Hartwell—equally powerful, but far less composed today.

For seventeen years, the Hartwell empire had ruled industries across continents. They had crushed competitors. Dominated markets. Expanded without mercy.

But there was one thing they had never conquered.

Loss.

Alexander adjusted the microphone. His reflection in the lens of a nearby camera looked calm.

He did not feel calm.

“Seventeen years ago,” he began, “our three-year-old sister disappeared from our family estate.”

The hall fell silent. Even the cameras seemed to pause.

Julian’s jaw tightened beside him. Alexander could feel the tension radiating from his brother.

“She was last seen playing in the east garden,” Alexander continued. “When our parents found the gates open… she was gone.

He still remembered that night. The open gate. His mother screaming. His father shouting orders that led nowhere.

No ransom note. No witnesses. No body.

Only silence.

“Our parents died without seeing her again,” Julian said suddenly, his voice rough. “We promised them we would find her.”

Alexander did not look at him. If he did, his control might crack.

A large screen behind them flickered to life.

A childhood photo appeared. A little girl with soft curls and bright eyes smiled at the camera—forever three years old.

For a split second, Alexander couldn’t breathe.

“Our sister has a distinctive birthmark on her upper back,” he forced himself to say. “A crescent moon embracing a small star.”

The image changed. A detailed sketch of the birthmark filled the screen.

“If you have any information,” Julian added, “no matter how small… come forward.”

Alexander took a slow breath.

“The Hartwell family is officially reopening the search. There will be a global reward.”

The room erupted.

“Why now?”

“Do you believe she’s still alive?”

“Is the missing heiress the future of the Hartwell empire?”

Alexander’s eyes hardened. This was exactly what he despised.

“She is not just an heir,” he said quietly. “She is our sister.”

And for the first time in seventeen years, he allowed the world to see that the Hartwell empire had a weakness.

The broadcast ended minutes later. But the ache in his chest did not.

Across the city, in a modest sitting room where paint peeled from the walls, a television flickered.

A middle-aged woman froze mid-step. Her eyes slowly lifted to the screen.

The sketch of the crescent moon and star remained displayed.

Behind her, in the hallway, a young woman carrying a laundry basket paused.

The older woman turned. Slowly. Very slowly.

Her gaze drifted to the young woman’s back. To the place hidden beneath worn fabric.

And a dangerous thought bloomed.

“If that mark…” she whispered.

Her lips curved.

“We just became rich.”