Chapter 1 - THE GIRL AT THE DOORThe ballroom of the Grand Aurelia Hotel glittered beneath three enormous chandeliers.
Every guest wore something expensive.
Diamond necklaces.
Tailored tuxedos.
Silk gowns that cost more than most people earned in a year.
Then the elevator doors opened.
And a little girl stepped out.
She was no older than eight.
Her faded beige dress was wrinkled and stained. Her black hair hung unevenly around her thin face. One of her shoes was missing a buckle.
The entire hallway seemed to go silent.
The girl stood alone.
She held a small, worn cloth bag against her chest.
A waiter stopped walking.
A woman near the champagne table stared.
Then someone laughed.
The little girl lowered her head.
She had not come to steal anything.
She had only been told that her grandfather was inside.
A man she had never met.
A man who, according to her mother, had disappeared from their lives long ago.
The girl slowly stepped into the ballroom.
At the center of the room stood a woman in a shimmering red gown.
Her name was Evelyn Grant.
She was the host of the evening.
She was also the most powerful woman in the room.
Evelyn looked at the little girl.
Then at the guests.
“What is that child doing here?”
The little girl froze.
A security guard began walking toward her.
The girl clutched her bag tighter.
“I’m looking for someone.”
Evelyn smiled coldly.
“Everyone here is looking for someone.”
The little girl looked across the room.
Then she saw him.
An elderly man with silver hair standing near the entrance.
The moment he saw her face, his expression changed.
He stopped breathing.
The glass in his hand slipped.
And shattered on the marble floor.
The entire party turned toward him.
May you like
The old man whispered one word.
“Lily.”
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