The second year after Mom died, Dad decided to remarry. The woman, Joanna, threw out everything that belonged to my mother. She gave me spoiled milk to drink and forbade Dad from holding me. In the middle of the night, I’d hide under the covers, crying silent tears. Suddenly, strange text started flashing before my eyes, like comments on a screen only I could see. 【Cassie, don't cry! Go find your grandpa!】 【He’s the chairman of the Vance Corporation, Cassie. Your uncle is a pop superstar, and your aunt is even more incredible.】 【Go, Cassie, go! The Aunties will NOT let you end up a tragic heroine like your mom!】 1 I pulled the blanket down just enough to peek out, my little six-year-old brain trying to process the words. I didn't know what a "tragic heroine" was, but I knew "Grandpa" and the "Vance Corporation." Before Mom passed away, she gave me half of a torn photograph of him. She told me that if Dad ever stopped loving me, I should take the photo and find my grandpa. Back then, Dad had sworn it was impossible, promising he would never marry again. But now, he only had eyes for Joanna and the baby brother in her belly. He didn't even notice when I tripped and fell right in front of him. And last week, when I had a 104-degree fever, our housekeeper, Mrs. Gable, called him over a dozen times with no answer. She finally had to risk getting fired by giving me fever medicine herself. That day, Mrs. Gable was crying and laughing at the same time. She said Mom must have been watching over me from heaven, keeping me from becoming a "little fool." 2 As I hesitated, wondering if I should really go find a grandpa I'd never met, the Comments told me more. They said if I stayed, Joanna would only get crueler. They said that when I turned sixteen, my dad would go bankrupt, my grandpa’s family would be destroyed, and Joanna would sell me to a man named Damian Sterling before taking ten billion dollars and fleeing the country. "Damian… you mean Damian Sterling?" My eyes went wide. Damian was five years older than me. Every time we met at family functions, he made fun of me. I couldn't understand why he would pay money for me. Didn't he know that buying children was against the law? The Comments exploded with excitement at the sound of my voice. 【OMG! Seraphina was right! Cassie can see our comments!】 Seraphina? Mom? These Aunties knew my mom! 【Let's go, girls! If Cassie can't escape her fate, it's because we didn't try hard enough!】 【Don't you worry. I've got plenty of experience dealing with scumbags. If Landon Reed and Damian Sterling don't get what's coming to them, my ex can use my head as a bowling ball.】 The Aunties went wild for a few moments before getting back on track. 【Cassie, you have to run! Damian is an even bigger monster than your dad!】 【In this whole story, only your grandpa is powerful enough to stand up to the Sterling family. In the original plot, your mom's family tried to help you in secret. If you go to them now, they'll definitely take you in.】 【Cassie, if you and your grandpa can save each other, that’s what your mom would want more than anything.】 Save Grandpa… is that what Mom would want? My little heart hammered against my ribs. I scrambled out of bed and found the box with the photo. In it, my handsome grandpa had a gentle smile, his beautiful eyes clear and bright, just like Mom's. Staring into those familiar eyes, I made my decision. If Dad didn't love me anymore, then tomorrow, I would go find my grandpa. 3 The next morning, I put on my little backpack, tucked the photo safely in my pocket, and snuck out of the house. 【Cassie is so cute today! She looks like a little doll with her backpack. But why is she walking to school by herself instead of waiting for the driver?】 【She’s not going to school, silly! She's going to find her grandpa!】 【YES, CASSIE! Get away from your trash dad! Get away from this trash life!】 Trash dad… the Aunties were so right! Just this morning, Mrs. Gable told me Dad was planning to turn my princess room into a room for the new baby. Mom had decorated that room for me herself. He was just going to give it away without even asking me. It was so unfair! I clenched my little fists and marched away from home with new determination. The problem was, our house was in a gated community up in the hills. There were no buses or taxis. I had to walk all the way down the mountain, step by step. Luckily, with the Aunties’ comments keeping me company, I wasn't scared at all. From their hints, I learned that Grandpa was still drowning in guilt over Mom’s death, and because of it, my uncle and aunt had grown distant from him. 【Cassie, if your grandpa, uncle, and aunt would just team up, neither the Reeds nor the Sterlings would stand a chance against them.】 "Team up with Grandpa, Uncle, and Aunt. Got it," I whispered, looking up at the sky with a sweet smile. "Don't worry, Aunties. Cassie remembers." Suddenly, the Comments started scrolling so fast I could barely read them. 【CASSIE, RUN!】 【Mrs. Gable and the driver are coming out to look for you! Hide!】 【If they catch you, your dad and Joanna will send you away to the countryside!】 【Don't panic, Cassie! There's a small path to your left! Run down that path!】 4 I glanced to my left and saw it—a barely visible trail hidden in the bushes. It had rained yesterday, and the path was a mess of slick, deep mud. I hesitated. I was wearing my prettiest dress and my special princess shoes to meet Grandpa. If I took that path, they would be ruined. 【Go on, Cassie! Take that leap of faith! The Aunties are right here with you!】 【This is the last muddy path you'll have to walk in your life, Cassie. Push through it! Your grandpa is waiting.】 【You can do it, sweetie!】 Seeing all the encouragement from the Aunties, I didn't hesitate anymore. I took a deep breath and plunged into the bushes. The path was so, so hard to walk on. I fell five times. My arms and legs were scratched by branches, and I almost lost the photo of Grandpa. But I didn't dare cry or stop. Finally, following the Comments' guidance, I reached the massive, gleaming tower of the Vance Corporation. 【He's here, Cassie! Grandpa is here!!!】 【He's right at the main entrance!】 【This is it, Cassie! The moment that changes your destiny is NOW!】 The excited comments chased away my tears. I sniffled loudly, sucking back a runaway drip, and broke into a run, my little legs pumping as fast as they could. I spotted him immediately—my grandpa, looking powerful and distinguished, surrounded by people in suits. He was about to get into a car and didn't see the small child hurtling toward him across the vast lobby. "Grandpa, wait for me!" I cried out, my voice small in the cavernous space. I was so scared he would leave that I wasn't watching where I was going. My foot caught, and I went down, hard. Splat. It was over. I’d never reach him now. The thought hit me, and a huge, heartbroken sob escaped. "Waaaaah!" My crying, it turned out, got his attention. I heard his deep voice ask an assistant, "Robert, what is that… filthy… thing?" 5 A thing? Was his eyesight that bad? I'm not a thing, I'm Cassie! I scrambled back to my feet and waved with all my might. "Grandpa! I'm your granddaughter!" He turned, his sharp eyes finding me. He stared for a long moment. I got nervous. My face was a mess of tears and snot, but I did my best to smile, just like Dad always said Mom did—with my eyes crinkling into little crescent moons. It worked. He started walking toward me, his long strides closing the distance between us. He knelt down, pulling out a silk handkerchief and gently wiping the mud from my face. "Little one," he said, his voice surprisingly soft, "what is your mother's name?" I stopped crying and answered him seriously. "Grandpa, my mommy's name is Seraphina Vance." "Seraphina…" At the sound of her name, his eyes instantly turned red. He composed himself after a moment, but his gaze turned cold and dismissive. "You're Landon Reed's daughter? What are you doing here?" His harsh tone made my heart tremble, but I gathered my courage and held out the photo Mom gave me. "Grandpa, Mom said if Dad ever stopped loving me, I could bring this photo to you." "Half a photo? Your mother tore it to pieces, and she had the nerve to give it to you as a keepsake? Let me tell you something. From the day she insisted on marrying that man, the Vance family no longer had a daughter named Seraphina. And I am not your grandfather!" He didn't take me in. He just got angrier. He tossed the photo to the ground like it was trash. "Robert, call Landon Reed. Tell him to come get his daughter immediately." What? He was going to send me back to my trash dad? No! I couldn't go back! I started to panic, but the Aunties in the Comments rushed to my rescue. 【Cassie, he's all bark and no bite! Just be sweet to him, and he'll let you ride on his shoulders while you eat popcorn!】 【Roll up your sleeves! Show him your cuts! Your trash dad is about to have a very, very bad day.】 【HUG HIS LEG, CASSIE! HUG IT TIGHT!】 Hug his leg! Okay! I followed their instructions, dropping to the floor and wrapping my arms tightly around his leg. "Grandpa, please, please don't call my dad!" I wailed. "He and Joanna will send me to the countryside! Joanna said she's going to sell me!" As I spoke, I pulled up my sleeve. The stiff fabric of my princess dress scraped against a fresh cut, and I couldn't help but hiss in pain. Grandpa went rigid. This time, he didn't push me away. He knelt down again, his eyes locking onto my arm. "What is this? Are you hurt?" 6 【He's worried!】 【The second he saw she was hurt, the act dropped completely!】 【It's only natural. If a sweetheart like this was my granddaughter, I'd give her my life!】 The Aunties were celebrating, but I was too scared to move. Grandpa’s presence was overwhelming, and he still looked furious. "Is this how Landon Reed takes care of you? He dresses you in dirty, torn clothes and beats you black and blue?" Huh? He thought Dad did this? It was from when I fell. I was about to explain when a new comment popped up. 【Let Grandpa see the 'truth,' Cassie. These injuries are from Landon Reed.】 【If you can squeeze out a tear or two right now, Cassie, your grandpa will go to war for you.】 【Tell him everything, Cassie. Tell him how Joanna bullies you.】 Just thinking about Joanna sent a shiver down my spine. I didn't have to squeeze. Tears started rolling down my cheeks all on their own. Before I could even get a word out, Grandpa was shrugging off his expensive suit jacket and draping it over my small shoulders. His expression turned dark and stormy. "Robert," he commanded, his voice deadly calm, "inform Landon Reed that as of today, Cassie is no longer his daughter. Furthermore, I want a full report on the Reed Corporation's latest investment portfolio. He dares to treat a Vance like this? I'll make him pay three times over." Pay? Grandpa was scary. I trembled, too frightened to speak. But the Aunties were ecstatic. 【Grandpa is such a badass! No wonder he's my favorite character!】 【Does anyone else feel like this tragedy just turned into a revenge fantasy?】 【I suddenly can't wait for Cassie's uncle and aunt to get home.】 Home? But Grandpa hadn't said I could stay with him yet. I gathered my courage and looked up at him. He was already looking at me, his eyes red-rimmed again. With one strong arm, he scooped me up. "Little girl, I'm only going to ask you this once. Do you want to go back to the Reeds, or do you want to come home with me to the Vances?" He wanted me to stay! I was so happy, but the tears just came faster. "The Vances! I want to go home with Grandpa! The other house is Joanna and Dad's house now. Whenever I don't listen to her, she threatens to throw me out." I looked up at him, my voice a tiny whisper. "Grandpa, will you throw me out?" He didn't answer. He just held my gaze, his voice turning to ice as he spoke to his assistant. "Robert. I want you to find out everything there is to know about this woman named Joanna." 7 That day, Grandpa canceled all his meetings. He didn't talk to me much, but he had Robert buy me over thirty new outfits, a trunk full of dolls and toys, and then he drove me back to his mansion himself. He stayed with me through dinner and had a maid give me a bath. The maid told me that Grandpa was usually the only one who lived in the huge house. My uncle only visited once or twice a year, and my aunt hadn't been back in years. "Is Grandpa very lonely then?" I asked. "The Chairman is a very busy man. He isn't home much, dear." Oh. I looked down, a little disappointed. But after Mom left, I was used to being alone. It was okay. After my bath, Grandpa told me to meet him in his study. On my way, I passed a closed door on the second floor, and the Comments popped up. 【Cassie, that's your mom's room.】 【Even though Grandpa says he disowned her, he's kept her room exactly as it was, waiting for her to come home.】 【You should ask for this room, Cassie. He'll definitely let you have it.】 Really? I could sleep in Mom's room? Excited, I ran into Grandpa's study. He was reading a document and barely glanced up, but his cold gaze was enough to freeze me in place. "What's your name," he asked, his voice flat. "Grandpa, my name is Cassie Reed. Mom picked it out." "Cassie Reed... Listen carefully. The only reason you're staying here is because I won't have the world thinking a Vance can be pushed around. But this house has rules. If you don't follow them, you will be punished." There was a long, thin ruler on his desk. I couldn't help but shrink back. So that's where Mom learned to tap my palm when I was naughty. He caught my small movement, and the faintest hint of a smile touched his lips. Seeing that his mood had improved, I took a chance. "Grandpa, can I sleep in Mom's old room?" He frowned. "No." "Then… can you sleep with me tonight?" "You're too old to be sleeping with someone. Now, get out." He was angry. I backed out of the study, my heart sinking. The moment the door closed, I started to wipe away my tears. The Aunties patiently explained. 【Give him some time, Cassie. Your mom's death is a thorn in his heart.】 【Your mom was his favorite child, and you're a miniature version of her. It's not that he doesn't love you; it's that he's afraid to.】 【You've already escaped your trash dad and stepmom, Cassie. That's a huge win! We'll take it slow. He'll come around eventually.】 The Aunties were right. Grandpa was grumpy, but he wasn't a bad person. If I was a good girl, he would learn to like me. That night, I slept soundly. I vaguely smelled the faint, comforting scent of cigars near my bed. I must have been dreaming of Grandpa because I missed him so much. But the next morning, my dad and Joanna, who were supposed to be on vacation in the Maldives, stormed into the Vance Corporation. Dad saw me standing behind Grandpa and his face lit up. He held out his hands. "Cassie, come here. Dad will take you home." 8 "I… I want to stay with Grandpa." I refused, tightening my grip on Grandpa's hand. Grandpa let me hold on, a slow, arrogant smile spreading across his face. "You heard her, Landon. Cassie doesn't want to go with you. She's a Vance now." He gave Robert a look. "Give him the custody agreement." Robert handed two folders to my dad. "Mr. Reed, the first is the custody transfer agreement. The second is—" "Silas Vance, when did I ever agree to this? You and Seraphina cut ties years ago. You have no right to take Cassie."
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