LEGACY OF AMELIA: THE HEIRESS REVENGE

THE NIGHT THE SEA TOOK HER

Within the twinkle of an eye, five years went by.

Even at five years old, Yuna Kim understood that the world could be cruel in ways no child should ever know. She grew up only with the warmth of her mother, and was always mocked as a fatherless child. However, she received her mother's full love and attention. She grew as a happy and cheerful little girl.

For five years, Jiho Kim had searched. Every alley, every hospital, every hidden corner of Seoul had been traced. He had asked discreetly, hired investigators, but all to no avail. Every lead brought him hope, only to crush it moments later. And yet, the determination in his heart never wavered. He would find them. He would see his daughter again.

But every time he thought he was close, Chairman Kim had eyes everywhere. The grandfather's reach was a shadow that could smother truth, and he would not allow the delicate secret of Vivian and Yuna to destroy his empire. He watched silently, observing Jiho's futile attempts, planning ahead, calculating every move, always several steps ahead.

Jiho finally discovered their location. It was an ordinary quiet district near the port, hidden warehouses and empty streets. He thought that his five years' worth of sleepless nights, regrets, and longing finally came to an end. His pulse raced as he approached the small, rundown house where Vivian had been hiding. His heart ached at the thought of seeing her, of finally holding his daughter.

But Chairman Kim would never allow it. He would never allow any blemish on his vain prestige. If need be, it shall be completely erased

From afar, hidden behind darkened windows, the old man had his spies observe Jiho's approach with cold precision. The moment his son neared the house, the plan was set in motion. Yuna and Vivian would be removed and erased, before they would threaten the carefully constructed future of the Kim empire.

Before Jiho could reach the house, His Father was one step ahead of him. He arranged for his spies to move swiftly, silently, with a practiced cruelty and kidn*pped both Vivian and little Yuna. By the time Jiho reached the door, only an empty room was left. He was afraid and devastated. His hope was fully crushed. His child and love are both gone.

Yuna clutched her mother's hand, her small fingers twisting around the fabric of Vivian's dress, but it was not enough. The men descended, strong and merciless, dragging them both into the night.

Yuna kept crying. Her mother struggled, desperately, pleading with the men. "Please! Please! Don't harm my daughter!" But her voice was futile against their strength. The little girl could feel her mother being pulled away, the warmth of her embrace disappearing, and she shivered in fears, with her voice screaming "Mum! Mum! Mum!" In tears.

They were loaded on a yacht in the middle of the sea. Yuna's small body trembled uncontrollably, her eyes wide with disbelief. She clung to Vivian, her tiny face pressed to her mother's chest, listening to the words that had always been her anchor: "It's okay, Yuna. I'm here. I will protect you."

But the protection was an illusion.

Once aboard, the men carried them to the edge of the deck. The night wind whipped around them, salty and harsh, stinging Yuna's cheeks and eyes. The darkness of the sea below reflected the darkness forming in her tiny heart. She could hear the waves crashing against the yatch.

Her mother's voice faltered as she screamed at the men to stop, to leave her child alone.

Chairman Kim's command was silent but resolute. The orders had been given: Vivian should not live, but Yuna, since she is still a Kim, would be spared, but discarded.

Yuna though blindfolded, felt the sack slip over her mother's head. Her tiny hands tried to pull it off, but it was too late. Vivian struggled violently, a desperate force of love and fear, but the men were merciless. Yuna's eyes filled with tears as she felt her mother being lifted, carried to the edge, and then... nothing but the splash of water, her mother's cry for help, and then silence.

Yuna's world shattered. The warmth, the love, the protection she had always known was gone. Her small body went rigid, a shiver of shock and disbelief. She wanted to scream, to run, to die with her mother, but the world had other plans.

One of the men tossed her over his shoulder roughly. Her small frame barely moved under his grip. She struggled, but the cold wind and the harsh sway of the ship made her feel as if she were floating in a nightmare. Her mind could not grasp the horror, and instead, it retreated into a corner of silence.

From that moment on, Yuna would not speak again. The trauma was too great, the pain was too sharp. The little girl, once full of questions and laughter, retreated behind a wall of muteness. She could hear, she could see, she could feel but her voice was gone. She had developed selective muteness due to the trauma.

Only tears, only trembling, only the steady rhythm of a beating heart remained.

The men carried her to the other end of the sea, and abandoned her there.

They placed her on a small, abandoned part of the vessel that had clearly been prepared for such an emergency. There, they left her, a tiny, terrified child amidst the wooden planks and salty tang of the sea. She was alive, yes but alone, exposed, trembling.

She watched as the yatch that abandoned her disappeared into the stormy sea.

The lights flickered in the distance, exposing the terror stricken little girl.

And though she could not yet speak, her mind was already forming questions, plans, dreams of one day confronting the world that had taken everything from her. The silent screams, the violent night, the loss of her mother, they would live in her memory, a shadow that could never be erased.

For now, all she could do was cling to the one thread of hope, that one day, justice would be hers, and the empire that had destroyed her and her mother would pay back.