chapter 1.. FOUND
For fourteen years, Madam Sinclair had searched for one person: her grandson, Ethan.
Every lead had gone cold. Every year made him harder to find.
Then one afternoon, everything changed.
“Madam Sinclair! Madam Sinclair!”
The butler hurried into the study.
Madam Sinclair looked up from her desk. “What is it?”
“We found them. The Blackwood family.”
She stood. “Where?”
“A small village northwest of Chunkai City. They had been living there for fourteen years.”
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the table. “And Ethan?”
The butler smiled. “He’s there too, Madam.”
For a second she didn’t move. Then she reached for her handbag. “Get the car ready.”
“Yes, Madam.”
“I’m going to see my grandson.”
---
THE BLACKWOOD FAMILY
The village lay far from the busy streets of Chunkai City.
In a small, weathered house, the Blackwood family had built a quiet life away from the world.
Ethan stood near the doorway with a canvas bag in his hand. “Grandma, I’m heading to the mountains.”
Madam Callia looked up immediately. “No, Ethan.”
He turned. “I won’t be long.”
“I said no. Stay here with your grandfather.”
Ethan sighed. “Grandma, I’ll be careful.”
“Ethan.”
The warning in her tone made him stop. He held her gaze, then gave in. “Fine. I’ll stay.”
From his chair, Mr. Blackwood chuckled. “Your grandmother has spoken. You know better than to argue.”
Ethan shook his head and dropped the bag by the door. “Okay.”
Before anyone could speak again, tires crunched on gravel outside.
Ethan’s head snapped toward the window. “Who’s that?”
Mr. Blackwood frowned. “I don’t know.”
A knock followed.
A man in a dark suit stood on the porch. Sinclair’s butler. He kept a respectful distance from the house.
“Mr. Blackwood?”
Ethan stepped in front of his grandfather. “Who are you? What do you want?”
The butler remained calm. “We’re here to see Mr. Blackwood.”
Before he could answer, a woman’s voice cut in behind him. Gentle. Steady.
“It’s all right.”
Madam Sinclair stepped forward.
And then she saw him.
Ethan.
She stopped.
The little boy she remembered was gone. In his place stood a young man. Twenty years old. Tall, composed, and shielding the grandfather behind him.
But his jaw. His eyes. She would know them anywhere.
“Ethan,” she said softly.
Ethan’s brows pulled together. He didn’t move. “How do you know my name?”
Madam Sinclair came closer, her eyes bright. “How are you doing, my boy?”
She reached out and took his hand. His skin was warm, calloused. “You’ve grown so big.”
Ethan stared at her. There was something in her voice. A pull he couldn’t name. He searched his memory and found nothing.
“I don’t think we’ve met before.”
“You may not remember me.” Her smile trembled. “But I remember you.”
Ethan said nothing.
Behind him, Mr. Blackwood pushed to his feet. “Madam Sinclair.”
She turned.
Their eyes met. Fourteen years of silence between them.
After a beat, Mr. Blackwood gave a small nod. “It’s been a long time. You finally found us.”
“All this time, we were searching,” Madam Sinclair replied. “We never stopped.”
She looked back at Ethan. “And now I’ve found him.”
Ethan glanced between them. “Grandpa... who is she?”
Mr. Blackwood’s gaze softened. “She’s someone you should know.”
Madam Sinclair squeezed Ethan’s hand once, then let go. “I’m your grandmother.”
Ethan froze. “My grandmother?”
He looked to Mr. Blackwood.
The old man nodded. “Yes.”
The word shouldn’t have made sense. But it did. Maybe it was her voice. Maybe it was the way she looked at him. Or maybe it was something buried deep in the memories he couldn’t reach.
Madam Sinclair’s voice dropped. “You don’t have to remember everything now. We have plenty of time.”
Ethan didn’t answer.
Mr. Blackwood gestured toward the two chairs inside. “Come in.”
Madam Sinclair nodded and stepped into the small house. She took in the worn furniture, the quiet.
Fourteen years ago, the Blackwood family had vanished from Chunkai City.
Today she had found Ethan.
Ethan watched her sit. He didn’t remember her.
But somehow, he felt like he had known her before.
And before the day was over, he would learn his past held far more secrets than he had ever imagined.
