The Chen family estate stood at the edge of the mountain, its walls carved from black marble and steel. Outside, a light fog hung over the valley — serene and deceptive. Inside, the world's most powerful family was moving like a shadowed army.
The great hall was dim, lit only by cold daylight streaming through tall glass panels. Holographic screens flickered across the conference table, each displaying different maps, documents, and images of women from around the world — all potential matches.
Chen Patriarch stood at the head of the room, his broad shoulders framed by military medals from a lifetime of command. His voice was deep, controlled — the voice that once led nations to peace and war.
> "We found traces of her near the northern borders," said Chen Heo, the eldest . His calm eyes betrayed nothing, but his clenched jaw did. "She was seen near a river two months ago. Then—nothing."
The Patriarch's hand tightened on his cane. "And the DNA?"
> "Incomplete," answered Chen Wei, the family's tech genius. "We got fragments — a 90% match to Mother's genetic line. But her records from the countryside hospital were erased within twenty-four hours. Someone covered the trail."
The brothers exchanged glances.
Chen Long, the third brother and a military officer, leaned forward. "Then she's alive."
The Patriarch turned toward the window. "Alive... but hidden." His voice softened with something rare — guilt. "If I had listened to her mother that night, she would never have been taken away."
The silence that followed was heavy, filled with unspoken regret.
---
Chen Heo opened a secure case on the table. Inside was a delicate jade pendant, worn smooth by time — the family heirloom once given to their mother.
> "This was found near the river," Heo said. "It's identical to the one our mother wore before she died. We thought it was lost."
Chen Wei ran a digital scan over it. "The carving on the back isn't random," he murmured. "It's a code. A location coordinate. Someone wanted us to find her — or to follow a false lead."
The brothers stared at the glowing projection that appeared over the pendant: a set of coordinates across the ocean — in a small nation ruled by the Wang family.
Chen Long frowned. "That country is closed off. No external tracing, no surveillance leaks. Their systems are protected by military-grade firewalls."
Chen Wei smirked faintly. "Which means someone there is helping her."
The Patriarch's gaze darkened. "Find out who."
They didn't send soldiers or spies. The Chen family didn't move with armies — they moved with money, silence, and coded messages.
Chen Heo contacted his quiet global network — private investigators, corporate insiders, retired agents who owed him favors.
Chen Wei broke through restricted data vaults, scanning passenger lists, border records, and hospital archives.
Chen Long used his military ties to restrict the release of the heirloom's discovery — no news leak could risk her safety.
And when they gathered again that night, the map on the screen began to glow with one small, blinking signal — a match to her bloodline.
> "Found her?" Chen Wei asked softly.
Heo nodded. "She's alive. But whoever is sheltering her knows what they're doing. They erased her digital presence, changed her name, and sealed her citizenship."
Chen Long's fists clenched. "Then we'll go in quietly."
The Patriarch raised a hand. "No. Not yet. If she's alive, she's been through enough. We will not frighten her again."
He turned toward the family's private emblem on the wall — a phoenix rising from iron.
> "For now," he said, his voice a whisper of command, "we move like ghosts. Let the world believe the Chen family sleeps. But when we strike, we take back what was lost — and destroy whoever made her disappear."
---
In another country, far from their reach, Xu Ling stirred in her sleep.
One of her sons whimpered softly in the cradle beside her. She reached out instinctively, soothing him with gentle words, unaware that oceans away, six men were watching a blinking dot — her heartbeat on a screen.
---
Hours later, when the war room was empty, Chen Heo remained behind.
He looked again at the pendant, his eyes filled with determination.
> "Little sister," he whispered, "this time, we'll find you. And when we do — the world will never hurt you again."
He closed the case, locking it with the Chen insignia — a symbol of a dynasty moving back into the shadows, waiting for the right moment to reclaim their blood.
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