Chapter 6: Family Bonds and New Discoveries

The Chen family dining room was unusually quiet at 8 AM. David sat at the head of the table, checking his phone between bites of his breakfast. Elena sipped her coffee and looked at the empty chairs where Julian and Ethan usually sat. Marcus was already dressed for work, but he kept glancing at the door.

"Where are Julian and Ethan?" Elena asked, setting down her cup. "They're never late for breakfast."

"Maybe they're sick?" Liam suggested, though he sounded unsure.

David frowned. "Julian has an important meeting this morning. He wouldn't oversleep unless something was wrong."

"And Ethan..." Marcus paused. "Well, Ethan is always complaining about being hungry. He never misses breakfast."

Elena stood up, worry clear on her face. "I should check on them."

"Let me call Maria first," David said, reaching for the house phone. "Maria? Could you please check on Julian and Ethan? They haven't come down for breakfast."

The family waited in silence. Even Liam put down his fork, suddenly not hungry. After a few minutes, Maria's voice came through the phone.

"Sir, I checked their rooms. They're both still sleeping. But..." Maria paused. "I think they were working together last night. I found papers and laptops in Miss Sophie's room when I cleaned this morning. All three of them were doing some kind of research project."

David's eyebrows rose. "Research project?"

"Yes, sir. There were papers everywhere about entertainment companies and business strategies. It looked very serious."

Elena's worried expression slowly changed into a smile. She took the phone from David. "Thank you, Maria. Let them sleep. They must be tired."

After Elena hung up, the family sat in surprised silence.

"They were working together?" Marcus said slowly. "Julian, Ethan, and Sophie?"

"That's..." Liam shook his head. "That's never happened before."

Elena sat back down, her smile growing wider. "It's wonderful."

"Wonderful?" David looked confused. "They missed breakfast and probably stayed up all night."

"David," Elena said gently, "when was the last time you saw Ethan excited about anything except video games? When was the last time Julian spent time with his younger siblings without being asked?"

David thought about it. "I... I can't remember."

"And Sophie," Elena continued, "she's bringing them together. She's making them feel like a real team."

Marcus nodded slowly. "That's actually... really good. Ethan has been so withdrawn lately. And Julian is always so busy with work."

"Maybe Sophie really has changed," Liam said quietly. "The old Sophie would never have included Ethan in anything."

Elena reached across the table and patted David's hand. "Our children are finally acting like siblings. Let them sleep. Some things are more important than schedules."

David looked at his wife's happy face and felt his own expression soften. "You're right. Maria, if anyone calls for Julian, tell them he'll be in this afternoon."

The family finished their breakfast with lighter hearts, talking about how nice it was to see the siblings working together. For the first time in months, the Chen family dining room felt warm and full of hope.

Emma woke up to sunlight streaming through her bedroom curtains. She blinked at the clock and sat up quickly. 12 o'clock? She had slept for almost nine hours!

She stretched and felt her muscles protest. Her neck was stiff from falling asleep at her desk, and her back ached from hunching over research papers. But despite the physical discomfort, she felt more rested than she had in days.

Emma got dressed quickly and went downstairs, expecting to find the house quiet. Instead, she found Maria in the kitchen, preparing lunch.

"Good morning, Miss Sophie," Maria said with a warm smile. "Or should I say good afternoon? You slept very well."

"I'm sorry I overslept," Emma said, feeling embarrassed. "I didn't mean to sleep so late."

"Don't apologize," Maria laughed. "Your parents said to let you sleep. They were happy to hear you and your brothers were working together."

Emma felt a warm feeling in her chest. "They weren't angry?"

"Angry? Your mother was so pleased, she was smiling all through breakfast. She said it was wonderful to see you children acting like real siblings."

Maria set a plate of food in front of Emma. "Here, eat something. You must be hungry after all that hard work."

Emma took a bite and realized she was starving. "Thank you, Maria. This is delicious."

"Your brothers are still sleeping," Maria said, cleaning the kitchen counter. "They looked so peaceful. I think they were very tired from helping you."

As Emma ate, she thought about how different this family was from what she had expected. In her previous life, if she had caused someone to miss work or oversleep, there would have been anger and punishment. But here, her parents were happy because their children were working together.

After finishing her meal, Emma went back to her room to think about her next steps. She needed to figure out how to approach David Kim's agency. She had all the research, but she still needed a way to get in front of them.

She was looking through her notes when she saw a colorful advertisement that had fallen behind her desk. She picked it up and saw the Rising Stars logo with bright, exciting graphics.

"Rising Stars National Competition," she read aloud. "Calling all talented young performers..."

Emma's eyes scanned the advertisement, and suddenly she stopped. At the bottom, in small print, she saw something that made her heart race:

"Grand Prize Winner receives a recording contract, performance opportunities, and the privilege to select representation from any participating agency in the industry."

Emma stared at the words. Any participating agency. She grabbed her laptop and quickly searched for the list of participating agencies. There it was, near the top of the list: Starlight Entertainment.

"This is it," she whispered. "This is how I can get to David Kim."

But as she read more about the competition, other memories from the novel started coming back. Rising Stars wasn't just about winning prizes. It was where the real daughter, Aria, would make her first appearance in the story.

Emma sat back in her chair, thinking. In the novel, Aria had entered as a wild card contestant halfway through the show. She was incredibly talented and had been working multiple jobs to support herself while pursuing her dream of becoming a performer. The judges had been so impressed with her audition that they had created a special entry just for her.

Aria was the real Chen daughter. She had been switched at birth and raised by a poor family. She had worked so hard, just like Emma had in her previous life. She cleaned offices at night, worked in restaurants during the day, and practiced singing and dancing whenever she could find time.

Emma felt a pang of sympathy for the girl she had never met. Aria deserved to be reunited with her real family. She deserved to know that she was loved and had a place where she belonged.

But Emma also realized something important. In the novel, Sophia had been eliminated from Rising Stars early because of her arrogant attitude and lack of real talent. The scandal with Melody had been part of her downfall, making her look like a cheater and a fraud.

But now, Emma had a chance to change that story. She could compete in Rising Stars, not just to win representation from David Kim, but to be there when Aria arrived. She could help make sure Aria got the recognition she deserved.

Emma picked up her phone and called Elena.

"Mom? It's Sophie. I've made a decision about something important."

"What is it, dear?" Elena's voice was warm and concerned.

"I want to compete in Rising Stars. I know I already have an invitation to audition, and I want to accept it."

There was a pause. "Sophie, are you sure? After everything that happened with the scandal..."

"I'm sure," Emma said firmly. "I think this is the right path for me. And Mom... the audition is tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Elena's voice rose in surprise. "Sophie, that's very short notice. Are you prepared?"

Emma looked at all the research papers scattered around her room and thought about her brothers still sleeping after their late night of helping her. "I think I am. Or at least, I will be."

"Alright," Elena said slowly. "If you're sure this is what you want, then we'll support you. But Sophie, this is a big competition. There will be cameras, judges, and lots of other talented contestants."

"I know," Emma said. "But I think I'm ready for it."

After hanging up, Emma sat quietly for a moment. She was really going to do this. She was going to compete in Rising Stars, face the entertainment industry, and hopefully help Aria when the time came.

But first, she needed to wake up her research team.

Emma walked down the hall to Julian's room and knocked softly. "Julian? Are you awake?"

She heard a groan from inside. "Sophie? What time is it?"

"It's after 1 PM. Can I come in?"

"Yeah, come in."

Emma opened the door to find Julian sitting up in bed, his hair sticking up in all directions. He looked tired but not unhappy.

"Good morning," Emma said with a smile. "Or should I say good afternoon?"

Julian rubbed his eyes. "I can't believe we slept so late. I missed my morning meeting."

"Dad told your office you'd be in this afternoon," Emma said. "He wasn't angry. Actually, Mom and Dad were happy that we were working together."

Julian's expression brightened. "Really? They weren't upset?"

"Not at all. Mom was smiling, according to Maria."

Julian smiled back. "That's... really nice. I was worried they'd think we were being irresponsible."

"Julian, I have news," Emma said, sitting on the edge of his bed. "I figured out how to get to David Kim's agency."

Julian was suddenly more awake. "How?"

"Rising Stars. The winner gets to choose any participating agency for representation. Starlight Entertainment is on the list."

"That's brilliant!" Julian said, then paused. "Wait, when are auditions?"

"Tomorrow."

Julian's eyes widened. "Tomorrow? Sophie, that's cutting it very close."

"I know. But I think I can do it. Especially with help from my research team."

Julian grinned. "You want to wake up Ethan too?"

"Definitely. We're going to need all the help we can get."

They walked to Ethan's room together. Emma knocked on the door.

"Ethan? Are you awake?"

"Go away," came a muffled voice from inside.

"It's Sophie and Julian. We need our digital marketing expert."

There was a pause, then the sound of feet hitting the floor. The door opened to reveal Ethan, wearing pajamas and looking confused but interested.

"Digital marketing expert?" he said, trying to sound casual but clearly pleased.

"We have a new development," Emma said. "Want to hear about it?"

Ethan nodded eagerly.

They went back to Emma's room, where she explained about Rising Stars and the hidden prize. Both brothers listened intently.

"So you're going to compete to win representation from David Kim?" Julian asked.

"That's the plan," Emma said.

"Okay," Ethan said, suddenly energetic. "What do we need to do to get you ready for tomorrow?"

Emma felt that warm feeling in her chest again. Her brothers were ready to help her, no questions asked. They believed in her and wanted to see her succeed.

"First," she said, "I need to figure out what I'm going to perform. Then I need to practice. And I need to be mentally prepared for the cameras and judges."

"What are your talents?" Julian asked. "I mean, what does Sophie Chen do best?"

"I know...I know. She is good at acting arrogant" Ethan said

"Ethan...shut up "Julian

"ok"Ethan

Emma thought about Sophia's memories. "I can sing, and I can dance. I've had private lessons in both since I was little. I'm also good at piano."

"What about acting?" Ethan asked.

"Some," Emma said. "Though I think I prefer singing. How about I compose a song and accompanying with a piano i sing it"

"Okay, Are you sure You can do that in a short span of time" Julian said, moving into planning mode. "We need to choose a song that shows off your voice but also your personality. Something that will make you stand out from the other contestants."

"And we need to think about your image," Ethan added. "What do you want people to think when they see you perform?"

Emma considered this. "I want them to see someone who's genuine. Someone who's worked hard and has something real to offer. Not just someone who's famous because of their family name. To be someone who is aware of their past mistakes and genuinely try to correct it and be a good human being "

"That's good," Julian nodded. "Authenticity is huge in the industry right now."

"So we need a song that feels authentic to you," Ethan said. "Something that tells your story."

Emma thought about her story - both Emma's and Sophia's. A girl who had made mistakes but was trying to be better. Someone who understood what it meant to work hard and struggle.

"I have an idea," she said slowly. "But I'll need to practice a lot before tomorrow."

"We'll help you," Julian said immediately.

"Whatever you need," Ethan agreed.

Emma looked at her brothers - one successful and polished, one young and enthusiastic, both ready to support her dreams. She thought about her parents, who had been happy to hear their children were working together. She thought about Elena's smile and David's quiet pride.

This was what family was supposed to feel like. People who supported each other, who worked together, who celebrated each other's successes.

"Thank you," she said softly. "I couldn't do this without you."

"You won't have to," Julian said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We're your research team, remember?"

"The best research team in the business," Ethan added with a grin.

Emma smiled back at them. Tomorrow, she would face the Rising Stars judges and begin her journey in the entertainment industry. But today, she was exactly where she belonged - surrounded by family who loved and supported her.

"Alright, team," she said, feeling confident and excited. "Let's get to work."

As they began planning for the audition, Emma felt a deep sense of gratitude. She had been given a second chance at life, and she was surrounded by people who wanted to help her make the most of it.

Tomorrow would bring new challenges, but today, she was home.