Mira Thornvale

Five years ago, Serena Shi was declared dead—burned, disgraced, and erased by the man she loved. Framed for a crime orchestrated by her own sister, forced to abandon her newborn daughter, and exiled under a false name, Serena vanished from Rainport and its cold, glittering towers.

Now, she's back.

Not as a victim, but as a partner at one of the world’s most powerful law firms. Her mission is clear: reclaim custody of the daughter who was buried with her name, expose the lies that destroyed her life, and dismantle the algorithm that coded her death into corporate profit.

But fate—or something programmed to look like it—has other plans.

Julian Lu, her former husband and the CEO of LuTech, never recovered from losing Serena. When she resurfaces with a child who looks just like him and evidence that his empire is built on betrayal, he must choose: destroy the system he was born to lead or lose Serena all over again.

This is not just a story of second chances.
It's a war between law and love, data and destiny, guilt and grace.
And this time, no one walks away without answering to the truth.

Return Under a New Sky

**Rainport Federal Court – Emergency Filing Center**


“I need this injunction denied,” Serena told the clerk, sliding over the file marked **Project Ouroboros: Whistleblower Submission.**


The woman flipped through it. “Vivian’s camp filed a national security claim. Said the algorithm’s part of a defense contract.”


Serena’s jaw tightened. “That algorithm calculates whether a person should live or die based on profit. It’s not defense. It’s design murder.”


“I don’t disagree.” The clerk handed her a hearing date. “But the court won’t review it until after your custody trial.”


“Of course not,” Serena muttered. “Delay the data, damage the mother.”


Julian slammed his palm against the table. “We have evidence that proves Vivian coded a fatality bias into a live algorithm.”


“Evidence doesn’t win public opinion,” Grace Lin replied. “Vivian’s media team just leaked a video of Serena shouting at Willow. Edited, of course.”


Chapter 13 – Lines in the Sand