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 Skyline – Unfinished Skyscraper, 83rd Floor**


Wind howled through steel beams. A makeshift office had been set up: a table, two chairs, one child.


Willow sat duct-taped to a chair, eyes red but dry. Her dolphin plush had been cut open—nothing inside.


Vivian paced nearby, gun holstered under her coat, blade at her belt.


“Where’s Mommy?” Willow whispered.


Vivian knelt. “She’s coming. With the flash drive.”


**Ground Level – Ten Minutes Earlier**


Serena adjusted the hidden mic under her collar. “All transmitters live?”


Julian nodded, slipping on his earpiece. “Police drones circling. We’ll stall until we get proof of life.”


“She’ll stall too,” Serena muttered. “But she won’t bluff. If she thinks she’s lost, she’ll cut her losses.”


Julian stared at the control panel. “She’s playing god with an algorithm.”


“No,” Serena corrected. “She’s playing executioner.”


Chapter 14 – Negotiation at Knife’s Edge