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Prologue - Before the Guard
Morning light crept slowly across the Liang family penthouse, softening the sharp edges of a world built on power, wealth, and expectations. The first rays brushed over the floor‑to‑ceiling windows, glinting off polished marble and the delicate porcelain teacups arranged neatly on the kitchen counter.
Arielle Liang stirred beneath her duvet, waking the way she always did-unhurried, cocooned in warmth, and vaguely annoyed at the day demanding her attention. She blinked up at the ceiling, letting the quiet settle around her. For a few precious minutes, she could pretend she wasn't the only daughter of Liang Global Holdings, the heiress to a multinational empire, the girl whose last name carried more weight than her own voice ever had.