CHAPTER 1 – The Boy They Tried to Throw Away
Christmas lights covered the Whitmore mansion like something out of a fairy tale. Guests in designer gowns laughed beneath crystal chandeliers while expensive champagne flowed without end.
But outside the front door stood a little boy in a tiny black tuxedo.
His name was Ethan.
His eyes were red from crying, but he refused to wipe away the tears.
Standing in front of him was his stepmother, Vanessa, dressed in a stunning red evening gown. Her smile had vanished the moment she noticed the child.
"You don't belong here," she whispered coldly.
Ethan looked down.
"But... Dad said Christmas is for family."
Vanessa laughed.
"You stopped being his family the day your mother died."
The words shattered him.
Inside the mansion, guests watched through the glass doors as the woman leaned closer to the little boy.
"Leave before everyone sees you."
At that exact moment...
The mansion doors opened.
Richard Whitmore—the billionaire CEO and Ethan's father—walked outside.
For one brief second...
The boy smiled.
"Dad..."
Instead of hugging him, Richard looked around nervously, worried about what his business partners might think.
"Vanessa is right," he said quietly.
"You should go."
The smile disappeared from Ethan's face.
The entire world seemed to stop.
Without another word, the little boy turned away and slowly walked down the long staircase alone.
Snow began falling.
No one followed him.
No one noticed that he wasn't carrying presents...
Only an old wooden music box clutched tightly against his chest.
What no one knew...
...was that inside the music box lay a secret his late mother had protected with her life.
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And before midnight...
That secret would destroy the Whitmore family forever.
