Part 1My Five Year Old Self Bought a Dying Sister

The moment I saw the girl, pale and curled up like a discarded doll, the words started floating. They always did when something big was about to happen—text flickering above my head, sometimes silent, sometimes a faint whisper only I could hear.

[Ugh, the true heiress suffered for eighteen years, only to come home and immediately be left to die, and her so-called family is still on vacation with the fake one.]

[They only regret it after she’s dead. Too little, too late.]

[I’m so sick of this "dead girl literature." I'm sending the author a box cutter.]

I was only five, but I could make out a few key words. The main one? Dying.

I scrambled, hoisting my little arm and tugging hard on my bodyguard’s jacket. I pointed a chubby finger at the huddled figure by the dumpster.

“Ash, call Daddy right now. Tell him Piper wants that doll.”

* * *

Ash followed the direction of my pointed finger. He finally saw the person curled up near the trash receptacle.

He knelt down to adjust my collar. "Little Miss, that is a person, not a doll."

I nodded, not really listening to him. "Oh, okay. Then I want that person. Tell Daddy to buy her for me."

Daddy, James "J.C." Cole, always said his little girl was born to have everything she wanted. If she didn't have it, it just meant he hadn't thrown enough money at the problem.

Asking him to buy a person? That didn't seem too much.

Nope. Not too much at all.

Having settled the matter, I adopted my best "Daddy-voice," a total mogul decree.

"Ash, no matter the price. Buy her."

Ash clapped a hand over my mouth, eyes darting around to make sure no one had heard me. He leaned in conspiratorially. "Little Miss, we are in the States. And Mr. Cole runs legitimate businesses. He is not a human trafficker."

I finally understood. I couldn’t buy her.

I started spinning in frantic little circles on the spot.

This is a catastrophe!

A total catastrophe!!

CAT-A-STRO-PHE!!!

Just then, the girl suddenly coughed and then spat a mouthful of bright red blood before collapsing completely.

I had never seen anything like that before. I burst into tears on the spot.

"But... but that sister is going to die!"

The sight of me crying sent Ash into a panic. He scrambled to his feet to call my father.

My outburst drew the attention of the floating words above.

[What’s happening? Is the true heiress going to be saved? Did we get the script wrong?]

[Who cares? As long as she lives!]

[Wait, isn't that Piper Cole, the little princess of the ridiculously rich Cole family? I remember the fake heiress's swapper parents tried to pull the same trick with their second daughter and Piper, but the true heiress stopped it. She was locked up for a month and only given a slice of bread a day for that!]

I squinted, trying hard to read those words. My eyes went wide, my mouth formed a perfect 'O,' and a realization dawned.

Oh my goodness!

This sister had saved me!

She was my guardian angel. I had to save her.

Just then, my father’s booming voice came through Ash’s phone.

"Ashton, you've been with me this long and you still need me to tell you what to do? It's just a person! If you can't buy her, then find another way! Figure it out!"

"Get this done, and your salary is doubled. Don't you dare let my baby girl be disappointed."

I covered my mouth, stifling a giggle as Daddy scolded Ash.

Hehe.

Piper wanted it.

Piper got it.