The Salstrom family was throwing avish birthday party for their eldest daughter, and the guest list was a who''s who of the city''s upper crust-CEOs, politicians, socialites, and even a few celebrities. The ballroom glittered with crystal and gold, champagne flowed freely, and waiters glided by with trays of bite-sized hors d''oeuvres.


    Not long ago, the gossip columns had exploded with news of a scandalous photo leak, but tonight, not a soul dared to bring it up. Except for Autumn-she wasn''t about to let the Salstroms have a perfect night. She''d called in a tech genius, a hacker ready to crash the party in the most dramatic way: by swapping the innocent slideshow on the giant screen with those notorious photos of Anastasia, right in front of the entire crowd.


    Autumn grinned at the thought of the chaos-the stunned silence, the whispers, the looks on Herman and Anastasia''s faces. After giving her final instructions to the hacker, she slipped back into the party, her face the picture of innocence.


    On stage, it was time for Pattie''s piano solo. Pattie looked every bit the fairytale princess, poised at the grand piano in her pale blue dress. As her fingers danced over the keys, the room fell utterly silent; the melody was enchanting, pulling everyone into her world.


    From the audience, Herman and Anastasia exchanged a proud nce. Herman squeezed Anastasia''s hand, their fingers intertwined. Their daughter was the brightest star in the room, and anyone could see the hours of practice and her natural talent shining through.


    Justin watched Pattie intently, lost in the music. He could hear Pattie''s determination in every note-her perseverance, her courage, her refusal to give in, and her longing just to speak freely. Pattie had fought her way out of the shadows, climbing higher no matter how rough things got, always holding onto hope.


    She loved her parents, her siblings-she loved this family. Growing up, she''d ached for a real home, and now she cherished every moment with them.


    As the final notes faded, the audience sat in hushed awe before erupting into apuse. Pattie rose and gave a graceful bow. Herman was first to his feet, pping for his daughter, and soon the whole room followed.


    Pattie''s smile was radiant-she hadn''t let her parents down.


    "Ana, Pattie''s incredible," Monica gushed, eyes shining with pride. "I can''t even y ''Chopsticks'' and there she is, ying something I can''t even pronounce. Honestly, she just reminds me how hopeless I am at music!"


    Jackson, Monica''s little brother, piped up with a grin, "Come on, Monica. That piece Pattie just yed ''Nocturne'' is about as tough as your driving test used to be."


    Monica''s face reddened. Back in the day, she''d failed her driving test four times, and Anastasia and Jackson had teased her mercilessly.


    She shot Jackson a look, silently warning him to zip it. But Jackson justughed and spilled the beans "Hey, future brother-inw, did you know Monica failed her test four times? And on her first day with a license, she got a t tire."


    "Jackson! Keep it up and I''ll cut off your allowance," Monica threatened, then added, "And if that girl from your math ss keeps bothering you don''t expect me to bail you out next time."


    Jackson threw his hands up. “Alright, alright, I surrender!"


    Anastasia just shook her head, smiling at their bickering.


    Then it was time for Anastasia and Herman to join Pattie on stage. Hand in hand,


    they stood on either side of their daughter.


    Herman took the mic and looked out


    over the room. “Thank you all foring tonight to celebrate our daughter''s birthday. Pattie''s been through a lot, and her mother and I have always felt a deep sense of regret for not being there for her from the very beginning. wasn''t there when she was born, and both she and Anastasia suffered for it. Later, fate separated us even further, and Pattie spent time in foster care..."


    He paused, voice thick with emotion, careful not to reveal too much in front of the guests. Some stories were better left untold. "Nine years ago, fate brought us together."


    He turned to Pattie, his eyes full of love. "Paradise is truly a blessing to us. Now, we''d love for you all to look at the screen and share in some of our favorite memories..."


    As everyone turned their attention to the screen, no one had any idea of the storm that Autumn hoped was about to break.