The 5-Year-Old Boss & Her Found Sister

The moment I saw the dying girl, weird glowing text started floating in the air right in front of my face.

[Ugh. The True Heiress suffered for eighteen years. She finally comes home, and shes about to die. Meanwhile, her biological family is off vacationing with the Fake Heiress.]

[They only regret it after shes a corpse. Too little, too late.]

[I am so done with this tragedy porn. Im sending the author hate mail.]

I am five years old. I barely know my ABCs.

But I understood the important part.

This big sister is going to die.

I reached up with my chubby little hand and yanked hard on the hem of my bodyguards jacket. I pointed my other finger straight at the girl.

"Nash! Call Mommy and Daddy right now. Ayla wants that doll."

Chapter 1

Nash followed my finger. His eyes landed on the figure curled up next to the dirty dumpster.

He crouched down to fix my rumpled shirt, his voice patient. "Miss Ayla, that is a person. Not a doll."

I nodded. I heard him, but I didn't care.

"Oh. Okay. I want that person. Tell Daddy to buy her for me."

My Daddy always said his little Ayla was born to have everything. If I didn't have something, it just meant we hadn't thrown enough money at it yet.

So, I want to buy a person. Thats reasonable, right?

Totally reasonable.

I puffed out my chest, mimicking Daddys boss voice. "Nash. I don't care how much it costs. Buy her."

Nashs hand flew out and covered my mouth. He scanned the street like he expected the FBI to jump out of the bushes.

"Miss Ayla," he hissed. "This is the United States."

"Mr. Sterling runs a legitimate business empire. He is not a human trafficker."

Oh.

So I can't buy her.

I started spinning in circles, my little shoes scuffing the pavement.

Panic set in.

I was anxious.

I was freaking out.

I was going to explode!

Suddenly, the girl by the dumpster let out a wet, hacking sound.

A dark, metallic liquid surged past her lips and splattered onto the concrete.

Her body seized up in a violent rhythm, then went completely limp.

I had never seen anything like that. The raw horror of it hit me, and I burst into tears.

"But the sister is going to die!"

Seeing my tears, Nashs composure cracked. He scrambled to get his phone and dial Daddy.

My meltdown seemed to trigger more floating text.

[Wait. Is the True Heiress being saved? Did we read the script wrong?]

[Who cares? As long as Clementine lives.]

[Wait a second. Isn't that Ayla? The billionaire princess of the Sterling family? I remember the backstory! The Fake Heiresss parents tried to swap their second daughter with Ayla when she was a baby. Clementine stopped them.]

[Omg yes! Clementine got locked in a basement for a month for that. They only gave her stale bread and water.]

I squinted, trying to read the fast-moving words.

My eyes went wide. My mouth formed a perfect 'O'.

Oh my god!

This sister saved me?

She is Ayla's savior.

Now I really have to save her.

Daddys booming voice came through the phone speaker, loud enough for me to hear.

"Nash. Youve been with me for years. Do I really need to teach you how to handle this?"

"Shes just a person. If you cant buy her, find another way!"

"If you pull this off, your salary doubles. Just do not let my daughter be upset."

I covered my mouth to hide my giggle as Nash got scolded.

Hehe.

Ayla said it.

Ayla wanted it.

Ayla got it.

Chapter 2

The VIP hospital suite was quiet, smelling faintly of antiseptic and expensive flowers.

I sat in the oversized chair next to the hospital bed, swinging my legs back and forth. Nash was slicing an apple for me with the precision of a surgeon. I munched on a slice, my eyes fixed on the girl in the bed.

Wow.

This sister is really pretty. She looks like a Barbie doll.

Her parents clearly didn't want her. That means shes mine now.

Yay!

Nash stepped up next to me, falling into his professional briefing mode. "Miss Ayla, this is the lost daughter of the Vane family. Her name is Clementine."

"She was returned to them recently, after being missing for eighteen years. However, she is not favored. They have had her for two months and haven't even bothered to legally change her name or announce her return."

"Yesterday was the girls' birthday. The Vanes gave all the staff the day off and flew to Paris with Lacey, their other daughter. They left Clementine here alone."

The glowing text in the air started scrolling furiously.

[No time to change her name? Bullshit. Every time they tried, Lacey threw a tantrum and sabotaged it.]

[Lacey even said 'Clementine' was a great name. Said it sounded like a servant's name, so she should keep it. Know your place and all that.]

[Great name? If it's so great, why doesn't Lacey take it? That whole family shouldn't be called Vane. They should change their last name to Psycho.]

I didn't understand all the big words.

But I recognized the last one.

I swallowed my apple and shouted. "Psycho!"

"Family of Psychos!"

Nash blinked, looking down at me in shock. "Miss Ayla? Where where did you learn that word?"

I pointed a sticky finger at the air above my head. Nash squinted, seeing nothing but the ceiling.

He was confused.

He really is an idiot.

The fairy tales say only smart people can see magic things.

Ayla can see them. Therefore, Ayla is the smartest.

The floating text seemed to notice me noticing them.

[Whoa. Can the Little Princess see us?]

[Wait, did you save Clementine because you saw our comments? You are literally the kindest baby ever.]

[Voice Message: Ayla can't read all that text! Send voice notes like me!]

Suddenly, the text turned into little audio bubbles. I couldn't hear the words, but the popping sounds made me giggle.

Just then, a sound came from the bed.

Clementine was waking up.

I scrambled off the chair and leaned over the rail, placing my small hand on her forehead.

Yay. Not hot anymore.

She blinked, her eyes unfocused and glassy. She stared at me blankly. "Am I Is this heaven? Are you an angel?"

She didn't seem to believe I was real. Her hand reached out, trembling, and pinched my chubby cheek.

The sensation must have grounded her.

Her face crumpled.

Tears welled up in her eyes instantly, spilling over her lashes and tracking through the grime on her face. It was a silent, heartbreaking cry.

Seeing her cry triggered my own waterworks. My lip wobbled, and I started wailing too.

Nash looked from one crying girl to the other, his stoic bodyguard mask slipping. He looked like his head was about to explode.

Finally, after a lot of awkward patting and soothing noises from Nash, we both sniffled to a stop.

I sat on the edge of the table, eating a cupcake Nash had produced from somewhere. Nash stood by the bed, explaining everything to Clementinehow I found her, the hospital, my dad.

When he got to the part about me wanting to "buy her" as my doll, a flicker of confusion crossed Clementines pale face.

But then she looked at me.

And she nodded.

The floating text laughed.

[Clementine: I have no idea what is going on, but if the angel baby says I'm a doll, I guess I'm a doll.]

Chapter 3

Nash filled in the blanks. The Vanes had never bothered to transfer Clementines residency or legal papers because Lacey threw a fit every time they brought it up.

Then came the bombshell.

Based on Clementines testimony, Daddy found out that the people who raised herthe Chenshad actually plotted to swap me with their next baby when I was born. Clementine had stopped them.

Daddy didn't just get angry. He went nuclear.

He made a few calls, and the Chens were arrested immediately. They were gone.

To thank Clementine for saving me, Daddy made a decision.

He waved his hand, cutting through all the red tape. "She is my daughter now."

He gave her a new identity. A new name.

Clementine Sterling.

Clementine held the brand-new ID card in her trembling hands. She stared at the plastic like it was a foreign object.

"One hour," she whispered. Her voice cracked.

"Turns out, it only took one hour."

"Those monsters they should have been in jail years ago"

"All this time"

Her breathing hitched. The dam was breaking. She was about to collapse under the weight of eighteen wasted years.

Suddenly, Nash moved.

Thwack.

Clementine froze. She reached up and touched the cartoon bunny mask that had suddenly appeared on her face.

"Huh?" She blinked, confused.

Nash let out a long exhale, glancing down at me where I was busy counting ants on the floor.

"Miss Clementine, I am begging you," Nash said, his voice deadly serious. "I just got a raise to seven figures. I do not want to lose it."

The floating text in the air exploded.

[I can't breathe! I was getting emotional, and Nash just shoved a mask on her face!]

[Nash: Listen, lady, keep it together. If you cry, the baby cries. If the baby cries, my bonus dies.]

[Hahaha! Wage Slave Nash: I know you have trauma, but look at my bank account. Stop the tears!]

[Did he say a million a month? Bro, let me act for a bit! I'll cry for you!]

I looked up at the commotion. My eyes lit up.

I scrambled over, stomping my little feet. "Nash! I want a bunny mask too! Like Sissy!"

Hehe. Ayla has a bunny mask. And Ayla has a sister.

Ayla is so happy.

---

For the next few days, Clementine lived in our house like a frightened mouse. She was always careful, always shrinking into the background.

No way.

I decided to take her out to play in the mud. We need to get her acclimated.

This is my favorite game!

I called my neighbors, Oscar and Lottie. I even prepared a pink bucket and shovel specifically for my sister.

"Sissy! Here!"

I shoved the tools into her hands. "It's super fun!"

Clementine took the shovel, looking bewildered. She crouched by the edge of the sandbox, watching us.

She looked at Nash. "Do do rich children play with mud? I remember Lacey had to take etiquette and deportment classes from the time she could walk."

Nash didn't blink. "That is for standard rich families. They need to groom their daughters for marriage alliances. The Sterlings do not need that."

"Mr. Sterling said the only rule for Miss Ayla is that she has a happy childhood."

Clementine nodded slowly. She didn't say anything else, but she looked at me with a gaze full of envy and wonder.

By now, Oscar was already building a castle. Lottie was making mud cakes.

I squatted down and started digging furiously.

"I am going to dig a super big swimming pool!" I announced.

Oscar laughed at me. "You said that last time, Ayla. It turned into a puddle."

"This time is for real!"

I puffed out my cheeks, angry.

Chapter 4

Clementine looked at me, her voice barely a whisper. "Can I help you?"

"Of course!" I chirped. "We can dig together!"

Clementine picked up the small pink shovel. She started digging next to me.

Her movements were slow. She didn't move much dirt.

But she was smiling.

The floating text drifted over our heads.

[Clementine is so good. Look at how careful she is. It breaks my heart.]

[Has she really never played like this before?]

[Of course not. In that hellhole with the Chens, she was lucky just to survive.]

I was about to say something to her when a shrill voice cut through the air.

"Clementine? What the hell are you doing here?"

We looked up.

Three people were standing at the edge of the sandbox.

I recognized them. They had tried to talk to me at one of Daddy's banquets.

The Vanes.

They looked furious.

Clementines hand convulsed. The pink shovel slipped from her fingers and fell into the sand.

Jeffrey Vane pointed a finger straight at Clementine. The lecture started immediately.

"I know you have some resentment, Clementine. But running away like this? Its disgraceful!"

"Let's be real here. We watched Lacey grow up. Isn't it normal that we favor her?"

"Think about it. Didn't she share our love with you for eighteen years? You should be grateful."

Question mark?

I felt my baby brain trying to expand.

Adult logic is weird.

Deborah Vane crossed her arms, her face twisted in disgust. "Come home right now! Playing with these dirty peasants? How do you expect to marry into a good family if you're seen like this?"

I looked sideways at my friends.

Oscar, the son of the richest man in the state.

Lottie, whose dad owns half the skyscrapers in the city.

Peasants. Right.

Lacey stepped forward, wiping a fake tear. Her voice was syrupy sweet and poisonous.

"Sister, if you wanted attention, you could have just asked. Why did you have to play dead?"

"Do you know how worried Mom and Dad were? They cried so much."

Clementine kept her head down. She didn't speak.

But I saw her hands shaking violently.

The air above us exploded with angry text.

[Holy crap! How did these psychos find us?]

[Playing dead? Clementine was literally dying! If Ayla hadn't saved her, she'd be a corpse right now!]

[The Fake Heiress is acting again. Someone get her an Academy Award, stat.]

I was angry.

Super angry.

This is my sister!

Who gave them the right to bully her?

I stood up abruptly. I grabbed my shovel and charged in front of Clementine, spreading my little arms wide to shield her.

"Go away!" I screamed. "Stop yelling at my sister!"

The three of them paused, blinking at me.

Lacey looked down at me, her face twisting into a sneer of pure revulsion. "Where did this dirty brat come from? You stink!"

She lifted her designer shoe, aiming a kick right at me