Chapter 1 Entered The Novel

The world in novels was never really like the real one.

On the outskirts lay a quiet yet faintly bleak river. A gentle breeze drifted by, stirring ripples across its surface.

Hardly anyone ever came here, making the place feel eerily quiet and deserted.

"You're the one who called it in?" asked Officer Henry Chandler.

He looked down at Chiara Harrison, who barely reached his waist, his face a mix of surprise and skepticism.

She was scrawny and small, dressed in ragged, filthy clothes. Her messy hair hung over her shoulders, and her face was smeared with dirt. But her eyes were weirdly calm, way too calm for a kid.

Chiara nodded firmly, her voice crisp but edged with fatigue. "Yeah, that was me."

Henry knelt to her level, eyes full of concern, voice gentle. "Where are your parents?"

'Such a little kid showed up alone by this remote river and called it in. Something's definitely not right,' he thought.

"They're dead," Chiara said flatly, like she was talking about the weather.

Her eerily calm expression seemed way too mature for such a young kid.

Henry froze, totally stunned by her gut-wrenching response.

His mouth hung slightly open, at a loss for words. For a moment, he had no idea how to comfort this kid.

After a moment, Henry pulled himself together and sighed, "Let's head to the station, okay?"

He carefully picked up Chiara. She felt impossibly light, like she might blow away in a strong breeze.

With steady steps, he walked toward the police car parked nearby.

*****

The police station was illuminated by the warm yellow lights, every corner brightly lit but feeling heavy and tense.

Chiara was taken into a questioning room. There were a few plain tables and chairs, with bright overhead lights casting sharp shadows.

Two officers faced her. The older one, Yannis Flynn, studied her calmly and asked, "How'd you find the body?"

Chiara blinked her big eyes, her voice casual. "I was fishing. Didn't catch fish, just pulled up a body."

Both officers froze, staring at her in shock.

"You were fishing?" Yannis blurted out, his voice rising in disbelief.

To him, the idea of a ten-year-old girl fishing alone by a deserted river seemed completely insane.

"Yeah," Chiara replied, her tone steady.

Yannis frowned, "Why did you go fishing alone?"

"I was hungry," Chiara answered honestly.

Yannis paused, then asked routinely, "Where's your family?"

Henry tried to stop him, but too late—the question was already out.

Chiara said slowly, "My mom sold me to a village. I ran away and have been wandering ever since."

Her words hit like a punch. Yannis and Henry were stunned, guilt written all over their faces.

They couldn't believe what this kid had been through: sold by her mom, surviving who knew what in the village, now totally alone. It was way too brutal.

"Do you have any other family?" Yannis asked, his voice softening with a hint of pity.

Chiara nodded quietly. "My grandpa, Yosef Harrison."

Henry's eyes went wide. "The prominent Harrison family?"

'Did the Harrisons go bankrupt and resort to selling their kids?' he thought, stunned.

Chiara nodded. "Yeah."

Yannis looked at her, let out a soft sigh, and said, "Rest here for a bit. I'll call your family to come over."

'Since she's got family, better let them know,' he thought. 'This poor kid has been through too much. She needs someone to care for her.'

Chiara looked up at Henry and whispered, "Got any food? I'll pay you back, I swear."

She was starving. If she didn't eat soon, she might pass out.

Henry quickly pulled some bread rolls from his pocket and handed them over with a smile. "No need to pay me back."

"Thanks," Chiara mumbled, nibbling the bread. Her mind drifted back to everything that had happened.

She used to be a forensic doctor, totally dedicated, throwing herself into every single case. Novels were her ultimate obsession.

Any free moment, she'd dive into some gripping story world, to unwind after a crazy workday.

The original owner of her body was the female lead of a novel. But somehow, the author killed her off straight up after only 100,000 words.

Chiara was pissed. She felt the author had totally screwed over the readers. So she fired off a 10,000-word takedown, ripping into the author for that brainless move.

The author shot back, totally cocky: [Think you can do better? Write your own.]

With Chiara's stubborn streak, there was no way she could let that go. She pulled an all-nighter, plotting her revenge in the comments.

The next day, she dragged herself to work as usual. But she was so exhausted that she fell dead at work.

Next thing she knew, she'd woken up in the world of that novel, stuck in the body of "Chiara," the poor female lead.

Winona, "Chiara's" mom, hooked up with a broken guy after she was born. To run off with her true love, Winona sold her to some poor village family when she was just a month old.

Life with those village folks was brutal. "Chiara" got beaten and screamed at constantly, and never knew what it felt like to have a full stomach.

One day, while she was out, the folks' house suddenly went up in flames, and the entire family died right there.

The villagers saw her as cursed and kicked her out.

At just ten years old, she had to rummage through garbage and eat tree bark to survive. In the end, she starved to death, and Chiara showed up.

Chapter 2 The Scrawny

Starving after a whole day without food, Chiara headed to the river near the village to fish. But instead of catching a fish, she reeled in a dead body.

After checking out the corpse, she quietly pulled out her old brick phone and called the cops.

*****

Munching on her bread, Chiara couldn't help but sigh inwardly, 'What a nasty curse. All my hard-earned cash from the real world is gone before I could even spend a cent. And now I'm stuck here like some cosmic joke.'

Finishing her bread, she looked toward Henry and caught him looking stressed. "Still thinking about that body?" she asked.

Henry paused and blurted out, "Hey, this isn't stuff kids should worry about."

The case was way too dark and complicated for a kid. He didn't want her to get scarred for life.

Chiara ignored him, speaking slowly, "Female, mid-twenties. Been dead about a week.

"Strangulation marks on the neck, bruises all over her hands and legs. Looks like she'd been abused for a while. The fatal wound was a blow to the back of the head."

Her voice was so calm and precise, like she was reading a report.

Henry gaped at her, his eyes practically popping out of his head. "Wait, how do you know all that?"

'How does she, a ten-year-old, know so much about that body? Most people would miss those details,' he thought.

Chiara continued, "There's skin under her nails. Run a DNA test, and you'll catch the killer."

Henry was even more blown away. This wasn't some random clue; it took serious forensic skills.

Just then, another cop approached. "Henry, the autopsy report's ready. Mr. Flynn wants to see you."

Henry didn't have time to dwell on Chiara's thing. He told a female cop to keep an eye on her and shot out of the room.

In his rush, he couldn't help wondering, 'Will the autopsy match what she said?'

When Henry entered Yannis's office and caught sight of the autopsy report on the desk, he froze.

He stood there like a statue, totally shocked.

Yannis eyed his spaced-out look, frowning, "You okay? What's going on?"

Henry snapped back and repeated Chiara's observations, which matched the report perfectly.

Yannis shot him a look that screamed, "No way." He just couldn't believe a ten-year-old could nail such forensic details.

Henry got fired up instantly, his voice rising. "I'm telling the truth. You can check the security footage."

The video was his only shot at proving Chiara had mentioned those details without ever seeing the autopsy report.

Still skeptical, Yannis went to check the security footage. But after he watched the video, his face twisted into a conflicted expression.

'Oh, I'm starting to suspect she's the killer. Or how could a ten-year-old describe the body's details so accurately? Something's seriously off,' he thought.

*****

Chiara sat in the interrogation room again, the harsh lights making her small frame appear even tinier and more fragile.

Yannis frowned, "How did you know all that?"

His eyes burned with suspicion as he stared at her, searching her face for any tell, anything that might reveal why she'd say such things.

Chiara shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? I just looked. You guys couldn't see?"

Yannis and Henry traded glances, both looking a bit defeated.

They could clearly see the wounds, but determining whether the fatal injury was to the neck or the back of the head required expertise. They were cops, not medical examiners.

Henry couldn't help but ask, "Did you study this?"

A thought flashed through Chiara's mind. "Nah," she lied smoothly, "but I've butchered enough pigs to recognize such wounds."

This was the best she could come up with to explain herself. She hoped it'd be enough to throw them off her trail.

Yannis's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious."

'Butchering pigs helps her understand human wounds? What the hell kind of logic is that?' he thought.

Chiara nodded. "Totally."

Yannis waved his hand, defeated. "Take her to rest. The Harrison family's sent someone, but they won't get here until tomorrow."

Now that Chiara was off the hook, he figured Chiara deserved a break after everything she'd been through.

Chiara was led into a lounge. The bed wasn't exactly plush, but to her exhausted body, it felt like heaven.

The moment her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

'Gotta recharge. Next time I drop dead, I might not be so lucky to get another shot,' she thought before darkness consumed her.

Meanwhile, Yannis reviewed the report his team had brought in. It confirmed Chiara's backstory: a girl from some backwater village, abused by her foster parents who'd later died in a fire.

The timeline showed she was in the village when the victim died, ruling her out as a suspect.

Yannis wasn't surprised. After all, what ten-year-old could take down a grown adult?

*****

Chiara was barely conscious when Henry woke her up. He slipped her shoes on and said gently, "Your family's here."

"Mmkay," she mumbled, then immediately passed out again.

She was dead tired, both physically and mentally. Her words slipped out before she could process them.

Henry sighed at the sight of her drowsy face. Without another word, he scooped her up and walked outside.

*****

"Mr. Harrison, this is her," Henry said to the well-dressed middle-aged man in front of him.

Yosef frowned at the unconscious Chiara in Henry's arms, his voice dripping with disdain. "That's my granddaughter?"

He thought, 'This scrawny thing is my granddaughter? How does she look so... unfortunate?'

"Yeah, that's what she told us," Henry replied. He knew how awkward this sounded, but he had to relay the information as it was.

Yosef nodded. "I'll take her to the hospital now. Thanks for your help."

'Better do a DNA test,' he thought. After all, stuff like this had happened before. Some woman had even shown up claiming her kid was his.

Unlike those spoiled rich kids, he'd always been devoted; even in his later years, his love for his wife never wavered. No way he'd have bastard kids.

And those rowdy boys at home and the hopeless romantic daughter were already driving him nuts.

Chapter 3 Trying To Kidnap Me?

Chiara slept like the dead. When she finally woke up, her head felt like lead and her mind was totally fuzzy.

Her eyes fluttered open, blinking several times before she realized she wasn't in the police station anymore. Instead, she was in a fancy, comfortable car.

She turned her head slightly and saw a handsome middle-aged man sitting next to her. Time had been kind to him. Just a few distinguished lines around his eyes that added to his air of mature sophistication.

Still groggy but running on autopilot manners, Chiara mumbled, "Hey there, handsome. You kidnapping me or what?"

'Wow, are traffickers this gutsy these days? They snatched me straight out of a police station?' she thought.

Couldn't blame her for thinking that. She had no clue what her grandpa looked like. Who would've guessed he'd look this young?

Yosef was both annoyed and amused. "Didn't you just tell the cops I was your grandpa?" he said, half exasperated.

Chiara stared wide-eyed at him, disbelief all over her face. "Seriously? You're my grandpa? No way."

Yosef raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Chiara blinked, answering honestly, "You look way too young."

In her mind, grandpas were supposed to be old guys with grey hair and tons of wrinkles. Yosef looked more like a cool uncle than a grandpa.

Yosef's mood instantly lifted. After all, nobody didn't like being told they looked young.

He snorted. "Alright, we'll know for sure after the DNA test."

Chiara nodded, her head bobbing like a little bobblehead. But before she could finish nodding, drowsiness washed over her again.

'If I'm asleep, at least my stomach will shut up,' she thought. Her head dropped, and she was out cold.

Yosef looked at her, the corner of his mouth twitching in disbelief. 'Does this kid have a PhD in sleeping or what?'

The car cruised smoothly. An hour later, they pulled up to the Harrison family hospital.

"Hey, we're here. Wake up," Yosef said, giving Chiara's round little head a disdainful poke.

Chiara forced her eyes open, still half-asleep. "Okay," she mumbled.

They entered a VIP hospital room. The moment Chiara saw apples on the table, her eyes went wide. Manners forgotten, she grabbed an apple and devoured it like a starved raccoon.

Just then, a doctor walked in.

Chiara kept munching, casually pulling out some hair and handing it over. "Blood tests suck," she said through a mouthful of apple. "Use these instead."

The doctor carefully placed the hair sample into a sterile bag, nodded at Yosef, and left.

Yosef watched Chiara devouring the apple and couldn't help but frown. "Are you a bottomless pit?"

Chiara swallowed some of the apple, her words muffled. "I almost starved to death out there."

She wasn't exaggerating. Ever since she entered this world, she'd been struggling to find her next meal.

Yosef shook his head. "Results will take about an hour."

Chiara looked totally confident. "If you're Yosef, I'm definitely your granddaughter."

The author had given "Chiara" an incredibly powerful family. But God knew why the author killed her off before she could even reunite with them.

Yosef didn't bother to reply. Instead, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through the documents Henry had sent.

He read carefully, his frown deepening. By the time he finished, he was convinced Chiara really was his granddaughter.

'Winona the love-crazy idiot! She sold her baby when she was barely a month old?

'If she didn't want the kid, why not just give her to us? Doesn't she know selling a child is illegal?' Yosef thought, his fists tightening with rage.

He quickly texted Henry: [If this is legit, track down Winona. Let the law handle her. I'm not bailing her out.]

The minutes ticked by until finally, the DNA results came in. As he expected, the scrawny girl standing before him was indeed his granddaughter.

Without a word, Yosef grabbed Chiara by the arm and said, "Let's go."

Chiara instinctively asked, "Where to?"

"Home," Yosef replied coolly.

"Okay," Chiara answered, thinking to herself, 'Looks like the test results are out.'

*****

The car kept rolling, and soon, it cruised into the grand, luxurious Harrison residence.

Chiara pressed her face against the car window, drinking in the sprawling estate. "So this is the richest Harrison family in the novel," she whispered excitedly.

Yosef didn't catch her comment. "What?"

Chiara darted her eyes, quickly switching to flattery mode. "Just saying how handsome you are, Grandpa. I got a little starstruck staring at you."

'Finally, I've got someone powerful to rely on. Better play my cards right and keep him happy,' she thought to herself.

Her words had clearly hit the ego jackpot. A smile tugged at Yosef's lips.

The car stopped at the gates of the mansion. Chiara jumped out, trailing behind Yosef.

As she walked, her wide eyes darted around, soaking in every extravagant detail with audible gasps of wonder.

She admitted she was a total country bumpkin who'd never seen anything this fancy. Working for years, she'd always lived in a rental apartment. Compared to that, this place was like another planet.

Chapter 4 Grandpa's Love

"Pick any room on the second floor," Yosef said, pointing upstairs.

Chiara's face lit up with a big, flattering smile. "Thanks, Grandpa."

She felt like she'd hit the jackpot, her inner voice screaming into a pillow.

'Finally, a rich heiress' life! No more breaking my back just to survive,' she thought, grinning from ear to ear.

Yosef wrinkled his nose at her ragged, filthy clothes. "I'll have someone bring you a few clean outfits for now. Tomorrow, I'll take you shopping."

Chiara blinked, surprised. "Aren't you supposed to be crazy busy? You've got time to shop with me?"

'Those CEOs in novels seem buried in work 24/7. How's Grandpa so chill?' she wondered.

Yosef said coolly, "Busy with what? I'm retired. Your Uncle Cedric runs the company now."

'With a kid in the house, I might as well try the grandpa thing. Who knows, it might be pretty fun,' he thought.

Chiara nodded. She knew she had five uncles, and her mom was their elder sister, who had run off with some guy.

Her uncles had tried to bring her mom back, but she wouldn't budge. Eventually, they gave up.

Cedric, her oldest uncle, was only 26 and already had to take over the family business.

'Man, that's rough. Guess I'd rather just slack off and enjoy life,' Chiara thought.

Yosef asked again, "What's your name? Tomorrow we'll swing by to get your official papers sorted out."

"Chiara Harrison," Chiara replied honestly.

Yosef nodded. 'Not bad for a name.'

Just then, Lucas Rivers, the butler, walked in with some clothes. "For you, Ms. Harrison," he said.

Yosef glanced at Chiara. "Alright, go freshen up. I'll call you for dinner."

"Thanks, Grandpa. Thanks, Lucas," Chiara said with a sweet smile, grabbing the clothes and heading upstairs.

The live chat blew up.

In the kitchen, Lucas and David Smith, the chef, stared in shock as Yosef massacred a rack of ribs.

Finally, Lucas worked up the nerve to ask, "What are you doing, Mr. Harrison?"

Yosef didn't look up. "That kid's been sold off since she was little, never having anything good. She's as skinny as a stick. I'm cooking her a meal, so she can feel some grandpa love."

Lucas and David exchanged uneasy glances at the mismatched ribs and mystery dishes that could pass as abstract art.

'Poor Chiara, this culinary disaster looks barely edible,' they thought.

*****

[System activating.]

Freshly showered and dressed, Chiara was about to head downstairs for dinner when the sudden voice popped into her head.

"What was that?" she muttered, freezing mid-step.

[System activated.]

"Who's trying to spook me?" Chiara frowned, glancing around on high alert.

[Hello, host. I'm the Gossip System.]

"A cheat?" Chiara's eyes lit up, her heart racing. 'Holy crap, I got a system.'

[Something like that.]

"What can you do?" Chiara asked excitedly.

[Gossip.]

"And?" Chiara waited, her eyes wide.

[That's it.]

Chiara's face fell, her voice disdainful. "Seriously? That's your big deal?"

She'd hoped for a system that'd drop cash or give superpowers. Instead, she got gossip—what good was that supposed to do?

[I'm pretty useful. I know almost everything.]

"So, what's Grandpa's bank card password?"

[Uh, that's not my thing.]

Chiara looked totally unimpressed. "Useless."

'Other people's systems spit out gold coins or come with all kinds of awesome abilities. Why does mine have to be so lame?' she thought.

[I'm super useful. You'll see.]

Chiara snorted, ignoring the System. She bolted downstairs, hoping dinner was ready.

She was starving. Her blood sugar was so low, she was about to pass out.

As soon as Chiara hit the stairs, a weird, burning smell smacked her in the face. It was like something had been torched.

She frowned, puzzled, "What's going on? Did something catch fire?"

Lucas and David exchanged a look. They silently prayed for her, their faces full of sympathy.

Lucas let out a soft sigh and said quietly, "Good luck, Ms. Harrison. You're gonna need it."

"What?" Chiara was totally lost.

Before Lucas could explain, Yosef burst out of the kitchen with a steaming dish and said, "Come on, Chiara. Try my cooking."

Chiara's eyes lit up. After everything she'd been through, her stomach was ready to riot.

She dashed to the dining table, eager to dig in.

There were several dishes laid out on the table. But honestly, they looked so bad it was almost a crime to call them food.

Chiara grabbed her fork and poked at a black, weirdly shaped... thing. It looked more like a mutant creature than actual food.

She didn't dare take a bite. Just looking at it made her voice shake. "G-Grandpa, what is this?"

"Potato stew. Come on, try it," Yosef said as he grabbed a clump of the black stuff and dropped it onto her plate.

Chiara stared, muttering to herself, 'This is potato stew? It looks nothing like the version I've had before.'

Her hand trembled so badly she could barely hold the fork. She picked up the black blob, holding it like it might bite her. For a moment, she couldn't tell if this was food or some kind of toxic sludge.

Noticing her trembling like a leaf, Yosef asked puzzledly, "You okay?"

"J-Just really touched," Chiara squeaked while screaming inside, 'Someone rescue me from this food horror show.'

Tears streamed down her face before she could stop them. She was so freaked out she could barely breathe.

'Eating this might kill me faster than starvation. This isn't dinner; it's a survival test,' she thought, her heart racing.

Chapter 5 Food Poisoning

Yosef saw her emotional state and thought about her tough past. He figured she was so worked up because she'd never felt the love of a family.

"It's alright," he comforted her. "I'll cook for you whenever I get the chance."

Chiara panicked, shaking her head desperately. "No, no, I can't let you work so hard, Grandpa."

'Please, no more such mystery dishes again. My stomach can't take it,' she thought.

But Yosef insisted, "It's no trouble at all. Just have a try."

Chiara stared at the terrifying "potato stew" she'd picked up, mentally preparing herself.

'It's fine. This won't kill me. Gotta stick to this meal ticket,' she told herself silently.

Gritting her teeth, she squeezed her eyes shut and shoved a massive bite of the stew into her mouth.

Instantly, a tsunami of horrific flavors hit her: salty, bitter, with some unidentifiable gross undertone that nearly made her puke.

She forced it down, each second feeling like she was swallowing poison.

"How is it?" Yosef asked, looking at her expectantly.

Chiara forced the world's ugliest smile. "Delicious, Grandpa. Your cooking is... incredible."

The next second, all the strength drained from her body. She foamed at the mouth, rolled her eyes back, and passed out.

"Hey, don't you dare die in my house!" Yosef shouted, prying her eyes open in panic.

[Crap, my host's about to kick the bucket right after I got her,] the System screamed.

Lucas was just as scared. But he snapped out of it fast and shouted, "Mr. Harrison, she's still alive. Hospital, now!"

Yosef finally came to his senses. He picked Chiara up and rushed out the door, yelling at the driver to get the car ready.

Once they were in the car, Yosef stared at the unconscious Chiara, anxiety through the roof.

As her condition got worse, he couldn't help but urge, "Step on it!"

The driver looked stressed. He said helplessly, "We can't speed in the city. If we get caught, we'll be in trouble."

Yosef's anxiety spiked. He shouted, "Chiara's life is on the line. Just go as fast as you can without getting us in trouble."

The driver gritted his teeth, knowing it was urgent. He carefully pushed the speed, making sure not to break any laws.

Suddenly, he spotted trouble. "Mr. Harrison, police car behind us."

Worry laced his voice. If they got held up, it'd delay them for ages.

Yosef rubbed his forehead and sighed, "Pull over."

Soon, two traffic cops pulled up next to them.

Yosef quickly rolled down the window. "My granddaughter's dying. We need to get her to the hospital fast," he said, not even waiting for the officers to speak.

The officers were taken aback. They glanced at the unconscious Chiara, noticing her lips were slightly purple and her breathing was faint. Clearly, her condition was critical.

They exchanged a look, and one of them quickly said, "Go. Get her to the hospital."

They knew saving a life came first, so they waved them through without a second thought.

Yosef thanked them. The driver immediately hit the gas, speeding off toward the hospital.

The two officers were responsible. They led the way up front to get them to the hospital faster.

Soon, they arrived at the hospital, and Chiara was rushed straight into the ER.

After a while, Yosef thanked the officers again and told the driver to go pay the fine.

Breaking traffic rules was breaking rules, even with a good reason.

Before long, the doctor came out of the ER.

Yosef rushed over and asked, "How's my granddaughter?"

The doctor glanced at Yosef, his expression serious. "Food poisoning. What did she eat?"

Yosef was caught off guard. He racked his brain, then shook his head. "Just my cooking."

The doctor nodded. "We'll flush her stomach. She'll stay a couple of days for observation. Go get her checked in."

Yosef let out a sigh of relief. 'Thank God she's alive.'

As he went to check Chiara in, Yosef couldn't help but wonder why raising a girl was so hard.

'Those little rascals have eaten my food a million times and never had a problem. Why's she different?' he thought.

After Chiara had her stomach pumped, she still hadn't come to. Yosef got her a VIP room, hoping she could rest up and bounce back soon.

Then he called his sons, wanting to fill them in on what had happened to Chiara.

*****

Chiara woke up groggy, only to realize she wasn't at the Harrison residence. She glanced around to get her bearings.

As she saw she was in a hospital room, she couldn't help but think, 'Whew, I made it out alive.'

[Thought you were dead,] the System piped up.

Chiara let out a shaky breath. "I thought I was a goner too."

'Sucking up to the big boss is seriously risky. I nearly lost my life,' she mused.

Just then, Yosef walked in with a young, good-looking guy.

Seeing Chiara awake, Yosef let out a relieved smile. "How are you feeling? Any better?"

Chiara forced a smile, her voice weak. "I'm okay, Grandpa."

Even though she said that, her body still felt drained. After all, she'd been through a real ordeal.

Yosef frowned, "Good thing you're alright. Why didn't you tell me you couldn't eat potatoes?"

He'd assumed Chiara had fainted because she was either allergic to potatoes or really hated them.

Morris, the guy behind Yosef, cracked up. "Dad, are you sure the potatoes are the problem? Or is your cooking the real culprit here?" he teased, his eyes sparkling with mischief.