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CHAPTER FIVE

Author: Lilith
last update publish date: 2026-05-10 05:10:01

The smell hit Elena first.

Metallic.

Thick.

Wrong.

Her body froze just inside the doorway as silence swallowed the mansion whole.

No music.

No footsteps.

No voices.

Only silence… and blood.

So much blood.

It stained the marble floors in dark crimson streaks, smeared across the walls like someone had tried desperately to crawl away.

“Mom?”

Her own voice sounded small.

Weak.

Terrified.

The front doors slowly creaked shut behind her.

And then she saw the first body.

One of the family guards lay twisted near the staircase, his throat brutally slit open. Elena gasped sharply, stumbling backward as panic exploded inside her chest.

No.

No no no—

Her eyes darted wildly around the mansion.

Another guard.

Another body.

Broken glass covered the floor beside overturned furniture. Bullet holes scarred the walls.

There had been a fight.

A massacre.

“Dad…”

A sob escaped her lips as she forced herself forward shakily.

Then she saw her mother.

Her white dress was soaked red.

Her body lay near the grand piano, motionless, one hand stretched outward as though she had tried reaching for help before dying.

Elena’s entire body locked up.

“M-Mom?”

Nothing.

Her vision blurred instantly.

“No…”

She rushed forward, falling to her knees beside her mother’s body. Her trembling hands touched cold skin and Elena immediately recoiled in horror.

Cold.

Too cold.

Tears burst down her cheeks violently now.

“No no no please wake up—”

But deep down, she already knew.

Everyone was dead.

Her mother.

The guards.

The servants.

Possibly her father too.

Someone had wiped out the Riccardo family.

Elena’s breathing became uneven as terror swallowed her completely.

Why?

Why would anyone do this?

Then suddenly—

Her eyes landed on something sitting neatly on the dining table.

A letter.

Unlike the blood surrounding it, the paper looked perfectly clean.

Intentional.

Like someone wanted her to see it.

Elena stood slowly, her legs shaking so badly she almost collapsed again.

She picked it up carefully.

And read.

RETURN THE NECKLACE.

OR YOU’RE NEXT.

— FRANCESCO FAMILY

Everything inside Elena stopped.

The necklace.

Her hand flew instantly toward the red stone resting against her collarbone.

Cold.

Heavy.

Mocking her.

Dante’s voice echoed in her head immediately.

“I saw it at home and immediately thought of you.”

The Francesco estate.

Oh God.

Oh God.

Elena stumbled backward in horror.

The necklace.

This was about the necklace.

But why?

What was so important about it?

And why would the Francesco family murder everyone over it?

Her breathing quickened violently as panic overtook reason.

Dante.

She needed to call Dante.

Surely he didn’t know about this.

Surely this had to be his father.

Or Roberto.

Or someone else.

Not Dante.

Hands trembling uncontrollably, Elena grabbed her phone and dialed his number immediately.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

No answer.

“Please…”

She called again.

Straight to voicemail.

Again.

Nothing.

Tears streamed endlessly down her face now as fear wrapped around her throat tighter and tighter.

She was alone.

Completely alone.

And whoever did this was probably already coming for her too.

A horrible realization suddenly struck her.

If the necklace was the problem—

Then she just needed to remove it.

Yes.

That was it.

She could leave it here and run.

Her fingers immediately reached behind her neck for the clasp.

But the necklace wouldn’t open.

Elena frowned shakily and tried again.

Nothing.

Panic flickered through her chest.

She pulled harder this time.

Still nothing.

“What…?”

Her breathing grew faster.

Frustrated now, Elena grabbed the necklace with both hands and tried pulling it over her head instead—

Pain exploded across her skin instantly.

Elena cried out sharply.

The necklace tightened around her throat.

Her eyes widened in terror.

No.

No no no—

Frantically, she clawed at the chain again.

And again.

And again.

But it wouldn’t come off.

It was stuck.

Almost like it had fused to her skin.

Tears blurred her vision completely as true fear finally settled deep into her bones.

Because the necklace no longer felt like jewelry.

It felt alive.

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  • THE CURSED NECKLACE   CHAPTER 120(FINALE)

    The morning light was soft and golden, filtering through the lace curtains of the bedroom. Elena stood before the full-length mirror, a ghost in her own reflection. The woman staring back was not the hollow-eyed, broken thing from a year ago. This woman had color in her cheeks and a light in her eyes. Her dress was simple, elegant ivory silk that clung to her form before flowing to the floor. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever worn, and as she slipped it on, she felt a surge of something she hadn't felt in a very long time: confidence. This was right. This was her new beginning.Downstairs, the garden was transforming. Guests milled about, a quiet, respectful crowd of familiar faces from the company—Adrian's employees, who were now, in a way, Roberto's. They spoke in hushed tones, their smiles genuine as they took their seats on the white chairs arranged before a simple archway of white roses and baby's breath.Roberto stood under the archway, his hands clasped in front of h

  • THE CURSED NECKLACE   CHAPTER 119

    The morning sun spilled into the hospital room, casting long shadows on the floor. Roberto had just returned from the balcony, his eyes clear and determined. He knelt by Elena's bedside, his hand finding hers, his touch warm and steady. The small, smooth stone was back in his pocket, a secret promise for the future."Elena," he began, his voice low and earnest. "I know I asked you in a rush, amidst the chaos. But I want to do this right. I've spent a lifetime loving you, a year fighting to get back to you, and an eternity watching you sleep, praying you'd wake up. Marry me, Elena. Be my wife, for real this time. Let me be a husband to you and a father to our daughter. Build a life with me, away from all the darkness."Tears welled in Elena's eyes, but they were tears of pure joy. She squeezed his hand, her voice a soft, watery whisper. "Yes. Of course, yes."The word settled between them, a quiet, powerful anchor in the storm of their lives. The next few days were a blur of quiet happ

  • THE CURSED NECKLACE   CHAPTER 118

    The world came back to Elena in a haze of white. White walls, white sheets, the sterile scent of antiseptic that clung to the air. A low, steady beep was the only sound, a rhythmic pulse that seemed to match the dull throb in her chest. She tried to sit up, but a sharp, searing pain shot through her, forcing her back against the pillows with a gasp. Her hand flew to her chest, her fingers brushing against a thick bandage. The memories crashed over her then like a tidal wave: Dante's rage, the gun, the searing heat of the bullet, Roberto's desperate cries.Her eyes flew open, and she saw him. He was slumped in a chair beside her bed, his head resting on his arms, which were folded on the mattress. He looked exhausted, his face etched with worry, his clothes wrinkled and stained. But he was there. He was real."Roberto?" she whispered, her voice a hoarse, unfamiliar croak.His head snapped up, his eyes, red-rimmed and tired, locking onto hers. The relief that washed over his face was so

  • THE CURSED NECKLACE   CHAPTER 117

    The muzzle of the gun was a black void aimed at Adrian’s heart. Dante’s finger was white on the trigger, his face a contorted mask of pure, unadulterated hatred. He was going to do it. He was going to pull the trigger. Adrian stared back, his own fear a distant, cold thing, replaced by a strange, hollow calm. He had failed. He had found her, only to watch her die, or to die himself.But then, Dante paused. His hand, which had been so steady, began to tremble. The mask of fury cracked, and something else bled through: a pain so raw and ancient it was like a wound that had never healed. His eyes, locked on Adrian's, filled with a torrent of unshed tears."Always," Dante choked out, his voice a ragged, broken sound. "It was always you."He lowered the gun slightly, his shoulders slumping as if under an immense weight. He wasn't the monster in the mansion anymore. He was a little boy, lost and drowning in his brother's shadow."You took her away from me when we were kids!" he suddenly scr

  • THE CURSED NECKLACE   CHAPTER 116

    The first rays of dawn were just beginning to creep across the floor when the bedroom door exploded inwards, splintering off its hinges and crashing against the wall. The sound was a bomb blast in the quiet. Elena’s eyes flew open, her heart leaping into her throat. There, silhouetted in the doorway, was Dante.He was a monster made real. His face was a mask of pure, unadulterated fury, his features twisted into a grotesque snarl. In his hand, he held a gun, a black, cold-looking pistol that was pointed directly at the bed. At them."You fucking whore," he snarled, his voice a low, dangerous growl that vibrated with rage. He took a step into the room, his eyes locking on Elena. "You ungrateful, treacherous bitch."Adrian was already moving, rolling off the bed and placing himself between Dante and Elena, his hands raised in a placating gesture. "Dante, don't," he said, his voice low and steady. "This is between us. Let her go.""Let her go?" Dante laughed, a harsh, ugly sound that was

  • THE CURSED NECKLACE   CHAPTER 115

    The air between them crackled as he crashed his lips onto hers, not a gentle kiss, but a bruising, desperate clash of mouths. Elena gasped, the sound swallowed by his, her hands flying to the front of his shirt. She didn't care about the buttons, fumbling wildly until she tore the fabric open, exposing his chest. Her fingers dragged down his skin, nails biting into his muscles as she pulled him closer, her legs hooking around his waist to drag him down onto the bed.Roberto was lost. The feel of her, the taste of her after all this time, was a drug hitting his system. He was an addict finally getting his fix. He’d dreamed of this, ached for this, but the reality of her body arching up to meet his was a thousand times better. It was the scent of her skin, the little desperate sounds she was making in the back of her throat as he mouthed his way down the column of her neck. It was her hands, everywhere at once, clawing at his back, pulling him closer, like she was trying to crawl right

  • THE CURSED NECKLACE   CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

    Roberto had never looked human when angry.Never acted like one either when he was furious.Tonight he looked worse. His eyes were dark and his face was in a constant state of anger.It rained again. Droplets of rain fell from the leaves of the trees in the courtyard. The weather was dark and cloud

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    Roberto had exhausted every ordinary option he could think of.His guards searched the villages.The Ports.Roads.The Safe houses.Every inch of Francesco territory had been turned upside down within forty-eight hours in a desperate search for her.Still—nothing.The bond remained unstable.Weak.

  • THE CURSED NECKLACE   CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

    Roberto had not slept.He didn’t even try to.The entire Francesco estate felt suffocatingly tense as guards moved through the halls in silence, terrified of attracting his attention.Three men had already been beaten by him for losing Elena’s trail.Another had been fired on the spot.Still—No on

  • THE CURSED NECKLACE   CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

    The gates of the Francesco estate slammed open as black vehicles tore through the rain.The sky was black with dark clouds looming over it. Huge gust of wind blew over the estate moving trees and threatening to blowoff lanterns.“Elena!”Roberto’s voice thundered across the massive courtyard. Maid

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