CHAPTER FOUR

Elena stood in front of her bedroom mirror long after returning home from the alley.

The necklace rested against her skin like a drop of blood.

Beautiful.

But unsettling.

She tilted her head slightly, fingers brushing over the dark red stone hanging from the silver chain. Under the warm light of her vanity, the gem almost seemed to glow faintly.

Strange.

Dante had called it beautiful.

Now Elena wasn’t so sure.

For some reason, the necklace felt… heavy.

Not physically.

Something else.

As if it carried a presence she couldn’t explain.

A nervous laugh escaped her lips. “You’re being dramatic.”

Still, unease lingered beneath her skin.

Especially after hearing Roberto’s name again.

Two years.

Two entire years had passed since that balcony night, yet somehow the mere thought of him still left her heart unstable.

Pathetic.

Elena quickly pushed the thought aside and walked toward the bathroom.

Warm water poured over her body minutes later as steam fogged the glass walls around her. Usually she removed jewelry before showering, but tonight she barely noticed the necklace still resting against her throat.

Her thoughts were elsewhere.

On Roberto.

On Dante.

On the strange way the air had shifted the moment the necklace touched her skin.

By the time she finally climbed into bed, exhaustion had settled heavily into her bones.

Yet sleep never came easily.

Every small sound outside her bedroom made her restless.

Every shadow looked wrong.

And sometime deep into the night—

Elena woke suddenly with her heart racing violently.

For one terrifying second, she could have sworn someone was standing beside her bed.

Watching her.

But when she sat up sharply—

Nothing was there.

Only darkness.

And the cold necklace resting against her skin.

—

The next morning, Elena forced herself to ignore the lingering fear twisting inside her chest.

She dressed quickly for university, tying her hair back neatly before leaving the estate.

Everything was fine.

It had to be.

But the moment she stepped into the medical lecture hall, she noticed Dante’s seat was empty.

At first she assumed he was late.

Then one class passed.

Then another.

Still no Dante.

Which was unusual.

Very unusual.

By afternoon, Elena finally gathered her books and headed toward the school gates.

That was when she saw them.

Black Francesco vehicles lined the street outside the university.

Several guards stood nearby speaking quietly among themselves.

The moment Elena appeared—

Their conversation stopped.

Every single one of them stared directly at her.

Not at her face.

At the necklace.

A cold chill crept down her spine instantly.

One of the guards narrowed his eyes slightly before muttering something under his breath to another man beside him.

The second guard looked visibly alarmed.

“Elena.”

She jumped slightly when one of her own guards opened the car door for her.

Without realizing it, Elena had been gripping the necklace tightly in her hand.

She quickly released it and entered the vehicle.

As the car drove away, Elena glanced back once more.

The Francesco guards were still watching her.

And none of them looked normal.

They looked afraid.

—

A week passed.

And Dante Francesco disappeared completely.

No calls.

No messages.

Nothing.

At first Elena tried convincing herself he was simply busy.

But slowly, unease became fear.

Every time she mentioned Dante around her father, the atmosphere shifted instantly.

The servants became quieter too.

Even security around the estate doubled overnight.

Something was happening inside the mafia world.

Something bad.

And nobody was telling her anything.

Friday evening arrived cold and gray.

Elena exited the university building while students flooded past her toward the gates.

Normally her family chauffeur waited outside before classes even ended.

Today—

Nothing.

No black car.

No guards.

No driver.

Elena frowned slightly and checked her phone.

No messages.

A strange feeling settled in her stomach.

She waited another ten minutes.

Still nothing.

The campus slowly emptied around her until silence began creeping through the streets.

Uneasy now, Elena decided to take the wooded shortcut path leading toward the estate road.

Her heels clicked softly against the pavement before fading into dirt and dead leaves.

The deeper she walked, the quieter everything became.

Too quiet.

A cold wind moved through the trees suddenly, making Elena pull her coat tighter around herself.

Then finally—

Her family estate came into view.

And Elena stopped breathing.

The main gate stood slightly open.

That had never happened before.

Ever.

But worse—

Dark red stains covered the metal.

Blood.

Fear crashed through her instantly.

“No…”

Her heartbeat quickened violently as she hurried toward the entrance.

Maybe rival families attacked.

Maybe there had been a warning.

Her father had enemies everywhere now that the Riccardos were weakening.

“Mom?” she called shakily while stepping through the gates.

No answer.

The mansion stood silent beneath the darkening sky.

Too silent.

The front door hung partially open.

More blood stained the marble floor inside.

Elena’s hands began trembling uncontrollably.

“Mom?”

Nothing.

Her breathing became uneven as she slowly pushed the door open wider—

And froze.

The horrifying sight inside stole the scream directly from her throat.