All Chapters of SECRETS OF THE BILLIONAIRE NECKLACE : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Twenty-two years ago She fell, her silk sleeved hands trying to catch on to the railing. The boy watched in horror as he watched her fall off the balcony, ten floors above the ground. Her long hair whipped across her face, eyes wide with panic, lips shaping into a scream. The impact sent her twisting through the air, crashing against the marble floor. THUD! CRACK! Blood flowed across her chest, spilling over the floor, over the sapphire necklace that gleamed cold against her pale skin, staining lace and silk. He watched as she lay there, a mangled mess, breath shaking as his heart pounded. The room smelled of blood and fear. The sapphire necklace slid free, spinning in crimson, untouchable and gleaming. He stumbled backward, chest heaving, terrified, staring at the woman who had always held him……his mother……lying broken, bleeding, lifeless. He could not move. Could not speak. Could not understand. And across the room he could hear his mother’s whi

The drive to his manor seemed like it would last forever. Yet it took only forty minutes. Maybe it was the dread, but as she got closer and closer to the manor, she felt her body itch. She pressed her forehead against the car window, watching the buildings grow shorter and houses turn into mansions and estates. Damien was beside her, scrolling through his phone like it was just another Tuesday. “So,” Emma said, because the silence was suffocating. “Your family. What are they like?” “You’ll meet them soon enough.” “What type of answer is that?” “The type you’re getting.” This prick. Emma gritted her teeth in annoyance. She turned back to the window, knots in her stomach. The contract mentioned “extended family” at Cross Manor. She’d pictured maybe a parent. A sibling. Not whatever waited for her now. The car turned through iron gates that looked centuries old. Then she saw the house. “Holy shit,” Emma whispered. It wasn’t a ho

Claire started showing up at the manor three, sometimes four times a week. Always with some excuse……dropping off papers, needing Damien’s signature, checking on wedding details that didn’t exist. Really, she came for Emma. They’d have coffee in the garden, away from Vivian’s cold stares. Emma enjoyed her company. Even before she married Damien, she didn’t have much friends. She had been too busy working to take care of her sick brother to make any. So having someone she could talk to and have fun with especially now that life had gotten harder was a blessing. Emma found herself looking forward to Claire’s visits. Claire would tell her stories about her dating life and childhood days. It was on one of those days that she revealed, that she and Damien were childhood friends. “Really?” “Yes! I was the gardener’s daughter but he didn’t care. We would play all day in the garden. We particularly liked hide and seek.” Emma tried to imagine the cold rude Damien playing hide

Emma woke to Damien's hand on her waist. She didn't move. His breathing was normal he was still asleep but his arm had shifted during the night, pulling her closer instead of keeping distance like usual. She should move. Get up. Create space. Instead, she stayed. The sun was barely breaking through the windows. The house was still quiet. In a few hours, staff would move through the halls, breakfast would be served, reality would interrupt whatever this was. But right now, it was just them. Damien's eyes opened slowly. He didn't pull away immediately. Just looked at her, assessing, like he was trying to figure out what to say. "Hi," Emma whispered. He didn't respond. His hand tightened on her waist instead. Emma's breath caught. They'd been dancing around this for weeks—sleeping in the same bed, touching carefully, pulling back before anything happened. The contract said no intimacy. But the contract had stopped meaning anything the night she collapsed and he wouldn

Emma couldn't sleep. She'd been lying awake for hours, staring at the necklace on her dresser. The sapphire caught the moonlight, throwing blue shadows across the room. Damien was asleep beside her. She could hear his breathing, steady and even. At some point after she'd told him about Tyler, he'd pulled her close and held her until she stopped shaking. Then he'd fallen asleep like that, like holding her was the easiest thing in the world. She envied him for it. Around two in the morning, Emma got out of bed carefully, trying not to wake him. She moved to the dresser and picked up the necklace. It was heavier than it looked. The sapphire was cool against her palm. She'd worn it a few times now, but she'd never really examined it closely. It was just a piece of jewelry. Beautiful, expensive, nothing more. She turned it over in her hands. There was a small seam she'd never noticed before. Barely visible. She ran her thumb over it, feeling the edges. It wasn't damage. It