All Chapters of THE CURSED NECKLACE: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Elena Riccardo stood before the mirror while two maids carefully pinned dark curls away from her face. Gold silk draped elegantly over her body, shimmering softly beneath the bedroom lights and making her look far older than sixteen. One maid stepped back with a smile. “At this rate, one of the mafia heirs may ask for your hand tonight.” The older maid laughed quietly. “She’s a Riccardo daughter. Marriage discussions should have started years ago.” Elena rolled her eyes lightly. “I’m sixteen.” “In our world,” the older woman replied, “that is hardly considered young.” Elena fell silent after that. Because unfortunately… The woman was right. Girls born into mafia families were not raised for freedom. They were raised for alliances. Loyalty. Power. Love existed only if your family permitted it. Tonight’s charity gala held the most powerful families in Italy beneath one roof. Including the Francescos. The moment Elena entered the ballroom beside her father, camera flashes expl

Two years later.“Elena.”Her father’s voice stopped her just as she reached the dining room doors.Elena turned slowly, medical textbooks pressed against her chest. “Yes, Father?”Mr. Riccardo lowered the newspaper in his hands, his expression already carrying disapproval.“You spend too much time studying.”Elena resisted the urge to sigh.“I’m in medical school.”“You are a woman,” he replied coldly. “Not a man preparing for war.”Her jaw tightened slightly.“In our world, women do not need to bury themselves in books. Your duty is to strengthen this family, not exhaust yourself chasing ambition.”Elena looked down quietly, masking the anger rising inside her.Because arguing never changed anything.Not in this house.Not in the mafia world.Her father folded the newspaper carefully before continuing.“Dante Francesco attends the same university now.”Elena froze internally.“I expect you to grow closer to him.”There it was.The real reason for the conversation.“Our family’s posi

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 gran

The sound came again.Heavy footsteps.Male voices.“Elena Riccardo!”Her blood turned to ice instantly.They were inside the house.Fear exploded through her chest so violently she nearly dropped the gun in her trembling hands.No no no—They found her already.Panic swallowed every rational thought as more footsteps echoed downstairs.Furniture crashed.Glass shattered.“They’re searching the east wing!”“Check upstairs!”Elena stumbled backward away from the office door, breathing hard now.Too fast.Everything was happening too fast.Rain slammed violently against the mansion windows while the necklace around her throat felt colder than ever.Think.Think.Her father once mentioned hidden exits throughout the estate for emergencies involving rival mafia attacks.There had to be one nearby.Another voice echoed closer this time.“Boss said she’s alive. Find the girl.”Boss.Roberto.The thought alone sent terror crashing through Elena’s body.She moved quickly through the office, s

Elena woke up to silence so heavy it felt unnatural.Her body jerked slightly before pain immediately shot through her ankle, sharp enough to steal her breath.“—Ah!”She pressed a hand to her mouth fast, forcing herself quiet.Slowly, she opened her eyes.A small room.Wooden walls.Simple bed.A single lamp glowing dimly in the corner like the house didn’t fully belong to electricity or modern life.Where am I?The last thing she remembered—Alley.Knife.Hands.Then nothing.Her fingers moved instinctively to her neck.The necklace was still there.Cold.Unchanged.Like it had never left her body for even a second.A quiet unease crawled up her spine.The door creaked open.Elena froze instantly.A man stepped in.The stranger from the alley.Daylight made him feel even more solid, more real. Broad shoulders filled the doorway without effort. His shirt was worn, sleeves rolled up to his forearms where old cuts and hardened skin told stories he didn’t speak about.His hands were lar