Novel & Cerita The Jewel In The Crown Novel

He moved with a calm confidence that made my blood boil. It was Maxwell Thorne. The Student Council President. The "Golden Boy." The heir to the Thorne empire. He was the most powerful student at St. Jude’s, and he treated people like me like we were invisible ghosts. Maxwell reached into the vault. His fingers wrapped around a velvet box. He opened it, and even in the dim light, the Founder’s Ring sparkled like a fallen star. It was worth more than my entire neighborhood. He didn't hesitate. He stuffed the ring into his pocket.

Skimming money from team events and dipping into company funds were practically standard practice. She thought hiding behind the title of Neel Corporation heiress made her untouchable. She never imagined the person she trusted most would be the one to expose her. The employees Violet had pushed around for years finally snapped. They surrounded her, anger boiling over. They grabbed her necklace, her rings, anything they could take as compensation. Violet begged them to stop, her face bruised and swollen, but all she got in return were more blows.

“It’s half his empire. Fifty billion, rough guess.” She froze, rain trickling down her neck, her heart thumping loud enough to drown out the storm. “Bullshit.” “I don’t mess around with cash,” he said, locking eyes with her, steady and hard. “Problem is, you’re not alone in it.” The crowd was breaking up now, people shuffling to their fancy cars, but Sienna’s head was spinning too fast to care. Half the empire? Dorian had acted like she was a ghost her whole life—why this now? And who was the other half stuck with?

A faint glow pulsed like its own heart beat a shape, curved mark that was glowing beneath the sleeve of my leathers, a mark only seen that I have only seen in books. The Lunar Bond. She looked up. Across the table, Aeryn Valecrow met her gaze again. In that moment she felt terrified and unafraid at the same moment. Nemphis did not like it but craved it all at once. She pushed forward even more.

At the center, resting atop a stone pedestal, is a jagged crown—half bone, half scorched gold, smoldering with silent flame. Ceres (awestruck): "That's it…" Lady Ilven (reverently): "The Crown of Flame and Bone. Forged in dragonfire. Tempered with the blood of the first Umbra king. It can only be worn by a rightful heir." Guard (low voice): "It looks like it's… alive." Indeed, the crown pulses faintly as if breathing. Ceres: "Why bring me here?" I'm not here to rule. I want answers." Lady Ilven (approaching the pedestal):

Without it, the new Alpha’s ceremony could not proceed. And our pack had every intention of securing it. "Starting bid, ten million." I raised my paddle. "Fifteen million." "Fifteen million from seat number two." The auctioneer had barely finished when a sharp voice called from the back of the hall. "Twenty million!" Everyone turned. Chloe swept in through the back doors, wearing a glittering gold dress. A priceless diamond necklace adorned her neck, obviously a gift from Isaac. "Thirty million!" She raised her paddle again, her voice loud enough for the entire hall to hear.

I reached out— Just as the Eagle did. We moved in unison, shadows colliding. Both of our hands shot out but Phina’s roar ripped out of my chest, not ready to lose and then my fingers touched the crown. My heart skipped as my fingers curled around it first I got it…I got the crown!! Happiness filled my heart but suddenly the crown started melting in my hand. My smile disappeared. Why…why was it melting?

They said the Saint had awoken. Inside the grand temple, Elysia waited behind the doors. Her body still ached from the ceremony. The burn beneath her skin had quieted, but the gold in her veins refused to fade; it shimmered faintly through the thin linen of her sleeves. Attendants moved around her in silence, adjusting the folds of her robe. The fabric was white and impossibly soft, threaded with dust-fine strands of gold that caught each movement like flame. When they set the crystal circlet upon her head, the weight of it pressed against her temples like a crown of heat.