Chapter 1: The Broken Necklace
Chapter 1: The Broken Necklace
The grand charity gala shimmered under crystal chandeliers, filled with the soft hum of wealth, power, and polite laughter.
In the center of it all stood a young girl—barely sixteen—holding a delicate velvet box with trembling hands.
Inside it was her mother’s necklace.
Old. Simple. Irreplaceable.
It was the only thing she had left of her.
Before she could take another step, a sharp voice cut through the music.
“Well, what is that doing here?”
A wealthy socialite—elegant, cold, and perfectly dressed in gold silk—walked toward her like she owned the air itself.
“She looks like she walked in from the streets,” someone whispered.
The girl lowered her head. “I was invited…”
But the socialite didn’t listen.
She grabbed the necklace from the box, holding it up between two manicured fingers.
“This?” she scoffed. “This belongs in a pawn shop, not my gala.”
And then, in front of everyone—
She snapped it.
A gasp echoed through the hall as pearls scattered across the marble floor like falling tears.
The girl froze.
Not crying.
Not moving.
Just shattered.
Across the room, a young businessman—tall, sharp-eyed, dressed in a simple black suit—stopped mid-conversation.
Something about the broken necklace didn’t feel right.
One pearl rolled toward his shoe.
He bent down and picked it up.
And that was when everything changed.
A tiny engraved insignia glinted under the light.
His expression darkened.
May you like
Because he recognized it.
And it belonged to a family that was supposed to have disappeared from the world long ago.
