CHAPTER 4:THE STOLEN PENDANT
804 Words
Chapter 4: The Stolen Pendant
The silence inside Adrian Dawson's study felt heavier than the storm clouds gathering outside.
The ancient photograph lay on the polished oak desk between Adrian and Isabella. In the faded picture, a crescent-shaped crystal pendant shimmered with an eerie blue glow. Though it was only a photograph, Isabella couldn't take her eyes off it. Something about the pendant felt strangely familiar.
She reached out instinctively, her fingertips brushing the edge of the picture.
A sharp pain shot through her shoulder.
"Ah..."
She stumbled backward.
Adrian immediately stood.
"Isabella!"
She grabbed the edge of the desk to steady herself.
"I'm... I'm fine."
"No, you're not."
The pain disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving only a faint warmth beneath her blouse.
She secretly touched the birthmark hidden on her shoulder.
It was warm.
Very warm.
Adrian noticed her strange reaction but said nothing. Instead, he quietly slipped the photograph back into the drawer.
"I think you've seen enough for today."
Isabella looked at him.
"You know something."
"I know many things."
"And you're hiding all of them from me."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"You're observant."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
His expression turned cold again.
"There are answers I can't give you yet."
Her frustration grew.
"You expect me to marry you, move into your mansion, trust you with my family's future... and you won't even tell me why that pendant is so important?"
Adrian slowly walked toward the window overlooking the gardens.
"When I was ten years old," he said quietly, "my grandfather told me a story."
He rarely spoke about his childhood.
Isabella remained silent.
"He said our family had protected something for hundreds of years."
"The pendant?"
"Yes."
"He also said one day a girl would appear."
Isabella frowned.
"What girl?"
"A girl carrying the mark of the lost bloodline."
She laughed nervously.
"That sounds like a fairy tale."
"My grandfather never believed it was."
Before she could respond, someone knocked urgently.
"Come in."
The butler entered, looking unusually nervous.
"Sir... the police are here again."
Adrian frowned.
"They found something?"
"They've arrested someone."
Minutes later, Adrian and Isabella entered the mansion's grand hall, where Inspector Raymond was waiting.
The middle-aged detective looked exhausted.
"We found the driver who transported the thief after the break-in."
"Where is he now?" Adrian asked.
"In custody."
"Did he talk?"
The inspector nodded.
"He admitted he was paid to drive the thief."
"Who hired him?"
"That's the problem."
"He doesn't know."
Adrian crossed his arms.
"Impossible."
"He claims he never met the client face-to-face. Every instruction came through anonymous messages."
The inspector placed a small evidence bag on the table.
"We found this in his car."
Inside was a silver coin unlike anything Isabella had ever seen.
One side displayed a crescent moon.
The other carried the image of a phoenix surrounded by flames.
The moment Isabella looked at it—
Her vision blurred.
The room disappeared.
Suddenly...
She was standing in a magnificent palace.
Golden pillars stretched toward a painted ceiling.
People dressed in royal robes hurried through the halls.
A little girl, no older than six, laughed as she ran across a marble floor.
She wore the very same crescent pendant around her neck.
"Princess!"
A maid chased after her.
"You mustn't run!"
The little girl only laughed harder.
Then...
A loud explosion shook the palace.
The laughter vanished.
Soldiers burst through the doors.
Screams echoed everywhere.
The maid grabbed the little girl's hand.
"We have to go!"
Fire spread across the walls.
Smoke filled the air.
The little girl cried.
"Where's Mama?"
The maid's eyes filled with tears.
"The Queen will find you."
But she never finished.
An arrow flew through the air.
The maid collapsed.
The little girl screamed.
The vision shattered.
Isabella gasped and stumbled backward.
Adrian caught her before she hit the floor.
"Isabella!"
She stared at him, breathing heavily.
"I..."
"What happened?"
"I saw..."
Her voice trembled.
"A palace."
The inspector exchanged a confused glance with Adrian.
"There was a little girl."
"She was wearing the pendant."
"And..."
Isabella's face turned pale.
"The palace was burning."
Adrian's expression changed instantly.
He gripped her shoulders.
"What else did you see?"
She looked directly into his eyes.
"I think..."
"I think she was a princess."
A long silence filled the room.
The inspector frowned.
"How could you possibly know that?"
Before anyone could answer—
The mansion's electricity suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed the hall.
The emergency lights flickered once...
Then died.
From somewhere upstairs came the sound of slow...
Heavy...
Footsteps.
Not one person.
Several.
Adrian immediately stepped in front of Isabella.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Stay behind me."
The footsteps stopped.
Then a cold voice echoed through the mansion.
"We know the heir is here."
- Writer
