Chapter 1: The Bracelet No One Was Supposed to See
Silence swallowed the ballroom.
Not a single guest dared to move after Richard's wine glass shattered across the marble floor.
His eyes never left the old silver bracelet.
Slowly...
almost afraid to touch it...
he reached for Sophie's wrist.
His fingers trembled.
"This bracelet..."
His voice cracked.
"...where did you get it?"
Sophie looked around the room, confused by everyone's fear.
"My mother gave it to me before she died."
"She said if I was ever lost... I should come back here."
Richard staggered backward as though someone had struck him.
Victoria immediately stepped between them.
"She's lying!"
"Throw her out!"
But Richard didn't answer.
Instead, he gently turned the bracelet over.
On the inside...
hidden beneath decades of scratches...
was a tiny family crest.
The crest of the Ashford Estate.
One that had disappeared nearly twenty-five years earlier.
The room erupted into whispers.
Victoria's breathing became uneven.
Because only one person had ever worn that bracelet.
Richard's younger sister...
May you like
Isabella.
The woman who had vanished without a trace.
