Chapter 2

The lawyer arrives fast. Sharp suit, sharper eyes. Name's Ethan Blake, American, works out of a firm on Rue Saint-Honoré.

Within an hour he's proven the crash had nothing to do with me. The cops release me with an apology.

"Now can I have my mother's pendant back?" I ask.

The officer blinks at me like I've grown a second head. "Your fiancé already picked it up, mademoiselle. Showed us a photo of the two of you. Said it meant the world to you."

He slides the release log across the counter. Adrian Pierce. That's his signature. Clear as day.

"That son of a—"

I call Adrian. He hits decline before the second ring. I call again. Phone's off.

I try Luca. Off. Marco. Off. Dante. Off.

Four phones. Four best friends. All dark at exactly the same time. Like they synced their damn watches.

Ethan steps closer, voice low. "Ms. Moretti, I can file suit. Handing over your property to a third party without authorization is a serious breach. But your fiancé could face charges. Possibly jail time."

I shake my head. It can't be that bad. Adrian probably just grabbed the pendant and forgot to hand it off.

Then my phone buzzes.

Yolanda posted on Instagram.

"Coming home from vacation to gifts already! Love my four boys 💎✨"

The photo makes my stomach drop. A diamond tennis bracelet on her wrist. Chunky. Expensive. And there — in the corner of the shot — the receipt. 19.99 grams.

The exact weight of my mother's pendant.

"No. No, no, no."

My hands shake so hard I almost drop the phone dialing her.

"Yolanda. How could you melt down my mother's pendant into a bracelet for yourself? You knew that was the only thing I had left of her!"

She jumps in fast. "Sofia, honey, you've got it all wrong! The boys pooled their money and bought this for me as a graduation gift—"

"A gift? Then why does it weigh exactly the same as my mom's pendant? Down to the gram?"

Silence on the line.

"You made me take the fall in a country where I can't even read a menu — fine. But my mom's pendant? Really, Landa? You couldn't leave me *that*?"

Dead silence. For a second, I think maybe they finally get it.

Then Adrian's voice comes through. Cool. Flat.

"The bracelet's from us. Your pendant's with me."

"I know you're upset about Paris. But this was for your own good. Time you learned to stand on your own two feet."

"The fact that you're calling us right now? Proves Yolanda's method worked. You should be thanking her. Not slinging accusations."