But the news segment continued, and the details made her skin prickle. The piece had no known sales record, and no trace in jewelry archives. Experts were calling it “priceless,” estimating millions at auction. Mara’s coffee slipped from her fingers, spilling dark liquid across the quilt, but she barely noticed.
A blurred photograph appeared—a lady at the gala, the pendant glinting against her blue dress. The image was deliberately grained out, her face unrecognizable, but the necklace drew Mara’s gaze like a magnet. She leaned closer, studying the way the light seemed to pool in the stone.