Chapter 2

Patriarch Antoine Devereaux' s voice boomed across the opulent room.

"Today, the one chosen by the Legacy Locket will be Luna's husband and the next leader of our enterprise."

He stood tall, his face stern, surveying the gathered family and business associates.

Mama Odette, my grandmother, the Boudreaux matriarch, gave me a small, encouraging nod.

Her eyes held the weight of generations, the knowledge of our sacred duty.

I opened the ornate, velvet-lined case.

Inside, the Legacy Locket rested.

It was ancient gold, intricately carved, passed down through Boudreaux women.

It was said to sense a person's true heart, their destiny.

Only a Boudreaux Oracle of my bloodline could awaken its power.

I took a breath.

I began to hum a soft, traditional Creole melody, a song my mother taught me, a song of truth and revelation.

The Locket in my hands started to emit a faint, warm glow.

A subtle scent of magnolia, our family's signature, filled the air around me.

"Will the potential heirs please present themselves?" I announced, my voice clear and steady.

"The Locket will shine brilliantly for the chosen one."

Three of Beau' s younger brothers and cousins stepped forward.

They exchanged ambitious glances, though they tried to feign reluctance.

One of them mumbled, "Beau isn't here yet, we shouldn't proceed without him..."

Antoine Devereaux' s face darkened with anger.

"Don't mind him!" he thundered. "He dares to be late on such a crucial day? Utterly irresponsible!"

The young men, chastened, approached me one by one.

As each touched the Locket, it glowed with a soft, warm light.

Not brilliant, just warm.

"These young men have good hearts," I announced after the last one.

"But perhaps they lack the singular vision or the resilience needed to navigate the challenges ahead and expand our legacy."

They retreated, their faces etched with disappointment.

I was inwardly surprised.

All three were fundamentally decent.

The Locket glowed warm for good intentions. It would turn cold or dark for malice.

Their ambition wasn't rooted in ill-will.

In a family like the Devereauxs, that was rare.

Antoine looked disheartened. His empire needed a strong leader.

His wife, Beau's mother, a woman whose smile never quite reached her eyes, spoke up.

"Well, now only Beau remains. It's clear he is the Locket's choice. Antoine, dear, perhaps you should just announce their engagement?"

Her voice was smooth, confident.

As Antoine hesitated, the grand doors of the hall burst open.

Beau Devereaux strode in.

Chantelle Dubois, the aspiring influencer, clung to his arm like a vine.

His gaze was soft, adoring, when he looked at her.

Then his eyes found me, and his expression turned to one of open disdain.

He didn't even glance at his father.

He dramatically dropped to one knee, not before me, but before Antoine.

"Father," Beau declared, his voice ringing with false humility, "since I am clearly the Locket's choice, I will not disappoint. I have but one condition..."

He paused for dramatic effect, then turned slightly, pulling Chantelle forward.

"Father, I request your permission to make Chantelle Dubois my official fiancée, my primary partner!"

Gasps filled the room.

The air crackled with shock.

Antoine slammed his fist on the heavy oak table. The sound echoed like a gunshot.

"Insolence!" he roared, his face turning purple. "A woman of her... background? Aspiring to be a Devereaux matriarch? The Oracle is to be the primary wife! That is the tradition! That is the agreement! Guards, remove this... woman!"

Two burly guards started to move towards Chantelle.

"Father! I'd rather die than not have Chantelle by my side!" Beau jumped up, shielding Chantelle with his body.

His eyes blazed with defiance.

"Father, I am the Locket's only choice. You know it. If you don't bless our union, I'll renounce my claim to the Devereaux empire and live a simple life with Chantelle!"

"You! Ungrateful boy!" Antoine was livid, trembling with rage.

The other heirs, seeing a potential opening, tried to intervene.

"Beau, are you insane? Is a social media model really worth more than the Devereaux empire?" one cousin asked.

"Nothing in this world is more important than Chantelle," Beau declared, bowing his head slightly as if in prayer.

I felt nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

I had witnessed his all-consuming devotion to Chantelle in my past life. It led to my ruin.

Antoine seemed about to explode, or worse, concede.

I had to speak.

"Beau Devereaux has not yet touched the Locket," I said, my voice calm, cutting through the tension. "The outcome is still unknown."

In my last life, the Locket hadn' t chosen Beau naturally.

It was my forbidden magic, my sacrifice, that forced its hand.

I remembered the pain, the spiritual backlash.

Never again.