CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY ONE - A FATAL FLAW

Amelia began to list off the facts they had uncovered. "We have a locket, likely belonging to a woman named Emilia, who was somehow connected to the family in the 1890s. We have a letter from someone signed 'A' – possibly Antonio De Laurentis – hinting at a secret affair and a hidden fortune. And we have Antonio's diary, which mentions Emilia and alludes to some kind of scandal or mistake." Sophia picked up the thread. "We also know that there's no official record of an Emilia in the family tree. It's as if she's been erased from the family history." Claudia tapped her pen thoughtfully against her notebook. "And don't forget the engravings on the locket. They might be significant too, although we haven't figured out what they mean yet." Amelia nodded, her eyes drawn once again to the intricate patterns on the locket's surface. "You're right. They don't look like simple decorations. They could be a code or have some symbolic meaning." The three women fell silent for a moment, each l