Symphonian Curse 5: Scorch Phoenix

Chapter Thirteen- The Lost Heirloom

Chapter Thirteen

The Lost Heirloom

DEBORAH 'Debbie' Steele looked intelligent and Pro confirmed that she is indeed intelligent. Katabi ng magkapatid na Eli at S ay ipapaliwanag ni Debbie ang magiging misyon nila. Nakaharap din sila sa isang LCD monitor.

Ang unang picture na ipinakita ni Debbie sa kanila ay litrato ng isang jewelry piece. It was diamond-studded na ang pinakatampok ay isang red gemstone sa gitna. Ang pulang gemstone ay naka-enclosed sa isang silver metal na tila ahas na nakapalibot sa nasabing bato.

"Nice necklace," komento ni S.

"It's a headdress," correction ni Eli.

"Tricky," natatawang sabi ni S. "That jewelry looks old and the snake looks creepy."

"We'll talk about the snake later but as of now, we'll focus on how we can reclaim this jewelry," sabi ni Debbie. "I would like to give you first a little background of this mysterious and captivating headdress."

"My favorite part," excited na sabi ni Eli. Napansin ni Pro ang kakaibang kinang sa mga mata ng King of Aces. Ganon ang mga mata ng isang taong malaki ang paghanga o pag-ibig.

"Narinig mo na ang paliwanag ko tungkol dito," sabi ni Debbie.

"I don't mind hearing it over and over again as long as it's you, love."

Napailing si Debbie pero nangingiti naman. The couple looked very in love with each other. "About the headdress, according to the jewel's history, it was first owned by Antonina Cristobal, a Spanish woman who lived here in England during the 1700's. It was given to her by a friend as a birthday present. After she got married, she sold the jewelry to save their family business."

Another picture was shown. Portrait iyon ng isang magandang babae na may suot ng headdress. Mukhang luma na ang nasabing portrait.

"'Siya ang pamangkin ng unang bumili ng headdress. Her name is Cosette. Ang tiyuhin niya na isang count sa France ang bumili ng nasabing jewelry at ibinigay sa kanyang ika-labinlimang kaarawan. Ayon sa mga kwento-kwento, nang suutin ni Cosette ang headdress during her birthday ball, twenty men proposes to her for marriage."

"She's beautiful. Hindi naman 'yon nakapagtataka," komento ni Pro.

"Let's say ganon nga ang nangyari," sabi ni Debbie. "Eventually, Cosette was married and had a beautiful daughter. During her daughter's sixteenth birthday, she wore the headdress and after the party, noblemen proposed to her, too."

"Coincidence," sabi ni S. "Maganda rin siguro 'yong anak ni Cosette."

Debbie continued. "After few decades, the headdress was sold to save the family from bankruptcy. It was sold to a rich widow named Mademoiselle Adelie d'Blanc." Another portrait was shown. "This widow was married five times after she had the headdress."

"Five times?" paniniyak niya.

"Yes and not just ordinary men but rich and noble men. She became one of the wealthiest women during her time. Lahat ng naging asawa niya ay ginawa siyang tagapagmana. Take note, her husbands died naturally. She was even called Black Widow but nevertheless, men still wanted to marry her. Until now, the headdress is in the custody of her clan."

Isa na namang picture ang ipinakita sa monitor. It's a modern picture. Litrato iyon ng isang magandang babae na sa tingin ni Pro ay nasa early forties ang edad.

"This is Mademoiselle Estefania Icenberg, one of the richest women in France. She is one of the descendants of Adelie d'Blanc. Like her ancestor, she was married many times. Her recent husband, Roger Icenberg is a billionaire."