Crescentia wiped her tears with the back of her hand before speaking, her voice steady despite the weight of her words.
"I'm not sure who did it, but whoever killed my parents—I will expose them and make sure they are punished."
A hush fell over the gathering. The other guests watched her with a mixture of sympathy and unease. She was still just a young girl who had lost everything, and the fact that her parents' deaths might not have been an accident—that someone out there could still be plotting against her—sent a cold shiver down their spines.
Victoria could feel her carefully constructed facade cracking. She had to put an end to this before Crescentia said something truly dangerous.
With practiced grace, she stepped in front of her niece, blocking the flashing cameras from capturing Crescentia's determined expression.
