Belinda’s expression softened.

She said, “You don’t have to mind what others say. They don’t want you or Celine to be the next matriarch.

“The Fisher family has been around for a century. We’ve been through ups and downs. What else out there that we’ve yet to encounter?

“We’ve overshadowed our distant relatives for many years, so of course they’d be dissatisfied and want to move up the hierarchy whenever possible. They must’ve been the ones who spread the rumors too.”

Belinda could never tell Caroline that she herself was the one who had caused her sisters' deaths.

Those who knew about it were all dead and all evidence was destroyed by her. Thinking about it, did she forget anyone?

It had been decades since the incident. She would never admit to her crime if there was no concrete evidence.

Her nieces were young back then, so any recollection they had was vague at best. Plus, they were difficult to locate. For decades, she had been keeping an ear to the ground about her nieces