The next day I was going to the park with Summer when a few reporters approached us. Their cameras flashed instantly, catching us off guard. A man with a notepad and an eager, almost predatory look stepped forward, blocking our path.

"Yukina Kumo-Astrino!" he called, his voice loud enough to make heads turn. "Do you have any comments on the rumors about your sister and her boyfriend's criminal connections?"

I froze, my heart pounding. I could feel the eyes of strangers around us, waiting for a response. Summer moved protectively beside me, her hand gripping my arm as she shot the reporter a sharp glare.

"Back off. She’s got nothing to say to you," Summer snapped, trying to steer me away.

But the reporters were persistent, swarming around us like vultures. Another one—a woman with a microphone—pushed forward, thrusting it close to my face. "Yukina, do you agree with your sister’s choices? Is it true your family cut her off financially after the scandal broke?"

The questions kept coming, one after another, each more invasive than the last. I felt myself shrink under the onslaught, wanting nothing more than to disappear. But then I remembered Reika's words, the subtle reminder that I couldn’t run from this.

“I have no comment,” I finally managed, keeping my voice steady. I had to protect what was left of our family’s dignity, however fragile it might be.

"What about the scandal with your mother?"

"What scandal?"

"About Mrs. Argyros Astrino, and your aunts Areti and Sophoneia?"

The question hit me like a slap. My heart lurched, and I could feel Summer tense beside me, confusion flickering in her eyes. I hadn't heard anything about a scandal involving my mother or my aunts—not one word. But now, here was a reporter asking me about something that sounded serious, something that had been kept from me.

“Wait, what are you talking about?” I said, barely able to keep the shock out of my voice. The reporters closed in, sensing a potential slip-up.

The woman with the microphone raised an eyebrow. “So you haven’t heard? There are whispers that your aunt, Argyros Astrino, didn’t pass away naturally—that there might’ve been... foul play involved.”

A gasp escaped me before I could stop it. I tried to read Summer’s face for any sign that she’d heard of this, but she looked just as stunned as I was. My head spun as I tried to make sense of it. Aunt Argyros had died years ago, and as far as I knew, it had been from a long-standing illness. But now… foul play? That made no sense.

“I— I don’t know anything about that,” I stammered, glancing at Summer for support. She immediately put an arm around me, protectively guiding me out of the crowd.

“Hey!” she snapped at the reporters, her voice hard. “That’s enough! You’re done here.”

With her help, we managed to push through the crowd and make our way back to the car. I could feel my pulse hammering in my ears, my mind racing through every interaction I’d ever had with Aunt Argyros, with my mother, and with my other aunts. Could there really have been more to her death than I knew?

Once we were safely inside the car, Summer looked at me, her eyes full of worry and questions she didn’t voice. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

“I didn’t know… anything about Aunt Argyros’ death being suspicious,” I said, barely above a whisper.

Summer nodded, seeming to choose her words carefully. “Maybe it’s just a rumor, Yuki. People in the media love twisting family histories, especially for families like yours.”

I wanted to believe her, to dismiss this as some baseless scandal manufactured to sell tabloids. But a small, gnawing doubt crept into my mind. Why would Reika have kept something like that hidden from me? And why had she been so fixated on the idea of our family’s “fall”?