Evelyn's POV
The room remained quiet after my answer.
Although the tension hadn't disappeared, it had changed. Instead of uncertainty, there was now a shared understanding that everyone inside the room was working toward the same goal.
Victor was the first to break the silence.
He stepped away from the window and stopped near the center of the room, his posture as composed as ever while his eyes settled calmly on each of us.
"Before we go any further," he began, "there is something I need everyone to understand."
His gaze finally rested on me.
"What I'm asking of Miss Hart tonight is not what some of you may already be imagining."
No one interrupted him.
My father remained standing beside me, while Adrian and my mother watched Victor carefully, waiting for him to continue.
"You are not replacing Miranda."
He spoke the words clearly.
"No one expects Miss Hart to become Miss Cross, and no one in this room will ask her to pretend otherwise."
