Chapter 456: Cecilia Vaughn, You’re Too Vicious
"The results of the DNA analysis are out. Other than the victim herself, only two female DNA samples were found!"
The grave voice of the bearded forensic expert drew the attention of many. The guests present were all wealthy or esteemed, and most had received bilingual education from an early age; it wasn’t as if any of them couldn’t understand such basic English.
With their safety momentarily assured, everyone shifted their focus to whether the real killer would finally be unmasked.
"Great! That means the killer must be a woman! All the men are in the clear!"
"Hey, why must women torment each other? Just thinking about Eldest Miss Alden’s gruesome death—what resentment or hatred could have led to such a tragedy? It’s terrifying."
...
Amid a flurry of discussions, the forensic expert raised his hand, signaling for silence.
The bearded expert’s gaze swept over the gathered women like a predatory hawk, finally lingering on Cecilia Vaughn.
Cecilia’s heart skipped a beat, and instinctively, she clutched Adrian Law’s arm tighter.
"Adrian... Don’t tell me they think I’m the culprit?"
Come on, if she were the one behind Chloe’s death, she could have pushed her into the sea right after their argument at nine o’clock. Why bother returning halfway and getting into another confrontation?
Adrian had listened to Cecilia’s whole testimony; he gently drew her hand into his arm, trying to comfort her.
"Cecilia, don’t worry. If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. Besides, there’s a second woman as well."
The law is all about evidence. It’s true that Cecilia is one of the main suspects present, but just relying on the testimonies isn’t enough to convict her.
...
The forensic expert’s gaze flicked over Cecilia, his voice razor-sharp.
"That’s right, I imagine everyone’s already guessed it. Only two female DNA samples were found on the victim. One is this Eldest Miss Vaughn, and judging by the blood residue on the victim’s scalp, they definitely had a violent physical altercation."
Everyone stared at Cecilia in disbelief, pointing and whispering.
"Unbelievable! It’s actually her!"
"Yeah, but Eldest Miss Vaughn never got along with Chloe. I remember Cecilia once made Chloe publicly apologize to her on Weibo and WeChat before!"
"Ugh, old grudges plus new feuds—no wonder things got so ugly!"
"Eldest Miss Vaughn is just vicious!"
...
The way everyone looked at Cecilia now—as if she was a murderer—made her extremely uncomfortable. Her voice was icy as she questioned aloud.
"Forensic expert, why won’t you name the other woman?"
The way he keeps emphasizing her makes it seem like he’s already decided she’s the killer!
Who wouldn’t be upset?
...
The forensic expert cleared his throat, his voice colder than ever.
"Eldest Miss Vaughn, stop trying to divert everyone’s attention. The other female DNA belongs to the victim’s friend, your sister, Fiona Vaughn!"
The crowd was stunned once again.
"What? Surely a pregnant woman wouldn’t commit murder?"
"Exactly! Today’s Fiona Goddess’s wedding day—who would kill someone on their own big day?"
"Even if Miss Fiona wasn’t pregnant or getting married, she’d have no motive to kill. Sure, she was accused of having an affair with Chloe’s uncle today, but that’s not enough to drive her to murder!"
...
Fiona Vaughn, who had been hiding in her room claiming she feared bloodshed, finally emerged, leaning on Tyson Law. Her voice was sorrowful, and tears shimmered in her eyes.
"No! It could never be me!"
"Forensic expert, heaven can bear witness—Chloe was my bridesmaid while she was alive, we were good friends. Ever since she got off the plane, she’s been holding my hand, going everywhere with me. It’s only natural her DNA is on her."
Fiona wiped away her tears, eyes red and puffy; the way she cried tugged at everyone’s heartstrings.
"The most crucial thing is—I have an alibi!"
"From eight o’clock onward, I’ve been in the banquet hall with Tyson. Later, Tyson told my sister he wanted a divorce, which upset me, so I confided in Chloe. Chloe was outraged and went to confront my sister for me."
"After Chloe left, I never saw her come back and was really anxious, but then my belly started hurting. There were two security guards as witnesses—I never left!"
The crowd erupted again, all eyes now fixed on Cecilia Vaughn.
"Damn, so according to Fiona Goddess, Eldest Miss Alden stood up for her and got into a fight with Cecilia, resulting in death?!"
"Cecilia really went too far! She looks so gentle and quiet, but she’s really a beast in human clothing!"
Cecilia hadn’t expected that, even now, Fiona would still try to pin this on her.
She furrowed her brows, her tone cold as ice.
"Fiona Vaughn! Watch your mouth! When did I ever instigate Tyson Law to divorce you?"
Cecilia spoke and turned toward Tyson.
But Tyson, supporting Fiona, couldn’t meet her sharp gaze.
...
Fiona saw the two of them staring at each other from afar; a trace of malice flashed in her eyes, but her crying sounded even more wretched.
She dabbed at her tears pitifully, her pale, delicate face streaked by endless tear marks, like pearls strung loose from a necklace.
"Dear guests, I swear every word I say is true, I have no intention of falsely accusing my sister!"
Fiona took a deep breath, holding her not-so-large belly, her voice bloody and anguished as she walked toward Cecilia.
"Sister, how can you be so cruel? Chloe just wanted to save my marriage—why did you have to kill her?"
"Sister, boo-hoo-hoo, how am I supposed to face Chloe’s family after this? Chloe was so good to me!"
"Is it not enough that you slandered me and Chloe’s uncle? If admitting to all these baseless accusations could save Chloe’s life, I’d rather confess to them!"
As Fiona sobbed and tried to clear herself of the affair, Cecilia couldn’t help but laugh out of anger.
She glared, furious, pointing a finger at Fiona.
"Fiona Vaughn, actions speak louder than words. When have I ever accused you of having an affair with Chloe’s uncle?"
"What’s funniest is that now, as your friend lies dead, you use her as a shield for yourself. Do you even have a conscience? Aren’t you afraid Chloe’s ghost will come knock on your door at midnight?"
Fiona kept sobbing, her voice growing ever weaker and pitiful.
"Sister, I didn’t... Why do you have to say this about me?"
...
The forensic expert saw the sisters arguing endlessly and felt a headache coming on.
"Miss Cecilia, didn’t you say there was a female server who could provide you with an alibi? Where is she?"
Soon, the Vesperian police brought in all the female waitresses from the cruise for her to identify, but unfortunately, none of them looked like Katherine North.
Cecilia could only shake her head.
"Sorry, none of them were the one I saw that night."
Just as the situation was about to reach an impasse, a Vesperian police officer suddenly ran over, excitement in his voice!
"Partial cloud backup of the surveillance footage has been restored! I’ve found the killer!"