Chapter 44 The Funeral

Chapter 44 The Funeral
Early that morning——
Ellie grabbed a sharp hairpin from the table and pressed it against her throat.
"Get Jack and others to see me!"
Startled, the maid hurried off to fetch them.
Jack burst in, snatched the hairpin, and threw it on the floor. "Stop this nonsense! The dinner is about to start!"
Ellie looked up. "I want to see Grandmother!"
Jack roared, "She's dead!"
"What about the funeral?"
"She was buried this morning!"
"I'm going to say goodbye to her."
"We'll talk after dinner!"
Ellie reached for the scissors on the table, her eyes fixed on his neck.
Frowning, Jack took a step back.
Lily walked in through the doorway. "Let her go. Just ten minutes."
——
At the cemetery, Ellie ran into Dennis.
He'd changed into a crisp black suit and combed his hair neatly.
Jack stepped forward and called out, "Dad?"
Dennis turned around and flashed a gentle smile. "You're here. Come lay a bouquet for Grandma."
"Grandma committed suicide. Did you encourage her to do it?" Ellie asked, staring at him.
Jack jerked his head up, gazing at his father.
He had never imagined things would turn out this way.
"I don't understand what you're talking about." Dennis kept smiling.
Ellie walked toward the headstone, reached out to gently touch her grandmother's photo, then slowly ran her hand over the entire headstone.
An atmosphere of sorrow filled the air.
Raindrops fell on her face, making her look like she was crying.
——
West City.
In the brightly lit banquet hall, Walter Torres and his son, Ethan, were condemning the atrocities committed by the "hidden" organization.
A flurry of camera flashes erupted as media reporters captured the scene below.
Meanwhile, in a dim corridor on the lower level, two figures in black suits stood before a heavy metal door.
The door swung open.
It was a hidden office.
The two entered.
"Tyler, you've worked hard this time," the older man said with a smile, handing him a cigar.
Tyler waved it off and lit a slim menthol cigarette instead.
"Let's get down to business—dividends, access rights, and territory allocation. The sooner, the better." He sank back into the sofa with a relaxed air.
"Ha! You really don't mince words with me, do you?" The older man burst into laughter, then deliberately set his face sternly. "You'll have to ask your father about that!"
Tyler crossed his legs and leaned back.
"My dad's share belongs to him. Uncle, this is the handover of the 'hidden faction.' What's mine is mine, not a penny less."
Cameron Torres pointed a finger at him. "I knew you were ambitious! We agreed it was just a show, but that car crash nearly sent us over the edge. Were you trying to murder me?"
Tyler flicked ash from his cigarette. "Just a minor incident. Does a 'Shadow Lord' like you really fear a little commotion?"
"Cut the crap! You know I have old injuries. And I'm getting old; I can't handle roughhousing like you young folks."
Tyler stood up and smiled as he touched Cameron's solid pectoral muscles.
"You don't look injured."
"The injury is in the chest!" Cameron pointed to his chest, then asked, "The family's victory banquet is tonight."
Tyler thought for a moment. "Then I'll leave tomorrow."
Cameron flipped through the documents in his hand and got down to business. "This internal shake-up of the Torres family was a success. You two brothers cooperate very well!"
"Stop flattering me. If you keep this up, I'll take your spot." Tyler tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"You insolent boy!" Cameron glared at him, then turned serious. "Hold on. We still need to hide our true intentions. As for the media..."
Tyler waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever. Since we're operating in the shadows, no one knows who I am anyway."
Cameron smiled and lowered his voice. "Your father plans to expand into the mainland market."
Tyler looked surprised. "We're not continuing our overseas expansion?"
"The mainland market is big enough," Cameron said, looking at him. "I hear you go there often. You should be pretty familiar with it. Would you like to scout things out first?"
Tyler nodded. "Okay."
At the entrance to the basement, a group of men in black suits stood.
Jerry stood with his arms crossed against the wall.
Patrick paced back and forth, occasionally adjusting the collars of his comrades on duty.
"Can you just settle down? If you keep moving like that, I'll kill you!" Jerry snapped.
Patrick shrugged. "I'm bored!"
"By the way, once we wrap things up here, would you like to go to Sunny City for a few days? Want to swap shifts?" Jerry asked.
Patrick raised an eyebrow. "Beg me."
Jerry cursed under his breath.
Patrick opened the backup system on his phone. "Let me see if any hot girls have messaged me."
Jerry's eyes lit up. "Are there really that many beauties over there?"
"Of course!" Patrick said, tapping open his messaging app.
A rapid succession of notification sounds suddenly rang out.
"Good heavens! So many people are looking for you?" Jerry said enviously,
But the smile on Patrick's face suddenly froze.
He looked at the message from Peter, and his face instantly turned ashen.
He snatched his phone away and grabbed the gun from Jerry's waistband.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several bullets shattered the door lock.
Jerry was shocked. "Are you crazy?! The Shadow Lord and the Young Master are still talking!"
Ignoring him, Patrick charged toward the basement.