Chapter 79

Chapter 79

The next second, a man in a black suit stepped out of the car.

He walked up to Richard respectfully. "Mr. Davis, I've brought all the documents you requested."

Richard tilted his chin toward Thomas. "Take them over to him."

"What's all this about, making such a big deal out of it?" When the man walked toward Thomas with the documents, Thomas snatched them right out of his hands.

The moment he flipped to the first page, his eyes froze.

It was a cemetery property transfer agreement, and Richard's name in the transferee field seemed to blur before his eyes.

Thomas's hands shook uncontrollably as he gripped the documents. "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

This was the Smith family's cemetery. How could someone just go ahead and buy it?

How could this be happening?

Thomas threw the documents to the ground. "You forged this! It's fake! The cemetery belongs to the Smith family — we never signed any transfer agreement!"

The man beside him spoke calmly. "Mr. Smith, the property rights to this land have always belonged to the city cemetery management authority. Your family only leased it for fifty years, with twenty years still remaining on the lease."

"Yesterday, Mr. Davis signed the agreement with the management authority and acquired permanent ownership of this land. Everything here now belongs to Mr. Davis."

Hearing this, Vivian panicked. She grabbed Thomas's arm. "Thomas, what do we do now? He actually bought the land!"

Thomas was already irritated enough.

Vivian's words only made it worse.

He shook her off and jabbed his finger at Richard, shouting, "You're using your money and power to bully people! I'm telling you, I'm not letting this go! I'll sue you!"

Richard didn't even look at him. He just tilted his chin toward the bodyguards nearby.

Two bodyguards immediately stepped forward and grabbed Thomas by both arms.

"What are you doing! Let go of me!" Thomas struggled frantically. "Richard, you dare lay a hand on me? I'll fight you to the end!"

But he was completely powerless now — he didn't even have a chance to get near Richard.

As Thomas's voice faded into the distance, the cemetery grew much quieter.

Charlotte stood where she was, watching Richard, feeling a little surprised.

She had known Richard would step in to help her, but she hadn't expected him to buy the entire cemetery. From now on, she could come whenever she wanted, without ever having to answer to Thomas again.

"Thank you," Charlotte said.

"Do you really need to thank me?" Richard reached out and smoothed the hair the wind had blown across her face. "Go on in. I'll go with you."

Charlotte nodded and turned to walk deeper into the cemetery.

Richard followed behind her, always staying one step back.

The cemetery was completely still, with nothing to hear but the soft rustle of wind through the leaves.

Charlotte walked step by step to William's headstone. In the photo on the stone, William wore a kind and gentle smile.

She crouched down, reached into her bag, and took out the watch, setting it gently on the headstone.

"Grandpa, I came to see you." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I found my birth parents. They treat me really well. I'm the heir to Bliss Group now, and no one will ever be able to push me around again."

"I got the watch back. There was a small hiccup along the way, but I had it repaired. Don't worry — I'll take good care of it."

"I won't let Thomas and the others bully me anymore either. You don't have to worry about me."

She stayed crouched in front of the headstone for a long time, saying so much, while Richard stood quietly nearby the whole time, waiting for her.

Richard handed her a bottle of water. "Have some water."

Charlotte took it and had a sip, then put the watch back on her wrist and bowed deeply to the headstone.

"Grandpa, I'm going now. I'll come visit you often."

With that, she turned and walked out with Richard.

Just as they reached the entrance, Thomas — who had been forced out but refused to accept it — came charging at Charlotte like a madman. "Charlotte, stop right there!"

Richard stepped forward, planting himself firmly in front of her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

He stared at Thomas, his eyes cold.

Thomas didn't dare get any closer to Richard, so he just shouted past him at Charlotte. "Charlotte, don't get too smug! What did going into the cemetery even do for you? William never considered you his granddaughter! The only one he ever cared about was Stella!"

Charlotte stopped and looked back at him.

"Whether Grandpa accepted me or not, I know the answer in my heart," Charlotte said, her voice calm. "Unlike some people, who spent his money their whole lives without ever showing him a single moment of genuine care." "Don't come back here anymore. Next time, it won't be as simple as just throwing you out."

With that, she took Richard's hand and got in the car.

As the car pulled away, Thomas and Vivian's figures shrank smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, until they disappeared completely.

The car was quiet. Richard glanced over at Charlotte. "Don't let it get to you. That's just who they are."

"I know." Charlotte leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. "I just feel bad for Grandpa. He raised Thomas for all those years, and that's how it ended up. It's not fair to him."

"Stop thinking about it." Richard reached over and took her hand. "It's all in the past. From now on, I'm here — no one's going to push you around again."

Charlotte opened her eyes and looked at Richard. His gaze was completely sincere, and her reflection filled his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked away, turning toward the car window.

"By the way," Charlotte said, deliberately changing the subject, "when did you buy the cemetery? How did I not know anything about it?"

"Last night," Richard said. "When you told me you wanted to go, I figured Thomas might show up and cause trouble, so I had someone contact the cemetery management authority overnight and get the property."

"That must have cost a lot," Charlotte said.

"Not really." Richard smiled. "As long as it's for you, no amount of money is too much."

Charlotte felt a warmth settle in her chest as she listened.

About half an hour later, Richard dropped her off at the Brown Farm.

He said goodbye. "I've still got things to take care of. I'll come find you when I'm done."

"Okay."

Charlotte watched him leave, then turned and went inside.

As soon as she walked into the living room, she saw Ellie sitting on the couch.

The moment Ellie spotted her, she jumped up and came over. "Charlotte, I heard you went to see Mr. William Smith. Did everything go okay?"