Chapter 3

But I quickly pulled myself together. I called my office. "It's with great sadness I inform you that Mr. Sterling has passed away. I'll be back this afternoon to take over the company's operations..."

"I...I won't let Richard's legacy simply disappear!" Richard had no other immediate family in this world besides Brandon and me.

I didn't want him lying cold and alone in the morgue.

So, I quickly arranged for his cremation.

After the cremation, I went straight back to the office.

"Ms. Sterling, you're so strong..."

"Mr. Sterling's passing is so tragic, yet you're still thinking of the company, still coming back to work..."

"Exactly. Ms. Sterling is the only daughter of the Sterling empire, a pampered heiress who never had to lift a finger in her youth. Now, she has to manage the company herself."

"Without Mr. Sterling, she's utterly alone and vulnerable."

I choked back a sob, grasping their hands. "Richard is gone, but the company must endure. I will see it through."

With that, I walked into the office and signed the appointment letter as Chairman of the Board.

This company had originally been given by my father to Richard when he married into our family. Now that I was taking over, it was perfectly reasonable.

The next few days were a blur of activity.

Richard's multi-million dollar estate needed to be settled, and there was the multi-billion dollar insurance policy to claim.

The insurance agent, though initially questioning the timing of Richard's policy purchase and death, sighed and stamped the documents after reviewing the case files.

A few days later, Brandon and Brooke returned from their honeymoon.

Their return coincided with Richard's memorial service.

I had prepared offerings since early morning, carrying the urn as I walked out.

Seeing me, Brandon frowned. "I've already heard."

He glanced up and down at the urn in my hands, his voice impatient. "Didn't a dog just die at home? Do you need to be so solemn?"

A dog?

I remembered. Because Richard's death was so scandalous, I had paid a large sum to silence all media.

But I hadn't expected the official story to be that it was my beloved dog's memorial service.

Later, considering the difficulty of media work, I didn't bother to correct it.

I opened my mouth to explain, but Brooke scoffed. "Vivian, Richard's money will all be left to Brandon and me eventually."

"So, what you're wasting now is our money!"

"You're spending our money on a dog's funeral, did you even ask for our permission?!"

With that, she turned to the bodyguards standing by. "What are you staring at? Go on, dismantle all this stuff!"

The bodyguards exchanged uneasy glances, unsure what to do.

I trembled with rage. "Brandon!"

"Look at the wonderful daughter-in-law you've chosen! She's utterly disrespectful!"

Brandon was visibly stunned.

He rarely saw me lose my temper like this.

A moment later, he growled in a low voice, "Mom! Brooke isn't wrong!"

He pulled a small seashell from his pocket. "She even went out of her way to buy you a gift. What a great daughter-in-law, isn't she?"

I glanced at the luxury shopping bags Brooke was carrying.

All international brands. Clearly meant for Camille.

But now, I was past caring.

Camille wouldn't be receiving them anyway.

Clutching the urn, I ignored them and started walking out. "If you still care about your father, follow me."

But I hadn't taken more than a few steps.

A hand suddenly grabbed my hair from behind and yanked it back. "I was kind enough to buy you a gift, and you're so ungrateful!"

"You're ignoring me for a dog! You can forget about me ever calling you 'Mom'!"

Caught off guard, the urn slipped from my hands and smashed to the ground.

Ashes scattered everywhere.

My eyes instantly burned red. "You! Do you even know what this is?!"

Brooke looked down, prodding the pile of ashes with her foot. "Just a dog's ashes."

She wrinkled her nose in disgust, then stomped on them. "What's the difference between this and trash?!"

"My mom was right, you really are a jealous shrew! If my mom had met Richard earlier, you wouldn't even be in the picture!"

I stared at the mess on the floor, my ears ringing.

But Brandon didn't see anything wrong with Brooke's actions.

He pulled a few bills from his pocket, tossed them onto the ashes, and said. "Mom, stop making a fuss. This is enough for you to buy a few new dogs. Clean it up quickly, don't make the house a mess!"

I completely lost it.

I grabbed a wooden stick from the corner of the yard and swung it at him with all my strength.

"You disobedient brat! You ungrateful son!"

"Your father is dead! You're defiling his ashes! I'll beat you senseless!"

Brandon dodged, shouting back, "Will you ever let it go?! Still cursing my dad!"

"Richard loved Camille for years! He never should've been so weak, staying with you instead of just divorcing-"

His words were cut off as a group of people stepped through the gate into the yard.

They carried white funeral wreaths and somber black banners. At their center was Richard's portrait in black and white.

The funeral director leading them stopped short at the sight on the ground. "Mrs. Sterling, what happened to Mr. Sterling's ashes?"

Brandon froze.

All the color drained from his face.

"You.." he stammered, his lips trembling. "What did you just say?"