Grandpa's Funeral Reduced to Her Dog's Show

Footsteps thundered behind me, louder than the voice on the phone.Isaac's parents, Ted and Leah Whitaker, snatched my phone and smashed it on the ground, their faces twisted with arrogance."You're just an orphan, and you think you can lecture my daughter?" Ted barked. "Your engagement to Isaac is set in stone, and my grandpa, Cuthbert's inheritance belongs to us now. Cross Joyce again, and you can kiss your title goodbye."I stared at my shattered phone and their smug expressions. The groveling humility they'd shown Cuthbert when begging for our engagement was gone.I clutched the urn, feeling utterly disappointed. "Cuthbert saved your failing empire. Is this how you repay him?"Joyce Whitaker clicked her tongue and spat at the urn. "A crippled old man who clung to life too long. Why waste money on his funeral? Luck died saving me. He deserves this grand ceremony. Besides, you're depending on us now, and I'm just saving us some cash."Cuthbert lost the use of his left leg years

Another guest said, "Joyce is spoiled by her family, and you'll be living under their roof. Crossing her won't do you any good."A third person said, "It's just a funeral. Let Joyce do it her way. It will score you points with the family."I sneered at these sycophants before storming to the altar and smashing the dog's portrait to the ground. "I'll say it one last time. This is my grandfather's funeral. Take your crap and get out!"My family's security team arrived, and I ordered them to remove the Whitakers. But the guards, who had always followed Cuthbert's commands, hesitated and stood by the Whitakers' side."Everyone in this city knows your family's wealth is ours now," Isaac smirked. "Whose order do you think they take now?"Joyce clung to his arm, gloating, "Ours. You trashed Luck's photo and disrupted his funeral. Apologize now before we have you dragged out."The crowd jeered, fueling my rage. I roared, "You begged Cuthbert for this engagement! Now you're kicking me. Yo

...Top officials were already waiting at the drop-off point.Among them was Cuthbert's old comrade, Joseph Frazier, leaning on his cane. Tears welled up in his eyes as he watched the hearse approach.My grip on the urn tightened, my heart aching. These men had fought alongside Cuthbert.I started toward them, eager to share the injustice we'd suffered, but Ted and Leah yanked my hair, forcing me to my knees."Isaac and Joyce go first," Leah hissed. "Wait for your turn!"My scalp throbbed as I glared at Isaac and Joyce stepping off the hearse with the dog's body.Joseph's eyes widened, and he rushed to check the vehicle. "Why are you in there? This hearse is for a national hero, and you brought a dog?"He fumed with rage, itching to swing his cane at Isaac's face. I screamed, trying to get his attention, but Ted and Leah clamped my mouth shut.Isaac and Joyce didn't recognize Joseph, a man who could make or break families in this city. Holding the poodle's corpse, Isaac wave

I nodded tearfully and carried the urn toward the cemetery, flanked by the officials.Isaac and Joyce laughed mockingly, blocking the path."Still acting like some big shots," Isaac sneered. "You think you can round up our guards with your rickety old bodies?""If you're faking a powerful ally, at least pick one who looks the part," Joyce taunted me. "This guy is gonna keel over any second."Ignoring them, Joseph and I pushed forward.Just then, Ted and Leah shoved the officials aside, planting themselves in the road. Ted yelled, "Nobody moves! The dog hasn't been buried yet. You're not ruining this."Leah leaned over to Joyce. "This is prime land. I don't know how Charlotte got it, but Luck will rest in peace here. It'll ease your guilt."Joyce nodded eagerly, clutching the dog's body.I handed the urn to an official and charged up the hill, ignoring the Whitakers' attempts to stop me. When I saw Isaac stepping across the lying tombstone to bury the dog, my vision went red.I

Bound but defiant, Isaac yelled, "You know their temper. This is all your fault. Tell your sugar daddies to free us now!""Let us go!" Joyce chimed in. "Or we'll scatter his ashes!"I ignored them, stepping behind Joseph, who calmly pressed the button amid the clatter.Gunshots rang out afterward. Blood sprayed from Ted's and Leah's heads, and they collapsed to the ground, lifeless.Isaac's eyes turned crimson with rage. "You killed my parents! I'll make you pay, no matter the cost!"No one paid him any mind.I looked at the two bodies, my voice dripping with scorn. "Told you, you're messing with people way out of your league. Your family's finished, Isaac, and you're still running your mouth?""Talk big while you can!" he roared. "This city could burn, but we'd stand!"Joyce kept cursing me, oblivious to the looming danger. A squad of armed soldiers, summoned by Neville, surrounded them.Joyce froze, recognizing the marks on their guns. "Who are you? You can't hold us like th