Joyce glowed with pride while her parents applauded her idea.

My chest burned with fury, but I held back for fear of disturbing Cuthbert's soul. Instead, I called my family's security team to haul these disgusting people away.

Joyce's eyes narrowed when she spotted Cuthbert's gold medal. "They say gold and silver help animals reincarnate as humans. This medal is perfect for Luck's burial. But the name on it has to go."

She grabbed a knife to scratch off Cuthbert's name. I lunged at her, yelling, "That's Cuthbert's medal. Are you insane? This funeral is huge because he was a hero. Put it down, or you'll regret it."

She slashed the knife across the back of my hand. "Back off! I don't mind his stench, and you're threatening me?"

Blood dripped from my hand, but I held on, wrestling the medal free, when a big hand grabbed my neck and flung me across the room. I crashed into the coffin, pain shooting through me.

"You're not even part of the family yet, and you're bullying Joyce?" Isaac Whitaker snapped.

He shielded Joyce, his face cold. "Cuthbert is gone. Why waste money on a funeral he couldn't even see? Don't forget you're living off my family now. Let Joyce's dog have this and apologize to her. It will ease her guilt."

He snatched the medal from me and handed it to Joyce, who carved Luck's name over Cuthbert's. I fumed with rage, glaring at him while recalling the time when we got engaged.

Their company went down, and they sold their houses and cars to fill the hole. He learned massage techniques from doctors abroad to help with Cuthbert's leg, which moved me and earned my consent.

Otherwise, his family wouldn't even have qualified to sweep our floors. Now, he was humiliating me and Cuthbert's legacy for Joyce.

"Isaac!" I shouted. "You said you'd handle the funeral to spare me grief. Was it all just for her dog?"

He shoved me aside, annoyed, as I reached for the medal. "So what? Cuthbert lived a cushy life. He is dead, and you're still burning cash on him? And you have the nerve to threaten Joyce. I know Cuthbert was corrupt, hoarding money at home. I haven't reported him out of respect for our old times."

Cuthbert's merit deserved a funeral overseen by top officials, but Isaac's earnest pleas had convinced me to let him take charge. Now I saw it was all for Joyce.

Guests trickled in, witnessing the scene. One said, "Cuthbert left you a fortune, but a girl like you can't manage it. Apologize to Isaac and thank him for running the house."

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. You know what? I'm done! The engagement is off!"

...

The room erupted in mocking laughter.

"Still acting like a princess? Without your family's support, you're nothing."

"Isaac's a catch, and you're an orphan nobody wants. You don't know what you're talking about."

"The Whitakers value decorum. They won't tolerate this insolence. She'll pay for it."

Ted and Leah stormed over, each slapping me hard across the face.

"We prize virtue and grace," Leah said. "If Joyce weren't adopted, she'd be our ideal daughter-in-law. You think you can disrespect Isaac in public? Without him, you wouldn't even be at a funeral this grand."

My head spun from the blows. Isaac watched my humiliation with a cold smirk, his arm around Joyce's waist.

"The one to call off the engagement should be me," he said.

Joyce egged him on. "Look, she doesn't even want to marry you. Just call it off and kick her out. Let's see who'd take her, and we don't have to sneak around anymore."

"You two have been together behind my back?" I rasped, incredulous. "Isaac, you remember the contract Cuthbert signed with your family? If you call off the engagement or cheat, my family pulls all funding from your company."

Isaac froze, panic flashing across his face.

"That contract was signed when the old man was alive," Joyce laughed. "He's dead now, making that contract invalid. Besides, it's a different situation now. Your family needs us more."

Isaac relaxed, grinning as he patted her head. "That's right. We don't need them. Even if I end it, she'll come crawling back."

Turning to me, he said, "I'll grant your wish if you hand over all his assets."

I was stunned by his audacity. His family was dirt poor back then, and now he was eying Cuthbert's million-dollar fortune.

His shamelessness unnerved me. I grabbed a guard's phone and called the company to check on Cuthbert's inheritance.

The staff on the other end confirmed my worst fears. Three days ago, Isaac had transferred all of Cuthbert's assets to himself under the pretense of reviewing them.

My hands shook, and I yelled, "You've been scheming for Cuthbert's money this whole time? You'd better give it back as soon as possible! That's government compensation!"

He was unfazed. "You've been lording your family's wealth over Joyce forever. Without it, you're nothing. Let's go, Joyce. We're burying Luck."

He carried the dog toward the hearse, and Joyce stuck out her tongue at me. "Big shots get fancy hearses. Luck is getting the VIP treatment today."

I clutched the urn, sneering as they climbed into the hearse. That vehicle was sent by top officials to transport Cuthbert to the cemetery for burial.

It was a privilege reserved for first-class merit recipients. No one else dared use it.

The leaders were waiting at the cemetery to mourn Cuthbert. If they saw Isaac and Joyce step out with a dog, their entire family would be finished.

Picturing their doom delighted me.

"Get over here and drive!" Isaac shouted. "Pray out loud for Luck the whole way! Do you hear me?"

Joyce leaned out the window, smirking. "Make it loud, Charlotte. After the funeral, we'll let Cuthbert have a turn in the hearse. Thank me already."

I stood firm, unmoved.

Ted and Leah grabbed my hair, dragging me toward the hearse. "Do it! If Joyce is not happy, no one will be. And you will suffer!"

My scalp burned, but as the hearse rolled forward, I didn't resist. The more they acted out, the worse their downfall would be.

At the cemetery, the hearse pulled up slowly.