Chapter 426 Respect the Dead
Infuriated, Ruka chided, “Quiet! Respect the dead, will you?”
Caitlyn and Reese wanted to say something, but Ruka and the Larsons were not looking too happy, so they glared at Veronica and stepped aside in silence.
Veronica stepped through the crowd and came to Tiffany’s gravestone. A line of golden words were engraved on the surface. It read, ‘Here lies Tiffany Larson.’ A black-and-white photo was placed right above that line. Tiffany was smiling sweetly in the photo; her eyes were clear and innocent.
Veronica had no idea when this photo was taken, but seeing the photo of someone that resembled herself on a gravestone was bizarre for her. She hated and envied Tiffany before, but now that she was nothing more than a pile of ashes, all that hatred disappeared. She stood before the gravestone and bowed deeply, then she placed a white lily on it before walking to the side.
The Larsons stood beside her and she was shocked to see how much they aged in one night. They were no longer the proud couple they once were. Having to witness their child die was a harrowing experience. The death of their daughter traumatized them and all the light in their life was snuffed out, leaving nothing but a husk of darkness behind.
“Uhm…” She had a lot that she wanted to say, but she could not bring herself to say it. Matthew uploaded a voice recording online months ago to prove her innocence and that recording was provided by the Larsons. As Tiffany’s parents, they should have protected her, but in the end, they gave her up to prove Veronica’s innocence.
Due to that, Veronica was still in disbelief even until this moment. Everything just screamed of a conspiracy. Still, it did not matter why they did it. Maybe they were scared of Matthew or maybe they had other reasons, but she had to thank them. She heaved a sigh and said, “My condolences.”
With dark circles under his eyes, the man looked at Veronica and heaved a sigh as if he had seen better days. He held Rachel, who was crying in silence.
At the sight of their grievance, Veronica had no idea how to comfort the couple, so she left. Matthew left a lily for Tiffany and bowed to the gravestone. He talked to Floch for a moment and left.
Trudging down the hill, Veronica was carrying a heavy heart. It was hard to accept when someone who resembled so much like her had died just like that. They might be at odds when she was alive, but Veronica still thought it was unbelievable.
She stayed inside the car for a while before Matthew entered. He noticed how dejected she was, so he went around it and opened the passenger seat’s door. He leaned ahead and held her in his embrace. “Don’t think too much about it,” he comforted her.
Veronica shook her head. “I just think all of this smells fishy. Caleb said someone made Tiffany’s death look like a suicide, but it’s actually a murder. Who’s the one behind this? And who took Randy away?” All the ‘coincidences’ in this case told Veronica that things were not as simple as she thought. “I…” A woman’s sixth sense was powerful and she knew that they were only scratching the surface, so she wanted to investigate.
However, Matthew cut her off upon hearing her words. “The Larsons’ case is none of your business and Floch and Rachel are handling their company’s affairs. They’re leaving Bloomstead next. Randy probably isn’t missing. They’ve sent him abroad, maybe. He probably crossed some business rival.”
“You have a point, but…” She pushed him away and frowned. “Who did he cross anyway? Nobody in Bloomstead can push them into a corner. Nobody but you.”
Matthew had no argument for that. They locked eyes and she was staring at him with burning curiosity as if she could see through him.
He stayed silent for a moment and nodded. “Yes. I did it.”
“Why?” Veronica could not understand why he did this.
“I didn’t kill Tiffany, but I wasn’t going to let the Larsons off the hook after what they did to you. It’s just a coincidence she died when I was sabotaging the Larsons.” He heaved a sigh and held the door frame while a frown furrowed his brows. “I had to teach them a lesson.”
In fact, this entire incident had nothing to do with Matthew at all. Had he not confessed, Veronica would have grown even more curious about the real mastermind; she would look into the case herself. Moreover, Matthew promised Crayson that he would keep this a secret. Of course, he was not going to tell her about it; he would rather she misunderstood everything.
“So, it’s you!” She pursed her lips and heaved a sigh. “And I thought she died because the Larsons did something really wrong. So, it was just an accident. Still, this is still a bit hard to accept.” Yes, it was. Tiffany’s death came too suddenly.
“Don’t overthink it. Just take care of yourself.” He patted her head and buckled her up, then gave her a kiss. He then closed the door and went to the driver’s seat before driving away.
Along the journey, it remained quiet in the car. Quiet enough that the only sound was the engine’s hum. Veronica was staring outside the window and she felt something was wrong. Some pieces of the puzzle did not add up, but she could not put a finger on it. They eventually came home and she went to the study for a gaming session to distract herself.
During the afternoon, Matthew made a feast for lunch, but Veronica had no appetite as she only took a few bites. Exhaustion washed over her and she went to lie down on the bed, but she fell asleep instead. Eventually, her phone ringing woke her up. “Yvonne?” She groggily picked it up and was surprised that Yvonne was calling her.
To her surprise, the first thing that she heard was Yvonne crying from the other end. “Where the hell are you, Veronica?”
Her cries woke her up and Veronica sat up on the bed. “What’s wrong?”
“I-I’m bleeding. What should I do? I’m scared!” Yvonne was bawling in fear.
Veronica froze for a moment to process what she just heard. She then pulled her blanket away and changed into her flip-flops. “Where are you? I’ll go to your place right now. Call the ambulance or get a ride to the hospital.”
“I’m at home. I called the ambulance, but they’re stuck in traffic. What… What if I lose the baby? I’m scared…”
