Chapter 254 Hayden's Funeral
When Hayes walked into the hospital room, Hayden was half-sitting up in bed, looking pale as a ghost, and every breath seemed like a battle. Hayden gathered his strength, glanced at me and Edward, and motioned for Hayes to take a seat.
Hayes pulled out a notepad and pen from his briefcase, ready to jot down notes. Hayden took a deep breath and said slowly, "I've decided to allocate 20% of my company shares to set up a charitable foundation for kids who've lost their families in accidents."
He then looked at Edward and me and continued, "The rest of my estate will go to Diana and her unborn child."
Edward was stunned for a moment but quickly pulled himself together. He looked at Hayden and said, "Dad."
But Hayden weakly waved his hand and said, "I've made up my mind. Don't try to change it."
From that moment on, Hayden's condition was up and down. But just a week later, his health took a nosedive, and the heart monitor's lines started going crazy.
Despite the doctors' best efforts, they couldn't stop the inevitable. A long, heart-wrenching beep from the monitor signaled that Hayden's vital signs had finally faded.
Seeing this, Edward slowly walked to the bedside, his hands shaking as he gently closed Hayden's eyes.
I stood behind Edward, gently patting his shoulder.
"Diana, I don't have a dad anymore!" Edward sobbed, sounding like a lost child.
The memory of Mia's death suddenly flashed in my mind, and a wave of sorrow washed over me.
On the day of the funeral, the atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy.
Hayes, dressed in a somber black suit, stood solemnly to the side, tightly holding the will, ready to read it. Anne's eyes were swollen from crying, with tear stains still visible at the corners, but beneath her sadness, there was a faint glimmer of expectation.
As Hayes clearly announced, "I leave all my estate to Diana and her unborn child..." Anne let out a gut-wrenching wail. Without a moment's hesitation and completely disregarding propriety, she bolted forward so quickly that no one had a chance to react.
She grabbed the will from Hayes' hands and, with a hysterical scream, tore it into countless pieces, which fluttered down like snowflakes.
"This can't be! Why does she get everything? I'm your daughter, Dad!" Anne screamed, her voice hoarse.
I was so startled by the sudden outburst that I stood up in a panic, instinctively waving my hands to try to calm her down. "Anne, please calm down."
"Shut up!" Anne turned her head and glared at me with hatred.
Her chest heaved violently as she gasped for breath. "You divorced Edward, so why are you here to take what's mine? You must have manipulated Dad into doing this! You scheming woman!"
Edward's face changed dramatically at this. He grabbed Anne, his face full of anxiety and helplessness, and tried to reason with her. "Anne, stop it. Dad had his reasons. This is his funeral. Don't make it harder for him to rest in peace."
"Edward, you're siding with Diana? Dad gave everything to her. What about me? What do I mean to him after all these years?" Anne shouted.She struggled wildly, her hands flailing and feet kicking, trying to break free from Edward's grip.
Her hair was a mess, with strands sticking to her tear-streaked face. Her once delicate makeup was now a smudged mess, and she no longer looked like the sweet girl she usually was, but more like a trapped beast. "Get out! Just leave me alone!" Anne collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
I knew Anne had always desperately sought Hayden's love, and this will felt like a denial of her identity as his daughter.
Edward slowly crouched down and gently held Anne in his arms. "Anne, don't cry. No matter what happens, I'll always protect you."
I knelt beside Anne, ignoring her harsh words, and sincerely said, "Anne, I never wanted to take anything from you."
But Anne looked at me coldly and said, "Stop pretending. Do you really think that taking the inheritance lets you play the good person in front of me?"
My eyes welled up with tears, and I quickly explained, "Anne, I never had any ulterior motives. I don't want this either. If you want the inheritance, you can have it."
"Diana," Edward called out to me, "the inheritance is what Dad left for you and the baby. As for Anne's share, I'll make sure she gets it."
Anne's emotions gradually calmed down in response to Edward's words. Her body stopped trembling so violently, though she still occasionally sobbed.
Noticing that Anne's emotions were stabilizing a bit, Edward slowly stood up and guided her to a nearby chair. He turned to Hayes and nodded, signaling that the funeral could proceed.
Then Hayes took out a backup copy of the will from his folder and continued reading.
This time, Anne didn't rush forward. She sat quietly in the chair, her head resting on Edward's shoulder.
The funeral proceeded according to plan.
Gazing at Hayden's pale body, Anne felt a surge of conflicting emotions.
I knew that most of the people at the funeral, aside from a few close relatives of the Howard family, had their own agendas.
After all, the Howard family held a significant position in Wind City's business world, and Hayden himself was a powerful figure in the industry. His sharp vision and decisive actions made him a leader in the community. And his sudden death was bound to cause some turmoil in the business world.
Some business partners, while appearing solemn on the surface, occasionally revealed a flicker of cunning in their eyes, as if they were already scheming about how the shifts in the Howard family's business could serve their own interests.
Others, so-called friends, were there just to make an appearance and maintain social ties. Their words of comfort were perfunctory, and their expressions of sorrow were insincere. Even when paying their respects, they showed no genuine emotion.
Some were already secretly conspiring, planning to take advantage of the Howard Group's internal chaos to suppress its main businesses and carve up its market share.
As I quietly watched these people's actions, a distinct voice suddenly rang out from behind me, "Diana!"
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