Chapter 462 Persuasion!
That afternoon, Andy himself led a crew from the Johnson family straight to Lawrence's place.
Without a word, they grabbed everything Lawrence owned—real estate, savings, cars...
They figured all that stuff was worth at least $10 million, which astonished everyone present!
In Houston, having a million bucks in assets was pretty solid; $10 million? That was certainly enough to place one among the ranks of the wealthy elite!
Especially in recent years, everyone in the Johnson family knew exactly how much cash they were getting from the family.
Lawrence's $10 million was way over the top, most of it probably from skimming off company funds!
Of course, out of that $10 million, Andy transferred $2.4 million in cash straight into his own account!
He claimed it was for the "proper safekeeping" of the Johnson family!
Everyone knew what Andy was really up to, but no one dared to challenge him!
After all, Andy was now the new head of the Johnson family!
Nobody wanted to mess with him!
After splitting up Lawrence's assets, Andy led the crew back to the Johnson family estate.
On the way, Andy felt pretty chill and happy!
No wonder everyone was always so obsessed with power!
He finally got it!
It was just too good to resist!
Just as Andy got back to the Johnson family estate, he saw a car pull up at the gate. Out stepped Ryder, Sarah, and Ernest.
Ernest and Sarah were both dressed in black with white flowers on their chests, while Ryder was in his usual getup.
Seeing them, especially Ryder, made Andy feel a bit uneasy!
The scene from yesterday's birthday bash was still fresh in his mind!
Even though he was now the new head of the Johnson family, he knew he was no match for Ryder!
So he quickly stepped forward and greeted them, "Hey, Ryder! Come on in and have a seat!"
Ryder squinted a bit and said with interest, "It's only been a day, and your attitude towards me is totally different. What's up with that?"
Andy smiled and said, "You got it all wrong! Honestly, I've always admired and respected you! The reason for the previous drama was all Lawrence's fault. He was always badmouthing you and Sarah to the Johnson family, blaming everything on you, and confusing Grandma, leading her to make bad decisions. Back then, we had to follow Grandma's orders, but we really didn't want to go against you!"
He added, "And to be honest, I tried to convince Grandma to be fair to you and Sarah many times. I even got scolded by her for it! If you don't believe me, there are plenty of relatives who can back me up!"
Saying this, he turned and gave a look to the Johnson family members behind him!
They all nodded in agreement, backing up his story.
Ryder, of course, knew what Andy was up to, but he didn't call him out right away. Instead, he said lightly, "Well, I really appreciate your efforts over the years!"
Andy replied, "It's the least I could do!"
Right then, Ernest chimed in, "Let's head in now!"
So they all stepped inside.
With Sarah's help, Ernest shakily crossed the threshold.
When he saw the coffin in the center of the courtyard, his eyes welled up.
He took a few steps forward and finally bowed in front of the coffin.
"Mom! I'm sorry for being late," Ernest said, tears streaming down his face.
Ernest had just recovered from surgery, and getting this emotional wasn't great for his recovery.
Out of Heather's three sons, Ernest was the most straightforward.
He never fought for anything since he was a kid.
Even though he was the one Heather liked the least, Ernest didn't hold much resentment towards her.
He mostly felt helpless.
Now that Heather had suddenly passed away, as her son, he was genuinely heartbroken.
Sarah, standing beside Ernest, continued to support him.
But Sarah didn't bow to the coffin.
After all, as Heather's granddaughter, she had already done more than enough for Heather.
Ryder stood still, watching the Johnson family members from a distance with an indifferent look.
When Sandra saw Ryder and the others approach, her first instinct was to confront Ryder.
But seeing Andy's persistent signals, she had to swallow her displeasure and act like nothing was wrong.
After the mourning ended, Ernest wiped the tears from his eyes and asked Matthew, "What are your plans for Heather's funeral?"
Matthew was about to answer when Macy stepped forward and spoke first, "I was just about to discuss this with you. You know Heather's situation. She always said you were the most obedient! Now that Heather has suddenly died, we have the responsibility and obligation to make the memorial ceremony grand, right?"
Ernest nodded and said, "You're right, it should be grand! As the eldest son, I should bear some of the costs! Tell me, how should we divide the expenses?"
Hearing this, Macy first glanced at Sarah secretly.
Then she cleared her throat and said, "You are now the oldest in the Johnson family, so we discussed it and felt it was most appropriate for you to bear all the costs. After all, this involves the family's reputation, and we juniors can't compete with you for that, right?"
Hearing this, Ernest's face showed a layer of hesitation.
Macy continued to persuade him, "Just think about it. This is such a great honor! If this gets out, everyone in Houston will praise you. They would all think you are responsible. At that time, those who had some prejudice against you would definitely feel ashamed! Who would dare disrespect you then?"
Ernest was somewhat convinced by her.
Over the years, he had always been labeled as useless and a henpecked husband in Houston.
No matter what, he couldn't shake it off.
Now that Karen was missing and Heather was dead, there was really no one in the family with a higher status than him.
No one could control him anymore.
At this moment, it was indeed a good opportunity to restore his reputation in Houston!
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