Chapter 463 Send Heather's Ashes into Space
Ernest cleared his throat, put his hands behind his back, and gave a confident nod. "You make a good point. As the eldest son of Heather, I should cover all of her funeral expenses, even if you didn't ask. Just tell me, how much do you need? I'll transfer the money right away!"
Macy started, "The funeral expenses are twenty..."
Before she could finish, Andy jumped in, "Ernest, the total funeral expenses are one million dollars!"
"What?" Ernest's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing!
He thought fifty thousand dollars would be more than enough for the funeral!
A million-dollar funeral? That was just crazy!
Andy then smiled and explained, "Ernest, Heather was a big deal. Her funeral has to be grand to keep up her reputation. Plus, the more you spend, the more it shows your status in Houston. People will definitely praise you. What do you think?"
Ernest was even more tempted by this!
He turned to Sarah and said, "Why don't we cover the funeral expenses this time? Heather's death is a big deal, and it should be done grandly!"
Sarah frowned, feeling really angry inside!
Lately, she'd been tormented by Heather's nasty ways, and in fact, she wasn't quite sad about Heather's death, though she was her granddaughter!
Given Heather's past actions, it made sense not to cover the funeral expenses.
Now, not only were they expected to cover all the expenses, but the amount was a ridiculous million dollars!
Of course, Sarah wasn't having it! "Dad! We don't need to spend that much on the funeral! They're clearly trying to scam you!"
Andy blinked and said to Sarah, "That's not fair. This money is clearly for the funeral. How is it a scam?"
Sarah stared calmly at Andy. "Then why did your mom tell me before that two hundred thousand dollars would be enough? Why is it suddenly a million dollars?"
Andy looked a bit panicked at first, then smiled and said, "Maybe she didn't explain it well before. Two hundred thousand dollars was just part of the expenses, not the whole amount! The total cost is indeed a million dollars!"
He then looked at Ernest. "Honestly, this is up to you. If the funeral isn't grand enough, people in Houston will criticize you, not the other descendants."
Ernest started to get anxious!
He spoke to Sarah in a lower, annoyed voice, "Andy is right! It's just a million dollars. It's not a big deal for you. What's wrong with spending it on your grandmother's funeral?"
"But..." Sarah was at a loss for words.
Ernest cut her off, "Enough! Do you want to embarrass me or make me angry?"
Sarah's heart trembled slightly!
Ernest had just been discharged after surgery. If she made him sick again, she'd feel guilty for life!
But she really didn't want to fork out a million dollars!
So, she looked to Ryder for help!
Ryder stepped forward and said to Sarah, "Since Ernest has spoken, we should go along with it!"
Sarah was stunned, not getting Ryder's angle!
Before they came, he had said he wouldn't cover the expenses. Why the sudden change of heart?
While she was puzzled, Ryder turned to Andy and the others with a faint smile. "The amount spent on the funeral is a minor issue. The key is the proportion of the expenses. Over the years, the Johnson family has 'taken good care' of us. We should bear more, but covering all of it is unreasonable. Unless all of Heather's inheritance goes to Ernest, then we should cover all the funeral expenses!"
He then turned to Ernest. "What do you think?"
Ernest, a bit intimidated by Ryder, nodded repeatedly. "That makes sense. If I cover all the funeral expenses, I should inherit all the assets!"
The Johnson family members surely wouldn't accept that!
Andy said with a sour face, "According to Grandma's will, her assets should go to us!"
Ryder shrugged. "Then there's nothing more to discuss. If you inherit all the assets, you should cover all the funeral expenses!"
Andy was taken aback and could only ask Ernest, "What do you think we should do?"
Ernest, not wanting to lose face, reluctantly turned to Ryder, "Ryder, I've never asked you for anything before. Can you reconsider covering all the funeral expenses?"
Ryder frowned, thinking for a few seconds.
Then he took a deep breath and said, "Since you brought it up, I can agree! But I have a condition. If we cover the funeral expenses, the Johnson family must also chip in! Just one-tenth of what we spend! And we don't want any of Heather's inheritance! Of course, if you don't agree to bear one-tenth, we won't cover the funeral expenses! How about that?"
Ryder's words immediately sparked discussions among the Johnson family members!
If they only had to bear one-tenth of the cost, Ryder would agree to spend the money and not share the inheritance!
Thinking about it, there was no downside at all!
As long as Ryder paid, the Johnson family would return one-tenth of the amount, and the million dollars would be theirs to divide!
So, Andy nodded eagerly and said, "Ryder, you're generous! No problem! We'll do as you say!"
Ryder nodded, a sly smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "In that case, I think Heather's funeral should be not only grand in Houston but also in Texas and even nationwide. It should make the news!"
He looked around and continued, "So, a million dollars isn't enough! How about I increase it by a hundred times and spend one hundred million dollars on Heather's funeral? And you only need to contribute one-tenth, which is ten million dollars!"
Hearing this, the previously happy Johnson family members were stunned!
Ten million dollars?
They couldn't afford that!
Andy said with a bitter face, "Ryder, we don't need that much for the funeral!"
Ryder waved his hand, looking serious. "Of course we do! Because I want to buy a satellite and send Heather's ashes into space, which will really attract attention!"
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