Chapter 454: The Funeral
Upon hearing that, the doctor smiled slightly. “I’m honored by your kindness, Mrs. Lowell.”
Rachel hummed lightly, then instructed someone to place Janessa's body in a sealed cardboard box. Afterward, it was transported to a vehicle parked at the hospital entrance. With that, Rachel had “stolen” Janessa back.
After arriving home, Javier, waiting at the front door, carried the cardboard box to Janessa's room. After opening it, he gently helped her lie on the bed. Gazing at Janessa, he smiled, finally at ease. “Mrs. Lowell, your strategy was truly brilliant.”
Rachel scoffed, disdain tugging at the corner of her mouth. “This is nothing. The world is full of wonders. There’s so much you don’t know.”
“Mrs. Lowell, you’re truly insightful. I apologize for my ignorance,” Javier immediately apologized.
“Mhm. Watch her closely. I’m going to get the antidote.”
Javier nodded, watching Rachel walk away. At that moment, he finally dared to gaze directly at Janessa’s face, body, and every centimeter of her skin. Although she hadn’t bathed for several days and was covered in grime, Javier didn’t seem to mind. On the contrary, he looked at her with an almost covetous gaze. “Darling, you’re truly beautiful. How wonderful it’ll be if you’re mine. I promise to treat you well, cherish and protect you. Even if it means going through hell and high water for you, I wouldn’t hesitate.”
At that moment, Rachel returned with the antidote. “Help her up for me,” she instructed.
Javier immediately stepped forward and helped Janessa up, positioning her comfortably against the pillow. Rachel stepped forward, mixed the antidote with water, and fed it to Janessa. Seeing Janessa struggle to swallow, Javier gently tapped her throat, forcing her to gulp down the drug.
“How long will it take for her to wake up?” Javier asked curiously.
“A couple of days, or perhaps around a week,” Rachel responded nonchalantly. “Her body, due to the previous drug, has entered a state of dormancy. It needs to recover gradually.”
Javier nodded, released Janessa, and stood up. “What’s your plan next, Mrs. Lowell?”
“Since we’ve already set the trap, we need to see this deception through to the end,” Rachel said. “Everyone probably thinks Janessa died in prison. Let’s hold a funeral to make everyone believe it. Javier, I’m leaving this to you. Inform the media; I need everyone to know that Janessa is completely and irrevocably gone.”
The following day, news of Janessa’s funeral arrangements made headlines. Upon seeing this, netizens were utterly taken aback. After all, the events unfolding during that period were just too dramatic!
First, Rupert of the Sherritt Group fell gravely ill unexpectedly. Subsequently, Janessa stepped up to take over the family fortune, briefly placing her in the limelight. Following that, damaging information about her surfaced, leading to a continuous decline in the company’s stock value and incalculable losses. Subsequently, Cheryl ousted Janessa from her position. Further investigations revealed that Janessa had harmed Rupert. From then on, Janessa was a captive. No one anticipated that news of her sudden death would circulate just days after her incarceration.
Everything happened so abruptly. Before anyone could process it, another funeral was announced. Online criticisms aimed at Janessa finally ceased; she had passed away, and there was no point in blaming her further.
Before long, news of Janessa’s funeral reached Cheryl and Caleb. They were instantly overjoyed.
“It seems Janessa is truly dead!” Cheryl exclaimed joyfully.
“Yeah, this is great news,” Caleb agreed cheerfully. “With her gone, everything will finally be peaceful. No one will threaten the company anymore.”
“Absolutely!” Cheryl nodded. “That said, we still have to attend the funeral.”
“Why?”
Cheryl chuckled. “Are you being silly? Since she’s dead, why shouldn’t we attend and be kind-hearted? Janessa and we have always been family to the outside world. If we don’t attend, won’t we be criticized?”
“True!” Caleb smacked his forehead. “All right, let’s do it your way. The world will praise us for being compassionate and loyal.”
They burst into joyful laughter.
On the day of the funeral, three days later, it was overcast. Almost every media outlet rushed over, only to find a funeral director presiding over the ceremony. Janessa’s family was absent. Caleb and Cheryl then hurried over. As soon as the media spotted them, cameras flashed. Clad in black suits, each cradled a handful of white jasmine flowers.
Cheryl went to Janessa’s picture, placed the flowers, and began to sob theatrically. “Janessa, why did you leave this world so early? Even though I often lost my temper with you, argued with you, and we never agreed, you shouldn’t have died like that. No matter what, we will always be sisters. I was hoping prison would reform you, but to think you couldn’t bear the hardship and passed like this…”