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.
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."
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