?Chapter 1678:


    Their wives and children stood frozen for a while, then surged forward to pull them apart.


    “Enough! Your mom is already gone—arguing won’t change that! We need to focus on preparing her funeral!”


    Conor shed a contemptuous look at Jalen and said, “You take care of it. I’m done here.”


    He then dragged his wife and children toward the door.


    Jalen jabbed a trembling finger toward Conor’s retreating figure and cursed, “You monster! Mom is dead, and you just walk away like this?”


    At the building’s entrance, Conor halted and dropped to his knees, sobs wracking his body. He couldn’t bear to abandon his mother, even after her death. Turning around, he collided with Jalen as he descended the stairs.


    Jalen said, “I have no money left. A funeral costs too much, and I’m tapped out. My job could be in jeopardy, and I have too many obligations. I won’t handle Mom’s funeral. If you refuse to hold a funeral for her, then I won’t, either.”


    Rage rose in Conor at that. Heunched himself at Jalen and sent him crashing to the floor. “Are you even human? That’s our mother you’re abandoning. If you don’t act, Jalen, I’ll go to your office and make a scene. You’ll lose your job and any chance of promotion.”


    Jalen retorted sharply, “You wouldn’t dare!”


    Conor roared, “I’m serious! I’m awyer, and I know exactly what unsettles officials like you. Try me, Jalen.”


    Sandra had spent thest several days buried in party nning, touring one luxury restaurant after another in search of the perfect venue for her birthday celebration. Hosting more than two hundred guests, she realized, would cost more than twenty million once she added up the food, drinks, and borate decorations.


    One upscale restaurant even quoted her forty-seven million, and the number made her jaw tighten. She couldn’t believe how outrageous it was.


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    The manager of the Pearl Grand Restaurant, a cheerful man in his thirties, spoke eagerly. “Miss Harper, we guarantee nothing but excellence. Our service will make you the star of the evening. Everyone who attends will remember it as the finest party they’ve ever seen. Let me show you what’s included.”


    He paused for a moment. “Our chefs can create over two hundred varieties of cakes to suit every taste. We offer twenty types of drinks, each bottle valued at over a hundred thousand dors. There’s also a seven-tier cake and a live band—bothplimentary.”


    Sandra said nothing, quietly weighing his words. The offer sounded tempting, but the cost was too much.


    Shepard had handed her forty million for the celebration, and at first, she had thought it was more than enough. How could a single party possibly cost that much anyway? Only now did she realize how mistaken she had been. That amount couldn’t cover the most extravagant setup.


    The idea of spending forty million on a six-hour event made her hesitate. It wasn’t worth it. A simple one-million celebration would be more than enough.


    “Miss Harper, have you made a decision?” the manager asked politely.


    Sandra couldn’t bring herself to choose the lowest offer. After wrestling with the decision for a while, she finally said, “I’ll take the ten-million package.”


    Even saying it made her chest tighten.


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