The story quickly went viral, igniting a firestorm of public outrage. Netizens sympathized with J, demanding that the culprits pay the ultimate price.


    "Stop filming! Stop!" After the reporters had their fill, officers struggled to escort the Wilcox family into a transport vehicle. A harsh legal judgment awaited them.


    "But wait..." one reporter piped up as the vehicle drove away, "With Ezra''s entire family in prison, does that mean J inherits everything?"


    "ording to a reliable source, the family patriarch, Orville Wilcox, stipted in his will that two-thirds of the Wilcox family fortune would go to J."


    "So, was this whole thing just a ploy for her to get the inheritance?"


    "Speaking of which, where is she?"


    By the time the reporters started looking, Juniper and J had already slipped out through another exit.


    In the car on the way to the hospital, J''s head was bowed, tears falling silently onto herp.


    "What are you crying for?" Juniper patted her head, her voice unusually soft and gentle. "Your father would be so proud of you."


    "Juniper, thank you," J said, her voice choked with emotion as she looked up at her cousin. "If it weren''t for you, I..."


    "You don''t have to say that," Juniper interrupted, a faint smile on her lips. "It''s only natural to protect my family."


    "Yeah." J nodded, her eyes still red, and hugged Juniper tightly. "We''ll always be family."


    "Right," Juniper said with a smile. Whether they''d ''truly'' be family, well, that depended on her brother, Melvin.


    ...


    Before heading home, Juniper took J to the hospital. She had said the family would be together, and that meant leaving no one out. With the younger generation dealt with, it was time to handle the older one.


    Inside the hospital room, a news broadcast was ying on the television, detailing the arrest of Ezra and his family. Orville Wilcox was on his deathbed, his eyes staring nkly at the screen.


    When the door opened and J walked in, a flicker of light returned to his gaze. She looked so much like her father. Seeing her was like seeing the son he had disowned.


    He had known Zorion was innocent, but his pride had been wounded... He was furious that his brilliant son would throw away his legacy for a woman he deemed unworthy. So he had cut Zorion off, expecting him toe crawling back, begging for forgiveness. Instead, the next news he received was of his son''s death After that, his resentment toward J and her mother only deepened. Even knowing of their miserable existence, he did nothing.


    "You..." Orville moved his fingers, his lips struggling to form words. "I''m... sor..."


    "You want to say you''re sorry?" J''s throat felt dry as she looked at the dying old man, the grandfather she had never met.


    Orville blinked, a confirmation.


    "I understand, J took a deep breath before continuing, her voice steady. "On behalf of my mother and myself, I do not ept your apology. As for my father. Her voice


    II


    cracked. I believe he wouldn''t forgive you either."


    "I came here today for two reasons. First, to fulfill my duty to my father and see you onest time." A heavy weight pressed on J''s chest, making it hard to breathe, but she forced herself to go on. "Second... I wanted to tell you that what my father didn''t want, I don''t want either. I, J Wilcox, still have no connection to the Wilcox family, and I will not ept a single thing from you."


    "I''ve said what I needed to say." J gave a polite bow and turned to look at Juniper.


    "Let''s go," Juniper said with a slight arch of her brow. The old man had maybe five minutes left. It would be bad luck to have him die in front of them.