Chapter <b>201 </b>
Dereck’s will had been prepared long ago.
Unexpectedly, he did not leave his property to Alexei, instead bequeathing it entirely to Natasha.
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However, he made a request: if possible, he did not wish to be buried in the Turner family cemetery, only hoping for a plot to be reserved for him on South Hill.
Natasha refused without the slightest hesitation.
Since he was no longer alive, Dereck should not disturb the peace of the Schuman family any longer.
Ultimately, his estate was used to establish a charitable fund supporting orphans and to set up schrships at major music academies.
Under Alexei’s instructions, Dereck was buried with Teri.
As Teri had once said, after his passing, her name would inevitably be carved beside his tombstone.
Hopefully, even underground, they would remain eternally entwined.
*****
The day after the engagement party was canceled, Quinn flew a helicopter out. After soaring through the sky for a long while, he released himself and plunged into the deep sea.
The police ultimately ruled it a suicide caused by depression.
Meanwhile, Cora, his eldest aunt, was imprisoned for kidnapping and murder.
Everything Quinn left behind was given to Arianna.
Natasha saw Arianna again in front of Quinn’s cenotaph.
The ocean where he fell was too deep, and his body was never recovered.
However, the family still held a grand funeral for him.
In some matters, everyone held their own stance, and there was no absolute right or wrong. Yet the moment they were drawn into the fray, everyone must have been prepared for defeat.
They understood that, regardless of the victor, neither would spare the other.
Quinn chose his own ending.
Natasha handed her the ring the maid had found while cleaning Quinn’s room.
Arianna<b>, </b>who was dressed in ck, took the ring, examined it for a long while, and finally smiled before bending down to ce it back in front of his grave.
She knew that he loved her.
But she also knew that, before love, many things <b>were </b>more important than her.
She was aware of the family’s disputes, but the moment he agreed to the engagement, she truly thought he had let go.
It did not matter if he was not the head of the family, nor did it matter if he did not reach the pinnacle of power. All she wanted was for them to be together, safe and sound.
If he had stopped in time, his future would have remained bright.
But in the end, his ambition prevailed over his love.
He used their engagement banquet to create onest opportunity for a gamble.
When he announced the cancetion of their engagement, she knew their journey together had ended.
“Thank you, but I no longer need it,” she said.
Since he was the first to let go, she would not look back.
She never med anyone; in this twisted circle, a fight to the death was their fate.
If anyone was to me, it was that when they met, he was Quinn of the Turner family, and not just an ordinary Quinn.
Later, Natasha heard that Arianna had gone abroad alone to study and eventually settled overseas.
Natasha felt sorry for them, but she didn’t feel pity.
Back then, when Quinn kidnapped her, he also wanted Alexei dead.
Resilience and desperate counterattacks had been Quinn’s and Alexei’s strengths, but they also became fatal ws when they failed.
For the safety of their loved ones, they would not give each other a chance to retaliate.
If one of them had been more ordinary, it might not have been so cruel.
*****
Several new graves were added to the family cemetery in session. Even Edgar, a man of steadfast will who had weathered countless storms, could no longer bear the grief.
Throughout his life, he had reached the pinnacle of sess, aplishing extraordinary feats. In his youth, he believed in thew of the jungle and relished aggressive risks, never concerning himself with the fate of ordinary people. Power was a toy he manipted casually.
<b>Yet</b>, on his deathbed, witnessing his descendants divide and the family copse filled him with profound sorrow, and he wept bitterly.
He had once thought Minerva had killed his eldest son, and the fallout between the eldest and fifth brothers had seemed the greatest setback of his life.
Little did he know an even greater cmity awaited them.
Knowing he was near the end, Edgar gathered all family members and awyer, and forcefully divided the family estate.
It was not merely about each branch going its own way, but a clear andplete separation. Except for Alexei’s lineage, everyone else severed all ties with the family’s main business.
The Turner family waspletely broken.
From now on, the Turner family is Alexei’s.
Hey in the hospital bed, looking at his most cherished grandson. “From now on, let them strive for their own future. The fortune I’ve left is enough for generations to livefortably. If anyone relies on their seniority to ask you for favors, do not consider past sentiments. Just say it’s my wish.”
“Okay,” Alexei did not object.
Even though he knew his grandfather’s decision also protected others, he had already avenged his mother and saw no need to go to extremes.
Edgar treated him like a creation of sess<b>, </b>never truly loving him. Yet it was because of him that he survived.
As such, he did not hesitate to fulfill his grandfather’s dying wish.
“Good, good.” With his affirmation, Edgar felt relieved and rxed.
He added, “You and that girl are a good match. Live well together. Do not let her down, and do not follow in your father’s footsteps.”
“I won’t,” Alexei reassured.
Edgar smiled, “Actually, you are more like your mother.
“She suffered by marrying into our family. If I had known, I would have disagreed from the start.
“ce my grave next to your eldest uncle’s. We haven’t seen each other in many years; let us, father and son, catch up.
“From now on, the two of you will be in charge. As for my old friends, I rmend maintaining contact with them; do not cut off ties.
“Once you have children, remember to bring them to see their great–grandfather.”
His voice grew weaker and weaker until his hands drooped and the electrocardiogram ttened.
The family’s sobs echoed through the ward.
<b>16:51 Sun</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b>7 <b>B </b>
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After Edgar’s burial, each branch of the family, along with their children, gradually moved out of the
mansion.
They had stayed there previously, partly as a symbol <b>of </b>status, and partly to be closer to Edgar for inheritance.
Now that the dust had settled and Edgar was gone, these rtives, almost estranged from Alexei, had no reason to remain.
Of course, they also felt the mansion was rather jinxed.
The once bustling estate, rife with undercurrents, suddenly became deserted.
Alexei and Natasha did not move back either. They most frequently stayed at the vi Alexei had originally given Natasha, the ce that felt most like home to them.
Morning sunlight streamed through the unclosed curtains, falling onto the soft bed.
Natasha felt the yful dance of light and shadow on her face, groaning as she buried her face into the naked chest of the person beside her.
Alexei’s body instinctively embraced her, pressing her slender waist closer.
His hand fumbled for the remote to close the curtains.
After searching for <i>a </i>long time, he could not find it, unsure where it had been thrown the previous night in
their excitement.
The light remained, and the woman, whose sleep had been disturbed, bit his nipple, making him hiss.
“It’s all your fault. I told you not to mess around on the windowsill,” she groggily used, eyes closed, teeth still nibbling the spot.
With that, Alexei was fully awake.
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