Chapter 80
The Mastermind In Tenassie's funeral home, there was a rule that the departed had to be cremated before the memorial ceremony commenced.
As Raegan waited, reluctance to say goodbye to her grandmother held her heart hostage as if she wished to etch her grandmother's face indelibly into her mind's eye.
When her beloved grandma's body was silently ushered into the cremation chamber, the heavy iron door swung shut.
The finality of it struck her hard.
She could never again see her grandma's smiling face, the person who loved her most in the world.
Her trembling hand reached out and patted the iron door as she sobbed.
"Grandma, have a happy life.
Don't forget me...” Yet, all that met her ears was the echo reverberating through the solid metal.
An hour dragged on, and the iron door swung open once more.
The clerk returned, carrying the urn that now held her grandmother's ashes, and gave them to Raegan.
With a heavy heart, she walked with the urn to the church.
In that solemn chamber, Raegan gently placed the urn on the altar.
Standing in front of her grandmother's picture, she remained in silent reverence, her posture unwavering.
Kendra's well-intentioned offer of food fell on deaf ears, as Raegan could only manage a sip of water amidst her overwhelming grief.
Kendra's sympathy led her to stay by Raegan's side silently, providing a little comfort in this sea of sorrow.
As the evening went on, a figure entered the church.
Luciana, after a long and harrowing journey, had arrived, her initial shock giving way to the stark reality upon seeing Raegan, cloaked in black and lost in grief.
In just two days, Raegan had lost some weight, her features etched with exhaustion and distress.
Luciana longed to offer words of comfort after paying her visit to the deceased but struggled to find a way to comfort Raegan.
Ultimately, she broke the silence, her voice heavy.
"Raegan, I'm so sorry for your loss.” Her frustration welled, anger aimed at Mitchel for his absence during this trying time.
Questions loomed about their future together.
Did the future hold anything promising for the two of them? Thankfully, Raegan did not reject Luciana's presence.
While she remained silent, she didn't cast Luciana aside.
The following day ushered in two uninvited visitors.
Kenia and Tessa come to the church.
Tessa, ignorant of the death of Raegan's grandmother until yesterday, felt her legs weaken from the shocking news.
She wasn't afraid of being blamed for the old woman's death.
Instead, it was because Hector had promised to give her a good lesson.
It was hard to foresee how Mitchel would punish her now that Raegan's grandma had passed away.
Tessa, fearful of the repercussions of her actions, was no longer reluctant to leave the country.
She now wished to escape as swiftly as possible.
She informed Kenia what had transpired, and Kenia became agitated as well.
Kenia didn't expect that Tessa would cause such a huge trouble.
It wasn't an effective method to hide abroad.
Tessa would be tracked down by Mitchel wherever she went if he intended to punish her.
After thinking for a while, they decided that beseeching Kyler for assistance was the wisest course of action, given the intertwining ties between the Murray and Dixon families.
Given that, she assumed that this matter could be over soon.
After all, Raegan's grandmother had succumbed to illness, not Tessa's hands.
Resolute in their decision, they materialized in the church together.
"Luciana," said Kenia, attempting to curry favor with Luciana.
Luciana frowned.
"Why are you here?” Kenia grinned but quickly realized it was a little too much.
She remarked, "I came here with Tessa to pay tribute to the deceased.” Luciana's countenance bore an unmistakable trace of perplexity, unaware that the events in the nursing house linked to Tessa.
Raegan remained stood in silence.
In a hoarse tone, Raegan, upon seeing Tessa and Kenia, bellowed, "Get out of here!” Such intrusion felt unbearable.
It was a disturbance to the sanctity of her grandmother's farewell.
Tessa assumed she had debased herself in this act of condolence, only to be treated with contempt.
She felt humiliated and embarrassed.
With a pinch of feigned sorrow, Tessa replied, "Raegan, upon learning of your grandmother's passing, I hastened to pay my respects.
The prior encounter was a grievous misunderstanding.
How could I have foreseen those women's madness?” Kenia interjected, "Indeed, as soon as I was apprised of the situation, I admonished Tessa.
She has a penchant for involving herself in people's business, yet, in truth, she played no role in that sordid affair.” With an envelope of money extended as a conciliatory gesture, Kenia proffered, "Raegan, accept this, please.
It is recompense for Tessa’s perceived wrongdoing.
I implored her to kowtow and apologize to your grandmother.” Raegan's response was swift and unforgiving, flinging the envelope at Kenia's visage, her voice laden with anguish as she yelled, "Fuck
off! Are you deaf or something? Get the hell out of my face!” The envelope burst open, scattering cash on the floor, the sharp edges scratching Kenia's and Tessa’s cheeks.
Kenia's and Tessa's evilness and shamelessness paralleled those photoshopped photos set for slandering Raegan the other day.
Deep down, they didn't feel any responsibility for their hurtful words, instead resorting to a feigned apology as a smokescreen.
The mastermind behind the conspiracy, Tessa, seemed adept at evading culpability.
Why, one would wonder! Tessa, initially overcome with fright, couldn't hold back her scream but swiftly regained her composure and responded with a curse, "Don't be so shameless! That old woman’s demise was due to her frail condition.
How does it relate to me? Furthermore, your grandma was already in her eighties.
Isn't it natural for the elderly to pass away at such an age? She had been languishing in the nursing house for quite some time.
Could you afford to continue her treatment? To some extent, you should be grateful to me. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.
How could you treat me like this...
"Shut the fucking up!” Luciana was on the brink of slapping Tessa, but Raegan acted swiftly.
Raegan lunged forward, her fingers wrapping around Tessa's throat with a grip akin to a furious beast.
Her slender fingers paled, and the blue veins on her hands bulged as a torrent of pain, anger, and suppressed hatred gushed forth.
Why? Why must she endure such a fate? Her grandmother had led an honest, diligent life.
Despite her early widowhood and the loss of her son, she never voiced a complaint about life's unfairness.
She maintained a positive outlook and did her utmost to raise Raegan.
Even in her final moments, she held no grudge but expressed trust in Raegan and sorrow for het...
Why did such a loving, kind soul have to go through this misfortune? Why, in her last moments, did she have to witness her granddaughter's character being slandered and besmirched by these wicked individuals? Why? It just wasn't fair! Why should her dead grandmother suffer such an indignity? How could the instigator behave with such recklessness, as if nothing had happened? As a victim of injustice, why should she bear the guilt for her grandmother's death? With immense strength, Raegan rasped, "Who gave you the right to utter those words? As a murderer, you've no place to speak like this!" Under Raegan's relentless grip, Tessa’s pallor shifted to purple, her eyes bulging with fear.
Tessa fought back violently, but her hands eventually fell limp at her sides.
Kenia wailed, tugging at Raegan’s hand, screaming, "Help! Someone, please help!" But at this moment, Raegan’s fingers felt as though they were glued on Tessa’s neck, impervious to being pulled away.
Kenia, petrified, collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down her face.
“Ah...
Someone's killing my daughter...
This deranged woman is killing my girl..." Just as the situation reached its breaking point, someone intervened, stopping Raegan's actions and breaking the impasse.
"Raegan! Are you trying to kill her?” Mitchel cried out furiously.