Unexpected Marriage With Mr. Leighton: Rebirth of the Villain-Chapter 323: THE FUNERAL

Once Desgar and Rye left the room, River faced Ranon. It was rare for them to have different opinions. They usually got along really well. And it was even more unusual for Ranon to reject her judgments and ideas so strongly.

"No," Ranon said when River faced him.

She pursed her lips. "I have not yet said anything."

"Whatever it is, my answer is no."

River grimaced inwardly. This side of Ranon was not fun, but she knew this was the right thing to do. "You know that this is the best way to lure Arlo out."

"You don’t even know if he still has feelings for you." Ranon knew that River would use their past relationship to get Arlo to find her. This was also one of the reasons why he was in a bad mood.

"Oh, it’s not easy to forget me," River said cheekily. She flicked her hair, but Ranon didn’t get the joke. He narrowed his eyes dangerously. Damn, this man was difficult to please!

River then stood up and went to sit on Ranon’s lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Yet, Ranon didn’t reciprocate the kiss. He still had his arms crossed in front of him and was staring darkly at the woman coquettishly sitting on his lap.

River sighed. "Both of us know this is the right thing to do. This is the easiest, simplest, and fastest way to get him. You have been looking for him for months, but with the help of Gayle, surprisingly, they could hide from all of you for this long. So, having him find me will be the best solution."

"No."

"Can you stop saying that?"

"I disagree."

"Try another word."

"I object."

"Can you try with something more positive?"

"Negative."

River grunted. She bit Ranon’s arm out of frustration before she got off his lap. "I am going to do it." She then walked away. This was her revenge; she would be the one to decide what she was going to do.

***

Arlo dropped the glass in his hand when he saw the news on the television. It was River! There was no mistake! It was her!

Gayle whistled upon seeing Arlo’s reaction. He chuckled lightly. "So, that woman is still alive? Amazing. No wonder she is called the best assassin from the Lozens. After she disappeared for three years, she now appears because her father and sister died."

However, Arlo didn’t listen to Gayle’s comment; his focus was on River. He looked for another channel that showed River’s appearance in the hospital to retrieve her father’s and sister’s dead bodies.

River only said that she would let the police start the investigation.

The Lozen family was under the spotlight when Elise was killed in her house. It was a robbery that went wrong, they said. But before that, the media didn’t pay close attention to them. Therefore, when River disappeared for years, they didn’t know what actually happened.

"Where are you going?" Michael immediately stood up to grab Arlo’s arm. He stopped him before he reached for the door. "Don’t! She is going to kill you! Do you think that she will forgive you?"

Michael was also shocked to see that River was still alive, but he was more logical. He missed his sister, and now he was hit by a guilty feeling because he had helped to kill River’s family.

However, he couldn’t turn back time. This was how things were now. They were standing across from each other as enemies.

"Don’t!" Michael said sternly. Their father had said before that they needed to kill River if she were still alive because, given her nature, she would seek revenge.

They were at the crossroads where they had to kill if they didn’t want to be killed. It was not easy. They used to be so close...

"Get your head out of your ass, Arlo! Do you think she will still accept you back!?" Michael wanted to punch his brother.

Arlo had been a little bit unhinged ever since they rescued him from Ranon Leighton’s hands, and they lost everything. Everything. Living as a fugitive made Arlo’s mental state unstable, adding to the fact that he had a permanent limp now.

For someone as prideful as Arlo, this kind of life hit him hard.

"She will understand; I will explain everything..." Arlo murmured to himself, but Michael punched him square in the face.

"I only have you! If you go to meet her, she is definitely going to kill you! I will not let that happen! I only have you now, damn it!"

On the other hand, Gayle guffawed to see the two of them fighting. "Oh, I like it when siblings start to punch each other. This is fun."

***

Ranon completely disagreed with River’s method to reveal herself. His reason was indeed selfish. He couldn’t care less about the revenge.

He only felt sorry that Arthur and Aubrey were dead. It was like seeing a company go bankrupt, but that company had nothing to do with him.

Therefore, Ranon had been in a bad mood. Thankfully, others misinterpreted his sour mood as him showing his condolences for the deceased.

However, in the end, he had to let go of his disagreement because he could see how distraught River was despite her effort to act strong and nonchalant. She was the head of the Lozens now, with so many men under her lead, waiting for her order to take revenge on Arlo.

Most of them couldn’t see it because they were grieving Arthur, but Ranon saw her grief.

Today was the funeral. River was wearing a black dress and absentmindedly drying her hair. They were currently staying at a hotel in Talbar City. Today’s funeral was for Arthur and Aubrey, who would be buried next to Elise’s grave.

"Let me," Ranon said. He took the hairdryer from River’s hand and continued to dry her hair. She let him, staring at her reflection in the mirror; her gaze was so far away. "What are you thinking?" He asked after he had turned off the hairdryer and tied River’s hair into a ponytail.

"Nothing."

Ranon turned the chair so River could face him. He said nothing and only knelt down in front of her. Slowly, tears streamed down her cheeks, and Ranon wiped them gently.

"I don’t know... I feel so angry..."

River hugged Ranon tightly and cried so hard. She was not sure whether she was sad or not when she heard about her father’s death. However, when she saw his and Aubrey’s dead bodies yesterday, the reality hit her so hard.

They were dead. They were gone.

River was still angry with them; she wanted them to live a miserable life. She planned to send Aubrey away to her maternal family because she knew it would be a punishment for her, as Aubrey never wanted to live there.

This punishment would be a mild one indeed, compared to what Aubrey had done to her. However... knowing Aubrey lived uncomfortably would give her some satisfaction.

And for her father...

She wanted to punish him by separating him from his favorite daughter, while River wouldn’t forgive him easily.

However, they were dead now.

River didn’t know where to direct her hatred and anger. She still had a lingering grudge toward them, but they were dead. What should she do with this grudge in her heart?

Still, at the same time, River was also grieving, even for Aubrey. She thought she hated her enough to dance upon learning of her death, but it turned out River didn’t feel the satisfaction.

Was it because she felt bad for Bryer? Was it because she was not the one who had killed her? She didn’t know. She was uncertain about so many things related to her emotions.

Everything was a jumbled mess, and Ranon was her anchor to keep her grounded.

He said nothing, but he was there for her.

***

So many people had left the graveyard. Rye and Biel took Bryer with them because the boy wouldn’t stop crying. Everyone’s hearts wrenched painfully upon hearing his cry.

Bryer tried to dig the ground when he was told that his mother was down there. The little boy kept telling them that his mother didn’t like dirt.

"You can leave now, Ranon," River said without shifting her attention to him. He was the last one who stayed behind with her. "You have to leave now."

For a moment, Ranon didn’t move. Despite everything, he still disagreed with her, but then he knew that she needed this; therefore, he left her alone.

The sky turned a red hue as the sun set, and someone walked limply toward River.

She had seen him approaching from the corner of her eye. She knew he would come once he learned she was alone, and this was what she had been waiting for.

"You have a huge gut to come over after what you have done," River said when Arlo was standing behind her. "You know that I am going to kill you."

However, Arlo ignored what she was saying. "This is you... This is really you." Arlo grabbed River’s hand and turned her body around so he could see her face. "It’s you..." He smiled widely. He looked very relieved to finally see River again.

River pushed him away from her and wiped her cheeks, where Arlo had touched her.

"Come with me, River; let’s talk somewhere."

"What if I refused?"

River glanced, and she noticed other people around them. Arlo was not alone.