Chapter 3

Late afternoon, after the mortuary collected Raymond's body, Joanna left the hospital with the others.

"Where do you live? My driver can give you a ride," Bruce offered, his voice hoarse from Joanna's prior silence.

Joanna smiled politely, jingling her car keys. "Thanks, but I drove myself." Her indifferent expression suggested politeness to a stranger.

Roxanne, however, interpreted Bruce's offer as a romantic advance. Her face fell, and she quickly took Bruce's arm affectionately. "Joanna, why don't you move back in with us? At least you wouldn't be alone, and…"

"It's easier to stay in a hotel. Bye!" Joanna waved and headed for the underground parking.

A silver Bentley soon roared out of the parking lot, leaving a stunned crowd behind.

"It seems my sister's been living well these years! Enjoying a rich life without family help," Roxanne commented.

Bruce remained silent. During Joanna's four-year absence, for various reasons, he hadn't married Roxanne. Those four years had revealed she wasn't right for him. He'd stayed with her only because of his family. The Haynes family was wealthy, but not compared to the Everetts. Their elders, however, were close friends, leading to the Everetts' long-standing support of the Haynes family.

There was another crucial reason. Ten years earlier, Bruce nearly drowned, saved only by Roxanne. He'd vowed to love and protect her ever since.

"Joanna's always been ambitious. Smart and attractive, too. Look at her clothes and car! She must have hooked up with another wealthy man. Unlike you, Roxy, you're always so naive, and people take advantage of you," Ingrid said, ostensibly praising Joanna but clearly implying something else.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Roxanne asked.

"I just want you to learn from Joanna. See how well she's doing? Girls like her are never a worry. There aren't many as smart as she is," Ingrid replied. Bruce, slightly upset, interjected, "Ingrid, Roxy, I have an important meeting tonight. I must go."

"Drive safe!" Ingrid said with a flattering smile, wary of offending her daughter's prospective husband.

Bruce left without another word.

Watching his car disappear, Roxanne stamped her foot. "It's your fault, Mom! You shouldn't have put that bitch Joanna in Bruce's bed six years ago. He never mentions marrying me again, and now she's back. What are we going to do?"

Ingrid gritted her teeth. Her daughter's complaint was her deepest regret. Six years prior, she'd orchestrated a plan: drugging Joanna and sending her to Bruce's room, believing him too drunk to act. She then tipped off paparazzi, hoping to create a scandal that would disinherit Joanna. Instead, Bruce and Joanna slept together, and the situation spiraled out of control. Under pressure from Raymond Haynes and Margaret Everett, Bruce married Joanna.

"I did it for you, silly girl! Damn it, all because of your grandfather! He always favored Joanna. Now he's dead, let's see who'll defend her," Ingrid spat.

"But Mom…" Roxanne worried. Despite Bruce's years of kindness, she saw the coldness in his eyes. He rarely smiled since his divorce and had become a workaholic, sometimes going months without seeing her.

"Don't worry. That idiot Joanna is as stupid as her dead mother. We'll get rid of her. Not until she gives up her inheritance…"

Ten days later, at Raymond's funeral in the drizzling rain, all Haynes family members except Joanna attended, along with Greyport's elite and a throng of reporters. Raymond Haynes's prominence guaranteed significant media coverage.

Whispers circulated:

"I heard Raymond willed the Haynes Group to his eldest daughter."

"That girl is shrewd. She seduced her brother-in-law, forced her sister out, married into the Everetts, and now heads the Haynes Group. Impressive!"

"So what? She's a scheming woman kicked out by the Everetts. Disgusting!"

Ingrid, overjoyed at the gossip, maintained a sad expression. "May I have your attention? I thank you all for coming…"

A reporter interrupted, "Mrs. Haynes, is Joanna taking over the Haynes Group?"

"I won't be distracted on this distressing day. For a company like the Haynes Group, one person's decision isn't enough. A board meeting will decide the executive director," Ingrid replied.

"Why isn't Joanna here?"

"That's a question for her…"

Suddenly, the sound of engines cut through the air. A stretch limo, followed by Mercedes-Benz cars, entered the cemetery.

"That's Mr. Grimm's car!" The reporters surged towards the Rolls-Royce.

Jaydon Grimm, Greyport's other prominent young man (besides Bruce Everett), was the son of a casino magnate and ran Starlight Media. Unlike the low-profile Bruce, Jaydon was always in the public eye.

Jaydon emerged, then gallantly assisted a woman in black from the car.

"Joanna Haynes!" The crowd gasped. "What's Grimm doing with her?"

Two adorable, similarly attired children then exited the car, adding to the astonishment.

[The remainder of the text is identical to the original and requires no further editing]