The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 457 - 466: Shocking Bad News

Chapter 457: Chapter 466: Shocking Bad News

While they were talking, James Brown’s cellphone rang. It was Helen Wilson calling. Sarah Grandy immediately leaned in, eager to eavesdrop, but James flicked her forehead lightly with his finger. Standing up and stepping aside, he answered casually with a laugh, "Officer David Woods, long time no see."

Helen’s tone, however, carried a sense of gravity. She said, "Are you with Sarah Grandy right now?"

James was surprised and replied, "She’s at my house. What’s wrong?"

"You better prepare yourself. Sarah Grandy’s parents... they’re gone."

"What?" James exclaimed in shock.

"There’s a suicide note. Sarah’s mother had long been furious over her husband’s infidelity—his keeping a mistress outside the marriage—but had tolerated it for Sarah’s sake. Now that Sarah has performed well on her college entrance exams and is certain to get into a good university, her mother felt she had nothing holding her back anymore. She poisoned her husband with a highly toxic pesticide and drank the poison herself afterward. Both of them are... dead. You should bring Sarah home."

James was dumbstruck by the news. During Sarah’s college entrance exams, her mother had often looked like she wanted to tell him something but held back, even saying a couple of cryptic sentences about asking him to take good care of Sarah in the future. Who would have thought that’s what she meant—that she had already resolved to take her husband and herself out together.

"Uncle, what’s wrong?" Sarah stood before James, waving her small hand lightly in front of him with a mischievous smile.

Looking at her cheerful expression, James felt as though he’d been stabbed in the heart. He reached out slowly to hold her hand, drew in a deep breath, and said, "Charlotte, are you an adult now?"

"Of course I am! I’ve already turned eighteen. I’m absolutely an adult now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t dare joke around with you, Uncle," Sarah said, puffing out her chest as the grin on her face grew even brighter.

James sighed softly, but when the words reached his lips, he found himself unable to say them no matter how hard he tried.

Sarah, however, noticed something off about his expression and suddenly grew tense, stammering, "Uncle, what’s wrong? Could it be... you’re really planning to kick me out?"

James felt even more anguish and immediately pulled her into an embrace, saying, "Uncle will never push you away again."

"Huh?" Sarah froze. Under normal circumstances, hearing these words from James would have filled her with joy. But today, she couldn’t bring herself to feel happy at all; she could sense that something had happened.

Emma Campbell also picked up on the change. Grabbing James’s arm, she pleaded, "Big Brother Brown, has something happened?"

James took another deep breath and held Sarah tightly as he said, "Emma, you said you’re an adult now. If something comes up, you must not panic. Uncle has something to tell you."

"Un... Uncle, you... you’re scaring me. What is it exactly?" Sarah’s body started to tremble slightly.

"Your parents... have passed away." James finally forced out the six words, his voice halting, and then held her tightly once more.

Sarah froze briefly, then suddenly chuckled softly, punching James lightly as she chided, "Uncle, don’t joke about things like that. That’s not funny at all."

"Charlotte, Uncle wouldn’t lie to you. That was Officer Emily Wilson on the phone just now. Your parents poisoned themselves. I’ll take you home now; there’s still your parents’ final affairs to handle."

Sarah raised her head, her eyes gradually reddening, before suddenly glaring at him, shouting angrily, "Uncle, you’re lying to me! You must be lying! When I left, my parents were perfectly fine. These past few days, they even took me out on vacation. They’re so in love; how could they possibly be dead?"

James held her tightly again and said, "Charlotte, I wish it were a lie. Let’s go find out together."

"This has to be fake! It must be that awful Helen Wilson fooling you because she knows I’m with you. Hmph, I’m not falling for it, and neither should you, Uncle. Let’s go home and confront her directly."

Sarah, huffing and puffing, tugged at James, practically dragging him out of the house in her haste. She was too young to grasp how close death could be or to conceive that her beloved parents might leave her forever.

Emma followed quickly, knowing full well James wouldn’t fabricate such an awful lie. Her heart was in turmoil; she feared that once Sarah faced the truth, the blow would be too much for her.

When they arrived at Sarah’s apartment building, two police cars were parked outside. At the sight of them, Sarah’s face went pale and her legs gave out. Were it not for James keeping her upright, she would have collapsed onto the ground.

Helen Wilson was there, nodding toward James; now was not the time for any words between them.

James returned her nod and led Sarah upstairs. The closer they got to her home, the more her body seemed to weaken. But when they finally reached the apartment door, she suddenly found an extraordinary surge of strength. Breaking free from James’s grip, she dashed inside and shouted, "Mom! Dad!"

James hurried after her into the bedroom, where he saw Sarah’s parents lying on the bed. Their faces were distorted with pain, bearing testament to the agony they must have endured before dying. The floor was scattered with vomit, likely from the toxic pesticide they ingested.

"Mom... Dad..." Sarah whispered weakly, before her body tilted and she fainted.

James caught her just in time, pressing his fingers against her philtrum. Sarah quickly regained consciousness, glanced again at her parents on the bed, and burst into uncontrollable sobs.

At this age, Sarah had never faced significant setbacks, let alone something as devastating as this. The overwhelming grief of losing both her parents left her in pieces, crying inconsolably as Emma and James tried their best to comfort her, but nothing could soothe her. She cried until she fainted again.

Helen stepped forward and said, "The coroner has finished the examination. This is confirmed as a standard case of suicide by poisoning. The family may now proceed with the arrangements."

James nodded and said, "Thank you."

Helen sighed deeply and said, "Take good care of her. I’m leaving now. Call me if anything comes up."

The police left, and James began contacting a funeral home. Soon, the hearse arrived, but when the workers tried to remove the bodies, Sarah fought them desperately. Ultimately, James had to forcibly hold her back to allow the workers to take her parents’ remains away.

According to YODC City traditions, a proper ceremony was required upon someone’s passing. For three days, Sarah sat dazedly in front of the crystal coffin, silently shedding tears for her parents, leaving James and Emma to handle the arrangements.

Fortunately, Sarah eventually gave them contact information for some of her relatives. By the next day, many of them arrived, helping to organize the funeral proceedings.

During the cremation of her father’s body, Sarah broke down into uncontrollable, frenzied cries. Her piercing sobs, full of raw agony, brought everyone present to tears. After all, for an eighteen-year-old girl to endure the loss of both parents at once—it’s a pain no one can truly comprehend.

Finally, her parents were buried, leaving Sarah eerily quiet. She clung tightly to James’s arm with a frail, helpless demeanor that made James’s heart ache. Among her relatives, James was a mere outsider, yet her reliance on him during her vulnerability made him unwilling to leave her.

Once the funeral was concluded, Sarah and her relatives gathered at her family’s home, which had already been cleaned up. There were about twenty people in total.

James quickly observed the division within the group—one camp comprising relatives of Sarah’s father, the other of her mother’s family.

Tom Johnson, Sarah’s uncle and the representative of her father’s side, cleared his throat and began, "Sarah is still young, and it’s only right that we, as elders, think carefully about the circumstances. Do our in-laws have any thoughts on this matter? Let’s discuss them."

Christopher Johnson, her maternal uncle and spokesman for her mother’s family, nodded and said, "Yes, indeed. It’s worth discussing."

After a round of formalities, Tom turned to the main issue: "The deaths of my brother and his wife are heartbreaking for us all. But now that they’ve passed, there are matters that must be settled. They’ve left behind significant assets. As Sarah’s uncle, I shouldn’t be the one to speak of this, but Sarah’s grandmother on our side holds inheritance rights as well. So, a share must be allocated accordingly."

Christopher agreed, "Inheritance laws clearly stipulate the first order of heirs: parents, spouses, and children. Since both parents are gone now, it leaves Sarah and both sets of grandparents as inheritors. My suggestion is to divide the assets into three equal parts: one for each elder to provide for their retirement, and the remaining third for Sarah."

Tom nodded and said, "I think that’s fair. Although our younger brother was poisoned by his wife’s hand, his prior behavior certainly contributed to this tragedy. As such, we won’t hold her actions against her. Let’s proceed with this division."

"Sarah, do you have any thoughts on this? You’re eighteen now, so everyone will take your views into account," Christopher asked, prompting all eyes to turn toward Sarah.

Their words made James acutely aware that this was all about dividing the inheritance. While there was nothing inherently wrong with it—both families following the law and discussing it amicably—it was evident that the focus was less on Sarah’s wellbeing and more on the assets left behind.

Sarah sat motionless, her eyes empty, as if she hadn’t heard a single word. This once mischievous and lively girl was now so quiet it made James’s heart ache. But as an outsider, he knew it wasn’t his place to step in or make decisions for her in this matter.