When They Beg I Rise (Lemira) novel Chapter 1117

Lemira truly hadn't expected Evelina's body to be transported all the way back to Lyria.

No wonder Orion had stepped out to take the call and had been gone for a while.

Orion continued, "The remains were sent to the funeral home located right next to Sodas Memorial Gardens. The exact same cemetery where your parents are buried."

Hearing this, Lemira's knuckles turned white as she gripped her silverware.

Her voice dropped to a frosty calm. "She's doing this on purpose. Just to make me sick."

"That's my guess, too."

A dark surge of irritation flared in Lemira's chest. Why was she always the one forced to passively tolerate these targeted provocations?

She looked straight at Orion. "I refuse to let Evelina be buried in the same cemetery as my parents."

"Whatever you want to do, I've got your back."

Lemira's tone was dangerously quiet. "I want someone to pass a message to Margot Sterling. Tell her if she dares to bury her daughter in that cemetery, I will personally hire a crew to bulldoze the plot."

Damn it. They just wouldn't quit, would they?

Lemira met Orion's gaze. "If that woman wants to put on a grand display of maternal devotion, I'll be more than happy to give her an audience."

Originally, Lemira figured that with Evelina dead, the nightmare was finally over.

She had no intention of waging war over a corpse. But if Margot was going to aggressively back her into a corner, Lemira wasn't about to just sit back and be a doormat.

Orion slid the menu toward her. "Agreed. There's zero reason for you to tolerate this."

"I just don't get it. She's been hiding like a rat for years. Is she surfacing now because she thinks the coast is clear, or because she assumes I'm too weak to touch her?"

If it was the latter, Lemira had every reason to suspect that Margot Sterling was, at the very least, an active accomplice in the original murder.

Once she finished her beverage, she stood up and quietly slipped out to use the restroom.

But as she was walking back down the hallway, Lemira suddenly heard Jessica's voice. She sounded like she was crying.

Frowning, Lemira followed the sound and walked straight toward their private dining room.

Jessica was standing near the door, trembling with emotion. "Grandma, Grandpa, my whole life you told me educating a girl was a waste of money. But the second I got into a top-tier university, you paraded it around and bragged to all your friends!"

The elderly woman looked momentarily guilty but quickly hardened. "I never said any such thing! Why are you holding onto such ridiculous grudges?"

"Yeah, Jess, you got into a good school, but who knows where you'll end up?" Mrs. Marlowe, Jessica's mother, chimed in defensively. "Barrett might have only gone to a state college, but he's already a corporate executive. It's totally normal for boys to hit their stride later in life."

"And another thing, Jessica," Barrett sneered. "When you took that girl's side earlier, you basically spat in our faces. So what if she's got a rich boyfriend? That doesn't mean you're going to see a dime of it. She's not going to do anything for you."

Mrs. Marlowe aggressively tugged at Jessica's sleeve. "Enough! Today is a celebration. Stop ruining the mood for everyone! If you know people with money, you should be introducing them to your cousin, not hoarding the connections!"