Third Person's POV
Cliff quickly arrived near the sea area. The salvage team placed a piece of Vanya's clothing in front of him and asked, "Sir, is this your wife's clothing?"
Cliff stared at the clothing, momentarily stunned.
He had seen Vanya wear this before, and in the surveillance footage from the day of the kidnapping, she was also wearing it when she was taken.
"...Yes."
"We infer that Madam has likely perished. The search and rescue operation will be called off. Please accept our condolences."
The rescue team had searched the sea for so long without finding a body. Now that they had retrieved this piece of clothing, the conclusion was almost certain.
Cliff frowned. "You haven't found her body yet. How can you say she's dead?"
He wanted to argue further, but Beta Elliot, sensing his agitation, immediately stopped him.
He said to the rescue team, "Thank you all for your hard work these past few days. Cliff will prepare some gifts for you. Please take a rest now."
Hearing this, the rescue team members nodded and left.
Cliff shook off Beta Elliot. "Vanya's body hasn't been found. She's not dead!"
"Alpha Cliff, please face reality."
During this time, everyone knew there was no hope left. Only Cliff still believed Vanya was alive—but how could someone who had fallen into the sea for so many days possibly survive?
Cliff gazed at the vast, endless sea before him, his eyes dry and stinging.
Vanya... really wasn't coming back.
At dusk, Cliff returned to the Silver Moon Pack. Melinda thoughtfully stepped forward to help him take off his coat, but he said coldly, "Don't touch me."
Seeing the disgust in his eyes, Melinda didn't approach him again.
Instead, she deliberately said, "Cliff, since Vanya has already met with misfortune, to let her rest in peace, Veronica has decided to hold a funeral."
"What did you say?" Cliff rushed into the house.
Veronica was sitting on the sofa, leisurely sipping coffee. "Since you're back, take a look at the guest list first. See if there's anyone you want to invite or anyone to add."
"Who agreed to hold a funeral for Vanya? Grandma, why didn't you ask me about this first?" Cliff reacted intensely.
Veronica, however, was unconcerned. "It's not a big deal. I've already set the date for the funeral. Just attend on time when the day comes. Don't let outsiders gossip about our Todd family."
After speaking, she said to Melinda, "Melinda, send out these invitations according to the addresses. Jenny will help you."
"Yes, Veronica."
In just a few days, Melinda had already won Veronica's favor—a stark contrast to how much Veronica used to dislike her, and now she called her so affectionately.
Seeing this, Cliff only felt a chill in his heart.
Yes, how could he have forgotten?
The Todd family had always been a cold and indifferent family. He had grown up in such an environment.
Here, there were no feelings, only interests—as long as it brought benefits, even if they disliked each other, they could still get along harmoniously.
All these years, he thought he had already learned this lesson.
But he never expected that he still couldn't compare to Veronica in the slightest.
In the past, Veronica liked Vanya only because Vanya was useful.
Now that Vanya was dead, she had grown fond of the once-despised Melinda, simply because Melinda was carrying the Todd family's child.
For the first time, Cliff was filled with disgust for this family.
Seeing him still standing there, Veronica smiled in confusion and said, "Cliff, why are you standing there in a daze? Go upstairs and rest. We'll handle things here."
It was as if she had everything arranged perfectly.
Cliff's voice was icy and resolute. "Since you love this family so much, Grandma, then I'll leave it to you all."
Before Veronica could understand what he meant, Cliff had already turned and left.
Seeing this, Melinda said aggrievedly, "Grandma, is Cliff angry?"
"Don't worry about him. He'll come back once he figures things out," Veronica replied calmly.
When Cliff was a child, she had taught him how to hide his emotions.
But Vanya's appearance had changed him, making his emotions extremely unstable.
Cliff had run away from home as a child, too, but in the end, he always obediently returned—he knew that without the Todd family, he was nothing.
Outside the Todd family home, Beta Elliot saw Cliff come out and was momentarily stunned. "Alpha Cliff..."
"Back to the company."
"Yes." Beta Elliot escorted him to the car.
Cliff said coldly, "Suppress all false rumors about Vanya's death and intercept all invitations regarding her funeral."
"Alpha Cliff, I'm afraid that's not going to be easy."
Cliff frowned.
Beta Elliot continued, "I just received word from inside the company. Before preparing the funeral, Veronica had already contacted all the upper management. Because of the falling out with the Dalton family, Veronica is eager to sever ties. Holding the funeral and declaring that you have no further connection is the best way."
Seeing that Cliff said nothing, he added, "Although Veronica doesn't handle business, she is still the eldest in the family, and her words carry more weight..."
Cliff's voice grew even colder. "I am the head of the Todd family. All decisions are mine to make. Anyone unwilling to listen to me doesn't need to stay in the Todd family."
Seeing his dark expression, Beta Elliot knew he was angry and advised, "Alpha Cliff, Veronica's decision is indeed beneficial to the group. The upper management only agreed because of this. If there's internal strife now, the Todd Group will truly be in danger."