The Jones family is one of the most prestigious, affluent and highly respected families in the whole of California, not just the city of Malibu where they reside.

Therefore, it was only natural for the funeral of the late patriarch of the family, Mr. Edward Jones to attract all the corps d'elite, the A-lists of the society, aristocrats and all other dignitaries and powerful members of the society.

However, in this grand gathering of the very rich and elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen, one young lady stood out amongst all. Though she was drop-dead gorgeous even without wearing any make-up, she was dressed in what could easily be regarded as rags.

The white dress she wore appeared to be a very cheap one and it even had some holes in it. All in all, she looked completely out of place among the rich and powerful people dressed in their elegant, black mourning clothes.

One of the guests couldn't contain his curiosity when he saw her taking a seat among the members of the immediate family of the deceased. Turning to the man next to him, he curiously asked,

"Who's that oddly dressed lady and why is she sitting among the Joneses?"

"I heard that she's the second daughter of the Jones family, who had been in exile all this while. While on his deathbed, Mr. Edward Jones summoned her back home."

"Oh, so that's the case? It's no wonder then as I heard that prior to his demise, Mr. Jones stated that he wished for his will to be read in front of everyone—both his family members and the society at large. I guess that's why she was summoned!"

*******

The young lady had no idea that she had become both the center of attention and topic of discussion among the guests. She just calmly and quietly sat down on her seat, with a mature and indifferent look that belied her real age. With her gorgeous eyes unblinkingly fixed on the late Mr. Jones's picture which was placed on the stage, no one could guess what her exact thoughts were at the moment.

Margaret, the youngest daughter of the Jones family, frowned as she looked at her elder sister. In a lowered tone, she spoke to her mother who was seated right next to her.

"Mom, just take a look at this country bumpkin! What nerves! It's Grandpa's funeral and even though we all know she doesn't give a damn about his death, at least she could pretend! For the sake of our august guests and the media who are broadcasting everything live to the public, she should have at least shed a tear or two and look at that awful dress! She's wearing white for God's sake and the worst part of it all is that the dress is tattered and torn in many places! What would people say? She has tarnished our reputation!"

Listening to the complaints of her most favored daughter, Elizabeth Jones frowned. Margaret was right, her exiled daughter, Ayra Jones had really put a black taint on their reputation. They were 'The Joneses' for crying out loud! Everyone in Malibu respected them a great deal!

But now, the guests and the general public might think that they abuse Ayra and that's why she's looking like a homeless ragamuffin at her own grandfather's funeral!

Elizabeth shook her head resignedly. At the moment, there's nothing she could do about it as the late patriarch himself insisted that Ayra must be present for his funeral. However, as soon as that is over, Elizabeth would make sure that Ayra returns back to the countryside where she belonged!

From her peripheral view, Elizabeth could see her husband walking into the venue. So with a comforting smile at her beloved daughter, she addressed her.

"That's right, but for now, I want you to just ignore everything and tolerate her until the funeral is over. Your father is here and the ceremony is about to begin so just be good and go with the flow, okay?"

Having no other option, Margaret pouted her lips before nodding her head in acceptance. No matter how dissatisfied she was, she just couldn't embarrass herself in public by throwing tantrums so she just kept mute for the time being.

As they both focused their attention on the stage, none of them noticed how Ayra, whose eyes were still fixed in one place, suddenly broke into a very light smile, with the corners of her mouth curving as just the indication.

Since her family members don't associate with her at all, they had no idea that she had very sharp ears. Although they both spoke in lowered tones, she distinctly heard everything.

Now, there's no more doubt about it—her mother, her own biological mother, doesn't like her!

As she carried on staring straight ahead at her late grandfather's picture, any onlooker who looked closely would see the traces of sadness and gloom in her gorgeous eyes.

Her own mother?

Blinking away the sudden, unbidden tears that came out of nowhere, Ayra schooled her features to look as cool and indifferent as always. There's no need to cry over spilled milk…

******

Harold Jones slowly walked to the stage and took his place at the podium. At first, he gave a series of eulogies, singing the praises of his late father then he went on to give a vote of thanks to everyone who attended the funeral. Thereafter, he took a deep breath as if in anticipation and announced that his father's will would be read out in front of everyone present, just as the deceased man requested.

As most of the people were already aware of this, it didn't come as a surprise at all, just that it piqued their curiosity. It's a widely known fact that late Mr. Jones only had one son and so the options of those who would inherit his vast properties wasn't much. That's why everyone was curious. Why would the late tycoon request such a thing? Or is it just to cause unnecessary drama?

Mr. Jones's most trusted lawyer, a middle-aged man, Mr. Andrew Silas was summoned up on stage to read out the much-anticipated will. As he broke the seal in front of everyone, the whole venue became as silent as a graveyard as he started reading out loud.

"I, Edward Martin Jones, being of sound mind and in the contemplation of the certainty of death, do hereby declare this to be my last will and testament, revoking all previous wills and codicils."

"After careful consideration, I, Edward Martin Jones, hand over all the shares and real estate owned by Jones Enterprises, every other asset including family heirloom and the cash deposit of five hundred billion dollars in different banks to my granddaughter, Ayra Jones."

A loud gasp instantly erupted from the audience before pandemonium ensued. Not just the Jones family, even the entire guests present and those watching it live on television were totally flabbergasted. It was just as if the deceased man had thrown a bombshell at them all the way from the land of the dead!

Ayra Jones?!

The same jinxed lady that Edward Jones himself exiled to the countryside since she was just a little girl?! Unbelievable!

How could Edward name her as the sole heiress of all his vast properties and wealth?!

Is this some kind of joke?

Every single person present and watching on television was gobsmacked and couldn't hide their bewilderment, with the exception of the heiress herself.

Ayra remained just as she was before the will was read out, nonchalant and indifferent. Her eyes still remained focused on the center of the stage, right on her grandfather's picture.

And with her eyes fixed unblinkingly on his still ones in the picture, she soliloquised,

"What do you really want, old man?"