Ryan stood outside the church, feeling unprepared to bid farewell to his father. “We couldn’t even give Dad a proper funeral,” he lamented silently. Just then, Bella, his loyal dog, let out a sharp bark, capturing his attention.

He turned toward the car, noticing Bella’s unusual agitation.

“Bella!” Ryan called, signaling her to lie down. Obediently, she complied, and he gave her a comforting pat through the window. “Stay, Bella,” he instructed gently.

Leaving Bella’s whimpers behind, Ryan entered the church where his father’s casket, closed and cordoned off discreetly, awaited the ceremony. Arnold had succumbed to an infectious disease, prompting the funeral director’s caution.

Ryan took his place beside his mother. Given the circumstances, Arnold was slated for cremation rather than burial.

As the mass concluded and the final hymn prepared to echo, Bella’s insistent barking resonated within the church walls. She had leaped onto the casket, displacing the floral arrangement, and continued her spirited barks.

Observing Bella’s alert posture and her gaze fixed on him, Ryan felt a jolt of unease.

“Open the casket!” he demanded, undeterred by the collective gasp from the congregation.

Determined, Ryan approached and opened his father’s casket, uncovering its shocking emptiness.

His uncle, stunned, turned to the funeral director. “Wh-Where’s my brother?”

Unable to bear the unraveling events, Ryan’s mother’s composure crumbled, her eyes rolling back as she fainted. Ryan swiftly intervened, preventing her fall onto the cold marble floor before rushing her to the hospital.

Back at his mother’s residence, Ryan dialed the police. “The coroner confirmed the cause of death and released the remains to the funeral home,” mentioned Detective Bradshaw. “Was your father involved in activities I should know about?”

Despite having distanced himself from his father’s business to start his own dog training center, Ryan doubted Arnold would compromise his integrity or the company’s reputation.

With no substantial leads, Detective Bradshaw parted, promising updates. Unsatisfied, Ryan pursued his inquiries. Leaving Bella at home, he ventured to the morgue in search of answers.

Contrary to his expectations, the nurse informed him of the coroner’s resignation and the absence of a replacement. Frustrated, Ryan coerced her compliancy with a discreet $1000 incentive. This allowed him access to the coroner’s office, where he scoured for Arnold’s file, only to discover it missing.

Dismayed, he answered a call from his father’s lawyer, Mr. Stevens. The lawyer shared that Ryan was now the CEO of Arnold’s firm and needed to meet posthaste.

Accessing Arnold’s Gmail on his office computer revealed an inbox wiped clean. “Who’s been using this computer?” Ryan queried when Mr. Stevens appeared.

“Nobody,” replied Mr. Stevens.

Spotting missing figurines, Ryan asked about them.

“Oh, poor Arnold took them home,” Stevens responded. “He could never get the third one. The owner demanded half a million!”

Ryan doubted Arnold kept them at home, having searched thoroughly since his arrival for the funeral.

“Anyway, we have urgent troubles…” Stevens disclosed looming financial doom due to Arnold’s missed investor meetings before his death.

“…and it all started when his new secretary joined. It seemed he was romantically involved with her,” Stevens added, a revelation that shook Ryan.

Resisting the urge to confront Miss Pearson, Arnold’s secretary, Ryan instead resolved the pressing debt issues, appeasing key investors with gift baskets. Driven by curiosity, he tailed her to her suburban home and waited outside.

In the quiet suburb, Ryan witnessed her departure and seized the moment to slip into her garage before the door closed. Navigating her dim home, he stumbled upon a picture of Miss Pearson and Arnold embracing.

On the verge of leaving, Ryan noticed an invitingly open drawer on the coffee table. Inside, he discovered Arnold’s hefty $7 million life insurance policy, listing Miss Pearson as the sole beneficiary. Armed with this insight, he approached the police.

Detective Bradshaw scrutinized the document, acknowledging its importance. “I’ll dig deeper into this Pearson woman,” she assured.

Later, a tense Ryan learned Miss Pearson intended to escape to Morocco shortly, a nation without an extradition treaty with the U.S., pressing the urgency to detain her.

Ryan shadowed the police to the airport.

“Police!” Bradshaw commanded, clearing their path toward the boarding gate as Ryan discreetly followed.

They combed through passengers until Bradshaw hailed a dark-haired woman, mistaking her identity as Miss Pearson. Unperturbed, she remained elusive, her trail cold.

Though back to square one, Ryan held onto hope of his father’s survival. He directed his focus on acquiring a sought-after figurine essential to Arnold’s collection, contacting its current owner, Mr. Frederick.

“How much for it?” Ryan asked.

“$750,000,” Mr. Frederick firmly stated.

Despite its inflated price, Ryan pushed forward, arranging to liquidate assets equivalent to the amount, trusting in temporary loss for future gain.

Receiving Mr. Stevens’ unsettling updates about Miss Pearson’s disappearance, Ryan swiftly completed the transaction, preparing for the pivotal moment at an auction house.

Back home briefly, Ryan reassured his worried mother, juggling family responsibilities with the critical quest at hand.

The auction arrived, and as the figurine emerged as a key lot, suspense mounted.

“$600,000 going once…” The auctioneer paused, rising tension mirrored in Ryan’s heart.

“…going twice…”

“$1 million!” announced a familiar voice, lifting Ryan’s spirits.

Recognizing Arnold, Ryan’s gaze fixated on his father, stepping forward and removing his hat.

The auctioneer declared victory, sold to Arnold. As he moved to exit, Ryan intercepted him, facilitating an arrest with Detective Bradshaw’s timely assistance.

“Ryan? You set me up!” Arnold expressed incredulity.

“An act for honesty, Dad,” Ryan retorted, exposing Arnold’s plotted getaway with Miss Pearson.

Ryan’s words cut through Arnold’s ploy, affirming the ramifications of his choices and invoking his father’s own principles of integrity as his undoing.

Amid their conversation, Detective Bradshaw assured Ryan of an imminent pursuit for Miss Pearson. With Arnold detained, justice began to restore balance in Ryan’s disrupted life.