“Money?” Mark finally stammered, his voice trembling. “What… what money?”
My grandfather sat up slowly, his face darkened by an anger I’d never seen before. “Don’t insult my intelligence. Claire hasn’t received a thing. Not a single dollar. And now I think I know exactly why.”
The room fell silent. Even my baby was quiet.
Then Grandfather spoke again, and his words cut me to the core:
“Do you really think I don’t know what you’ve been doing?”
The tension in the room grew suffocating. Mark clutched the shopping bags tighter, while Vivian stared at the door, as if weighing the possibility of escape.
Grandfather took a determined step toward them. “For three years,” he said calmly, “I’ve been sending Claire money so she could build a secure future.” A future they both swore to protect. And instead…» Her gaze fell on the luxury handbags. «…you built one for yourselves.»
Vivian forced a nervous smile. «Edward, this must be some kind of bank error. Surely…»
