“No difference. I can’t believe you’re going to throw away years of legacy for a woman who has nothing to offer you.”
“That’s enough!” I slammed my fist on the desk, and Kylie flinched.
“That woman has a mouthy, disrespectful teenage daughter, no connections, and no understanding of our world.”
“Our world? You mean your world. ‘Our’ world is exactly why I spent years believing I didn’t deserve to be happy.”
“Don’t be dramatic, Weston.”
“I’m not being dramatic. I’m being real. You’re nothing but a cold-hearted old woman who doesn’t know what happiness looks like.”
“How dare you!” she snapped. “That woman has manipulated you into believing?—”
“Stop.” I put up my hand. “If you’re about to insultSamantha, I suggest you think very carefully about your next words.”
She stared at me with pursed lips.
“Samantha Hollis is the best person I’ve ever known. She is kind even when people are cruel. She’s patient. She spends her days teaching teenagers to think for themselves and to believe in something bigger than themselves. And she raised an incredible daughter on her own, with no help from anyone. She loves me for me, not for what I have. And that is why I asked her to marry me.”
My grandmother’s eyes widened.
“I will not accept any of this.”
I stared at her intently, and something hit me.
“You knew. You knew all along.” I cocked my head.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She looked away.
“You knew about grandfather’s infidelities. You were miserable, but you couldn’t leave him because you refused to give everything up. You’ve been miserable all these years, and you can’t stand to see me happy, something you never had.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “Yes, I knew. I let it go on without saying a word because you’re right, I wasn’t about to give it all up. I helped him build this company from the ground up. It’s mine just as much as it was his. There was no way I was walking away from it all because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.”
I almost fell over when she said that.
“Your grandfather was a strong businessman, but weak when it came to women. He used his status and his power to lure them. But we built this company together, as a team. I was the one who carefully picked each board member. Those who were easy to manipulate. And when a seat opened up, I started the process again. And nowyou’re going to throw your life away on some teacher when you could do so much better.”
“You think wealth makes people valuable, and you couldn’t be more wrong. The woman you called trash is worth more than everything this company owns. And if you ever speak that way about my future wife again, we’re done.”
“We’ll never be done, Weston. Not as long as I’m alive and still have a seat on the board.” She stood, grabbed her purse, and headed for the door.
“By the way. It’s a girl.”
She turned and looked at me with the disapproving look I spent my entire life seeing. Then, she walked out. Kylie let out a breath.
“That was intense.”
“That was exactly what needed to happen. I need to find a way to remove her from the board.”
“Well, maybe this will help.” She grinned, holding up her phone.
“What do you mean?” I furrowed my brows.
“I recorded the whole thing. Maybe you can let the board hear for themselves.”
“You are a genius.” I walked over and hugged her.
“Oh, okay. Wasn’t expecting that.”
