"Ma'am, Old Mrs. Henson has arrived."
The butler's voice came from the doorway at just the right moment.
"Show her in, quickly!"
Matriarch Farley looked visibly relieved.
The first thing my grandmother did when she walked in was smack me on the back of the head, followed by a swift kick to my shin.
"You ungrateful brat!"
"The Farley family honored you by accepting this marriage, and this is how you repay them? You vanished on your wedding night, and now you have the nerve to bring up divorce? You've dragged the entire Henson name through the mud!"
After she finished tearing into me, she turned to Matriarch Farley.
"Matriarch Farley, this is my failure. I didn't raise my granddaughter properly. She doesn't know her place, and she's caused you and Sylvester terrible trouble."
"I'm old now, and I clearly can't keep her in line anymore. So I'd like to hand over controlling interest in several of Henson Corp's core investment projects to you, as our family's way of making amends. From this point on, whether this brat lives or dies is no longer my concern!"
As she spoke, she pulled several thick folders from her handbag.
They were equity transfer agreements for some of Henson Corp's most profitable and strategically vital commercial ventures.
Matriarch Farley's expression shifted. She stood up immediately.
"Mrs. Henson, what are you doing? Please, sit down. This is a matter between the children. There's no need to go this far..."
"When a granddaughter makes a mess, the grandmother cleans it up."
My grandmother's tone was iron. She pushed the documents forward.
"Please accept these, Matriarch Farley. Consider it a way to let both our family and yours save face."
The conservatory fell silent again.
I clutched my shin, wincing, but didn't dare make a sound.
I knew my grandmother's temperament. She understood the way the world worked better than anyone. If she was doing this, she had her reasons.
After a long pause, Matriarch Farley finally sighed.
She helped my grandmother into a seat, and with a subtle gesture, signaled her secretary to collect the documents.
"Mrs. Henson, you're being far too generous. I've never blamed Rose."
Matriarch Farley turned to me, her gaze unreadable.
"Rose, remember this. Sylvester is your husband now. Don't bring up divorce again."
"...Understood." I forced the word through clenched teeth.
Matriarch Farley looked at Sylvester last, her tone softening slightly.
"Sylvester, you've had quite a scare today. Stay here at the estate and rest. Tomorrow, Rose will come to take you home."
Sylvester's grip on the pistol loosened. His eyes flicked to me, then to the two elders, and slowly, he set the gun down.
It hit the Persian rug with a soft click.
He lowered his head, his voice hoarse. "Alright."
A bodyguard stepped forward immediately to retrieve the weapon, and the butler hurried over to steady him.
As he turned to leave, his gaze lingered on me for a beat.
I looked away.
My grandmother glared at me, ice in her eyes.
"What are you standing there for? Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Come on. We're going home."
The moment we settled into the car, every trace of anger vanished from my grandmother's face.
She frowned and looked me over.
"Did I actually hurt you? Let me see. If your grandfather notices when we get back, he'll never let me hear the end of it."
My grandparents were devoted to each other in a way that bordered on ridiculous.
And everyone knew that Grandpa's greatest soft spot was me.
I hissed through my teeth. "Yes, it hurts! Did you have to kick that hard?"
"Hard?"
The old woman shot me a look.
"If you weren't the only heir I've got worth grooming, I would've broken your leg today."
She smacked me on the back for good measure.
"Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused in there?"
I kept my mouth shut. I knew exactly how much.
A marriage between powerful families was a delicate thing. Filing for divorce days after the wedding was the same as slapping the Farley family across the face in broad daylight.
If I'd been anyone else, I probably would have "gone missing" by now.
Seeing my expression, the old woman didn't press further. She just sighed.
"Rose, don't let the way things look fool you. Our family seems powerful, sure. But do you know how many eyes are on us? I've built something enormous. All those resources, all those channels I control. To everyone else, it's like a slab of prime rib dangling over their heads."
