The investment network and concealed business empire Grandma had built in private dwarfed anything on the public ledger. If she wanted to, she could assemble a coalition powerful enough to make anyone think twice.
All this time, my own grandmother had been the biggest hidden player on the board.
But one thing still didn't add up. In my previous life, the Henson family had burned through everything to prop up the Farleys, and Grandma had never once deployed these resources.
It only took a moment's thought to understand why.
She loved me. I was her only granddaughter.
In my last life, I'd been willing to die for Sylvester Farley. I'd thrown myself into propping up the Farley family with everything I had, and so she'd quietly shelved her plans to build something of her own.
The realization sat heavy in my chest.
"Grandma..."
"Oh, for heaven's sake, are your eyes getting red? Pull yourself together!"
She swatted away the arm I'd tried to wrap around her.
"One question. Are you in, or are you out?"
"I'm in."
I snapped back to the present, looking at the man sitting across from me, every word he'd spoken dripping with sincerity.
His eyes were rimmed red, and he looked utterly wounded.