Chapter 50

Mother let out a dry, mocking laugh. "You’re surprisingly reasonable today," she remarked, the satisfaction dripping from her tone. "Then, will you give Elena the shares you're holding?"

Grandpa paused, the silence heavy and ominous. I could just barely see the hem of his jacket from the crack in the wardrobe door. "Sure, I should," he muttered finally. "Why don't you schedule a board meeting? Let's settle everything at once."

"Great idea," Mother’s voice chimed with an eerie satisfaction. Her tone was almost celebratory. "Then, please don't tell Emma things she doesn’t need to know. Can I trust you?"

Grandpa’s voice quivered with curiosity. "Things she doesn’t need to know?"

Mother paused, and I leaned closer to the closet door, straining to hear every word.

"For example..." Her words came slowly, each one calculated, each one stabbing through the silence. My heart raced as I pressed my ear closer to the wardrobe door, every muscle in my body tense. "...Emma, you are our family’s rea