CHAPTER 64: MARGARET’S RIGHT MOVES

Gregory froze.

"Who?" he asked again, unsure if he had heard right.

The assistant swallowed. "Mrs. Margaret Reid."

He frowned wondering why the matriarch of the Reid family was in his building.

Gregory hesitated only a second before saying, "Send her in."

The door opened and Margaret walked in with a regal calm and her cane tapping lightly.

"Gregory," she greeted him warmly. "You look like someone just stepped on your pride and broke it."

He stared. "Mrs. Reid, this is unexpected."

"Oh, I know, that’s why I came. " she said, settling down as if she were in her own home. "I had to see you before you decide to ruin everyone’s lives."

Gregory blinked. "Ma’am—"

"Oh hush," she cut him off. "Let me talk."

Gregory sat. He didn’t know why but he obeyed.

Margaret folded her hands.

"I adore Evelyn," she began and Gregory stiffened instantly.

"She is bright, kind, poised and far more intelligent than half the women in our circle," Margaret continued. "I would be honoured, truly honoured to call her my granddaughter-in-law."

Gregory’s breath hitched but he said nothing.

"And I know," Margaret added, her eyes narrowing, "You like Alexander. You only fear the family attached to him."

Gregory didn’t deny it. She was right on point like always.

"And you should fear Benjamin," Margaret said bluntly. "He is a fool with a long tongue and short logic.

She then sighed and helplessly shook her head. "It’s sad to say but he has always been like that and there is nothing I or anyone else can do about it."

"But you need to understand something," she said, leaning forward. "Benjamin may run the company but he does not run the family."

There was a meaningful silence that followed Margaret’s words.

"What do you mean?" Gregory asked, curiously about where this conversation was headed to.

Margaret gave a small, satisfied smile. "The Reid matriarch decides who gets shares, who gets included and who gets cut out. It’s how Arthur, my late husband, always wanted it. He believed that men should not be left in charge when it comes to taking decisions related to the family."

She looked at Gregory with a proud smile. "My Arthur was a very righteous man."

And Gregory couldn’t help but agree. He remembered meeting Arthur many times when he attended meetings and gatherings with his father.

He was still training under his father when the news about Arthur Reid’s mysterious disappearance was covered on every news channel. The man had suddenly disappeared in thin air leaving no trace or evidence to work on.

Top investigators had gathered together to solve the case which till date remained unsolved. No one knew what had happened and no one was sure if anyone would ever find out.

Back then, Arthur Reid wasn’t just the CEO of a big company but he was also the most respected and powerful man in the city. Everyone looked up to him and Arthur never disappointed.

He was known to be kind, giving, loving and a man who followed principles, in contrast to his son, Benjamin Reid who was completely opposite to everything Arthur was.

"Anyway, when Arthur was still around, he had started a rule which is still followed in the Reid family," Margaret continued, "Every daughter-in-law gets shares once she proves herself and it isn’t Benjamin’s call, it’s mine."

Gregory stared in disbelief. He had never heard of it.

"Pauline has them, I have them and if Evelyn marries into the family, she will have them too," she added.

She leaned closer and whispered, "And let me clear it up for you that this doesn’t include the shares she is entitled to from her husband."

Gregory couldn’t speak. He was still trying to process all the information he had just received.

"And when I am gone—" Margaret added quietly, "Alexander gets my shares, not Benjamin."

Gregory’s eyes widened. "All of it?"

She nodded. "It’s already in my will."

The corner of her lips curled upwards when she saw the look on his face. She knew she had hit him with the right moves.

"Benjamin doesn’t control the future of this family," Margaret said softly. "Alexander will because I trust him with it."

Her voice softened even more. "And I trust him with Evelyn."

Gregory’s throat worked. "Mrs. Reid, you don’t understand—"

"No,you don’t understand," she cut in. "Benjamin may bark but his bite is shallow. He won’t harm Evelyn because I won’t allow it and Alexander would die before letting her get hurt."

Gregory’s eyes lowered and something in him cracked at that.

"I won’t lie or sugar coat it for you because you know how politics works in big families." Margaret stood. "Evelyn will face challenges as a Reid but she will not face them alone. She will have Alexander, she will have Pauline and she will have me."

Gregory quickly got up and followed her when she started walking towards the door.

"And Gregory—" She paused at the door and looked at him. "Evelyn will have protection, power and a place where no one can ever humiliate her again."

Gregory exhaled shakily and looked away, lost in his thoughts.

And Margaret smiled gently.

"Let them be together. They are good for each other."

And with that, she left.

.....

[Present—Pauline’s House]

Pauline sat stunned, her breath caught between disbelief and awe.

"Mother, you said all that?" she whispered.

Margaret sniffed. "And more but he didn’t need to know everything, I made sure he knew just enough to knock some sense into him."

Pauline’s eyes softened. "You really want Evelyn as your granddaughter-in-law."

"Don’t you want her as your daughter-in-law?"

Pauline smiled and nodded, "I am sure she will be a lovely one, but shouldn’t things like this be left to the children to decide?"

"I wouldn’t have interfered but—" Margaret smirked. "I am old, Pauline. Let me have pretty, well-mannered grandchildren before I die."

Pauline laughed despite herself.

"But seriously," Margaret continued gently, "Evelyn is perfect for our family. In fact, she is too perfect to let Benjamin mess it up."

Pauline exhaled slowly.

"And Gregory agreed?" she asked.

Margaret gave a sly smile. "Oh, he pretended to be stubborn. But when I mentioned the shares—" She giggled. "His eyes widened like someone opened heaven’s gates."

Pauline couldn’t help but chuckle. "I am sure he is thinking about Evelyn’s future."

Margaret leaned back with a queenly sigh.

"My dear," she said, "Gregory is a businessman and every businessman needs reassurance whether it’s for business or his daughter and I gave him exactly that."

There was a beat of silence and then Margaret whispered, "Now let’s see how long it takes for those two children to realise they don’t stand a chance against fate."

....