Page 13 of Married to Murder
“Is she still alive?”
I nodded. “Yes. She’s no longer active in the business though.” She did however still control my trust, and that was what had me so stressed out lately.
“Well, yeah. She must be up there in years.”
“She’s ninety-three. Still mentally sharp as a whip, and demanding as ever.” I grimaced. “But Trenton’s Treats is why my family is loaded, so I can’t complain too much.”
“You can to me.” He laughed. “I don’t have a horse in the race.”
I pinched the skin between my eyes, tempted to talk to him about my frustrations. It was hard to find anybody to listen. My mom and dad didn’t want to hear my grievances. “Actually my grandma is why I was in such a foul mood today.”
“Your grandma?”
“Yeah. It’s kind of complicated.”
He shrugged. “I understand if you’d rather not talk about it.”
We fell silent, but as I held him in my arms, I wanted to tell Seth why I’d been so upset earlier. He was a compassionate person, and I knew he’d probably agree with me that the terms my grandmother had set for my trust were antiquated.
I cleared my throat. “Actually, you’re probably a good person to talk to about my issue because you’re impartial.”
He kissed my neck. “Well, sort of.”
I laughed. “I mean you might be able to look at this with logic. I’m fairly emotional about it, and my parents think I’m being a fool by rejecting my grandmother’s rules. But I think the terms she’s set up for me are insane, however, she’s stubbornly refusing to change things.”
He sat up, balancing on his elbow. “Just to be clear, you’re talking about a trust that has been set up by your grandmother for you?”
“Yes.”
He slid back down, resting his head on my shoulder. “Lay it on me, bro.”
I smiled, feeling a little embarrassed to have to tell him my grandmother’s loony terms. “Well, remember how demanding I told you my grandmother was?”
“Yes.”
“She set up a trust for me when I was born. It stipulates that at the age of thirty, I’ll get seventeen million dollars.”
“Whoa. Are you shitting me?” He squinted at me.
“Absolutely not.”
He frowned. “My first thought is that sounds generous, not demanding.”
“Sounds sweet, right? The only problem is she also added that I’ll only get my money if I’mmarried.”
“Married? Why?” He gave a breathless laugh. “Why would you have to be married?”
“She’s old-fashioned. She thinks that a man who isn’t married by thirty is wild and will lose his fortune whoring around or something.”
He snorted. “Sounds very Victorian romance novelish.”
“Indeed.” I sighed. “Also, she wants me to have an heir, and she thinks the only way that’s legit is if I’m married.”
“What happens if you don’t marry?”
“I forfeit the money.” I sighed. “I think it goes to some cat rescue or something. I mean, that’s a good cause and all, but it should be my money. I’d be happy to donate a half million or so to the cats. But it’s a bitter pill to swallow to think I’d lose what should be rightfully mine, simply because I’m not ready to marry on my grandmother’s schedule.”
“Do you need the money?”
