<h4>Chapter 41 - My Granddaughter</h4>


    "Sir Collins." Robery Collins looked up at the woman standing at the door and gestured for her toe in as he closed the folder in front of him with finality.


    "Mnie. Thank you foring in at my invitation." He sighed wearily then, as if troubled by a thousand thoughts and gestured toward the chair in front of him, silently urging her to take a seat.


    He saw her hesitate for a fraction of a second before settling down, her postureposed, her expression unreadable. He was a man of experience and could judge a person in a few looks but Mnie seemed to be puzzling him.


    He studied her for a moment, then finally spoke. "Mnie, about yesterday..." He trailed off, deliberately leaving space for her to interject, to offer some exnation or excuse about how she came to be with Adam. But she did no such thing. Instead, she simply met his gaze with an unwavering calmness as if she had nothing to say.


    His eyes narrowed slightly as he regarded her, but she didn''t waver.


    Letting out another sigh, he leaned back in his chair. "Mnie, even though we only met yesterday, I know more about you than you might think." His voice was measured, thoughtful. "Some of ites from myte wife—she was quite fond of you, as you know. She spoke of you often." He paused, watching for a reaction, but Mnie remained still, her features betraying nothing. Not even a smile for the older woman who had left her an inheritance to match that of her own grandsons.


    "A little of what I knowes from Spencer," he continued, his tone darkening at the mention of the name. "But mostly, ites from my own years of experience. An old man learns to see beyond words, beyond what people choose to show."


    He paused, as if carefully weighing his next words. "I have no way to express just how disappointed I am in Spencer, nor do I have the words to describe how much of a fool I think he is. But you..." He exhaled sharply. "You, I thought you were a smart girl."


    This time, he deliberately stopped speaking, leaving the room heavy with expectation. He wanted to see how she would respond, how she would defend herself.


    But Mnie didn''t rush to fill the silence. She simply sat there,posed and unruffled, as though she had all the time in the world.


    Sir Collins realized, with reluctant admiration, that she was remarkably skilled at controlling her emotions. Which meant that she was going to be a difficult opponent...


    Finally, when she did speak, her response was entirely out of what he would expect.


    "Sir Collins, from the way you speak, it seems you no longer think I''m smart." Mnie asked with a challenging smile.


    He regarded her for a moment before shaking his head with a small, knowing smile. "No, I still think you''re smart," he admitted. "But intelligence doesn''t always stop people from making foolish choices—especially when they''re in pain. And you, my dear, are hurting."


    This time she was about to speak up but he raised his hand and continued "And when people hurt, they often act out. It''s only natural. To want to make the one who hurt you feel the same kind of suffering you endured. And since Spencer is the one who wounded you so deeply, you want to strike back at him. That much is clear."


    He leaned forward slowly, "And what better way to do that than by taking from him the thing he values most? His inheritance." He let the words settle between them, and smiled inwardly when he saw the guilt sh in her eyes. Good. His words had indeed hit the mark.


    "So," he continued, in a voice tinged with disappointment, "you''ve decided to aplish that through Adam, haven''t you? I never would have thought that you would be this unscrupulous, Mnie. I had believed you were better than that. My wife had believed you were better than that! Or else she never would have phrased her will like that!"


    Mnie smiled.If Sir Collins had been hoping for an immediate reaction of guilt or reassurance that she was not doing it for revenge, he was bound to be disappointed. She took her time answering him. There was no need to hurry, after all.


    "Your wife was a kind woman, Sir Collins. I will always be grateful for her generosity." She paused. Letting him know that her generosity and Spencer were two very difference matters. And then continued, "But you assume too much."


    Sir Collins arched a brow at that. "Do I?"


    Mnie nodded, "You believe this is about Spencer. About revenge. About me wanting to hurt him in the way he hurt me. But have you considered that maybe, just maybe, this isn''t about Spencer at all?"


    Sir Collins'' eyes narrowed at this. "Then enlighten me. If this is not about Spencer, are you saying that you are in love with Adam now? That you want to marry him for that? After beaig a dutiful wife to Spencer for three years, your love for him has evaporated into thin air? Poof? If your love was that weak, then you would not have been so willing to wait for him all these years!"


    "You are indeed correct. I am not in love with Adam. But, lovees slowly. I will simply treat this as an arranged match, take our time getting to know each other. And like grandmother stated, we''ll be together for the next three years."


    "I see that you don''t deny that you are also doing this for revenge!"


    "You wouldn''t believe me even if I denied it outright. So, if that is all, I need to go out..."


    Sir Collins banged his hand on the table," No! That is not all! Mnie! If you are really not interested in revenge, then why not take thest option! Refuse to marry both of them! That way the inheritance will be divided three ways, and you will not suffer. You are like my granddaughter and I don''t want to see you wasting the next three years of your life as well!"