Chapter 145
Chapter 145:
His lips twisted into a smirk. “You really don’t give your sister enough credit. She’s a lot sharper than you think. You know why she decided to stay in Stonewick p>
“Why p>
“Perhaps I should mention my mother’s name. Eleanor Montague. Ring any bells p>
I frowned. “Should it p>
“It should. The Montagues are old money. Ancient, actually. Fingers in every pie, family tree thicker than a hedge maze. They made a bloody fortune, and Mum inherited the lot. She didn’t have a head for business, never worked a day in her life, so it shrank a bit… but it’s still a substantial pile p>
I stared at him.
He spread his arms. “Which means Cathy, as her daughter, stands to inherit half of it. Instant multimillionaire the day Mum kicks the bucket p>
I muttered, “So she stayed for the money p>
“Of course she did. Wouldn’t you p>
A knock sounded at the door.
Ashton glanced at me.
“I’ll be fine,” I said.
He gave Jace a hard look, then stepped out, leaving the door slightly ajar.
I turned back to Jace. “Then why did she come back to Skyline p>
He laughed bitterly. “Stayed for money, left for the same reason p>
“What happened p>
“Turns out, Mum was even worse with money than I thought. Her fund managers had been bleeding her dry for years, and she had no idea. By the time the will was read, the ‘fortune’ wouldn’t have lasted me a month in Vegas. So Cathy packed up and came crawling back to Skyline. And you know what that proved? She was bloody smart to keep the truth from the Vances. Always good to have a backup plan p>
I thought hard. “You said earlier that it doesn’t matter now if the truth comes out because Catherine’s Mrs. Granger. Why p>
He gave me a look as though I’d asked the stupidest question in the world. “You still don’t get it? Money, of course. The Grangers are loaded, right? Filthy rich. Cathy marries one, and boom, she’s back on top p>
“But what if the Grangers find out? They could demand a divorce p>
Knowing Clive Granger, who treated pedigree like a religion, he was probably already frothing at the mouth at the thought of an annulment.
Jace didn’t look concerned. “Doesn’t matter if they do. Cathy and that Rhys guy didn’t sign a prenup. You know what that means, right p>
“It means if they divorce, Catherine gets half of everything Rhys owns p>