“You must.”
“No, that’s not how it works.”
Anais held up a hand to silence her grandson. “You will marry, Matthieu, and very soon. You will give your grandfather the satisfaction of meeting your fiancé before he dies, and God willing, your bride. He must know there is the prospect of children in this family.”
“Fleur will provide them,” he said quietly, though his cousin’s recent divorce had caught them all by surprise. It was, to Matthieu, further proof that love and happily ever after were just lies people were told from birth. Fairytales were nothing more than fantasy.
“We are not discussing Fleur now.” Anais drew herself up to her impressive height. Though Matthieu still towered over her, her bearing was pure intimidation. “You will return to this house engaged, Matthieu, or you will not return again.”
“It almost sounds as though you’re threatening me,” Matthieu responded, careful not to give away any emotions.
“I am.” Her expression didn’t soften in the slightest. “If you do not get engaged before Christmas, you will no longer be welcome here.”
Matthieu kept his composure, his expression neutral, even when feelings of disbelief were bubbling through him. “I cannot believe you would—,”
“That’s not all.”
Unused to being interrupted, he ground his teeth together, waiting with steel-edged silence.
“You will be removed from the company, effective immediately.”
Matthieu stared at her, ice in his veins. “The company I built?”
“You were appointed to that role by Lucien and me,” Anais pointed out.
“True, but when I took over, the value had been decimated. I’m the one who turned it around and made de Garmeaux Holdings what it is today.”
“I am aware of this, and I am very proud of you for what you’ve done, but technically, the company is not yet yours.”
Matthieu didn’t blink. She was correct. He had worked at the family business since he was eighteen years old, but the structure of ownership was complicated—a mixture of trusts and corporations—and his own personal stake of ownership was quite modest. He and his cousin Fleur were the sole benefactors of their grandparents’ will. He had always known that at some point, the business would pass to him. There had been no reason to force a handover sooner.
“You will be disinherited,” his grandmother continued for good measure, moving closer towards the door and drawing it inwards.
Matthieu’s temper was rising, but he would never indulge it around his grandmother. He couldn’t. “Then I will do something else,” he said, simply, refusing to give into the blackmail.
“And you will never see him again.” The only hint that she was emotionally affected by that decree was a slight wobble in her voice.
Matthieu stood very still, the stunning gardens beyond the door showing sunlight and beauty, the conversation inside all coldness and anger. “You cannot seriously mean to keep me from the man who basically raised me.”
“If you do not give him this peace, at the end of his life, then yes. That is what I intend.”
Matthieu’s heart was beating too fast. He stared at his grandmother with a sinking feeling in his gut.
“Why is this so important to you?” He asked, finally.
“Because it is important to him,” she didn’t miss a beat. “And because I love him.”
“You love me too, don’t you?”
“I have always loved you, Matthieu. But now, I must do what’s right.”
“For him?”
“And for you. You might not see that, but one day you’ll thank me.”
Matthieu took a step through the door, his nostrils flaring as he expelled a long, slow breath. He rallied his thoughts and cooled his temper before turning to face her. “I seriously doubt that, grand-mere. Goodbye.”
* * *