Chapter 10 - THE GRANDMOTHER WHO FAKED HER FUNERAL
Ravi’s mother, Anika Greedy, had staged her death.
I was no longer surprised by wealthy families lying about funerals.
She had entered protected medical care after surviving an assassination attempt.
Only three people knew.
Ravi was not one.
Arjun was.
That mattered.
Anika had continued monitoring the family trust secretly.
She discovered Arjun’s fraud.
She also discovered Sadi.
Then she contacted my father.
That explained why Michael became trustee.
Why he had access to Greedy records.
Why he risked everything.
Anika appeared through secure video.
Eighty-one.
Silver hair.
Sharp eyes.
Sadi stared.
“Are you my grandma?”
Anika smiled.
“Yes.”
“Do you want my money?”
Ravi almost choked.
Anika laughed.
“No.”
“Good.”
Then Anika looked at me.
“You raised her.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
I didn’t know what to do with that.
Then she looked at Ravi.
“You look old.”
He stared.
“You let me bury you.”
“Yes.”
“I grieved you.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To keep Arjun from using you to find me.”
Ravi’s anger rose.
Then stopped.
He had learned.
Not perfectly.
He said:
“You should have told me.”
“Yes.”
Good.
Everyone finally admitting that.
Anika explained Arjun had been manipulating family finances for years.
Ravi controlled criminal operations.
Arjun controlled money.
That division allowed theft.
Ravi believed numbers because they came from his brother.
Again.
Trust without verification.
Then Anika said:
“I changed the trust because neither of you should control a child.”
Ravi almost smiled.
“Fair.”
Sadi liked her immediately.
I remained cautious.
Good.
Anika’s testimony gave prosecutors another path.
Arjun’s financial crimes.
Succession fraud.
Conspiracy.
Then she revealed his location.
Not Wisconsin.
Chicago.
He had returned.
Why?
Because he wanted Sadi before his arrest.
That night, he came to our old apartment.
Police were waiting.
He did not enter.
He called me from across the street.
“Diane.”
“What?”
“Bring her down.”
“No.”
“I want to see my daughter.”
“You can request supervised contact through court.”
He laughed.
“You think courts decide blood?”
“Yes.”
Then Sadi took the phone.
My heart stopped.
But I let her.
Her choice.
“Arjun?”
Silence.
Then:
“Sadi.”
She asked:
“Why didn’t you come to my birthday?”
He froze.
“What?”
“Any birthday.”
Silence.
“You knew where I was.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you come?”
“I was protecting you.”
She looked at me.
Then said:
“No.”
Arjun’s voice hardened.
“You’re a child.”
“Yes.”
She swallowed.
“But Diane came.”
That ended him more effectively than any threat.
Then Sadi said:
“I don’t want to see you unless a judge says it’s safe.”
She hung up.
Police arrested Arjun twenty minutes later.
No gunfight.
No kidnapping.
No dramatic death.
Just handcuffs.
Good.
Then investigators searched his car.
Inside was the missing final page from Dad’s journal.
At the bottom:
RAVI DID NOT KNOW. DO NOT BLAME HIM FOR WHAT ARJUN DID.
I looked at Ravi.
May you like
He looked at me.
For the first time, the truth between us was uncomplicated.
