"He did. But the legal process was long, expensive, and painful. Eventually, he decided that protecting his family mattered more than proving himself right."
Daniel looked at the document again.
"Then how did you become the majority shareholder?"
Margaret smiled sadly.
"Because I had inherited something from my own father."
She paused.
"Your great-grandfather owned the land where the original factory was built. When your grandfather needed help, I used my inheritance to keep the property from being sold."
Daniel stared at her.
"You saved the company?"
"Not alone. Your grandfather rebuilt it over the years. But the land remained in my name. That was the agreement we made."
Daniel struggled to process the information.
His entire understanding of his family's history was changing.
He had always believed that his grandfather had failed in business and that his grandmother had simply taken care of him after his parents died.
He had never imagined that she had once been responsible for protecting the foundation of the Harrison family's wealth.
Margaret continued.
"After your grandfather passed away, I kept the documents because I didn't want anyone to take advantage of you while you were growing up."
"Who would?"
"People who care more about money than family."
Daniel looked toward Victoria.
She was staring at the document with an expression he had never seen before.
It was no longer simply anger.
There was something else.
Fear.
But Victoria quickly recovered.
"Well, this is certainly interesting," she said, forcing a smile. "Why didn't you mention any of this before, Margaret?"
The elderly woman looked at her.
"Because nobody asked."
Victoria laughed awkwardly.
"Of course. Well, now that everything is clear, perhaps we can all move on."
Daniel did not smile.
"Move on?"
"Yes. We've had enough drama for one evening."
"Grandma was humiliated in front of everyone."
Victoria lowered her voice.
"Daniel, I was upset. I didn't know who she was."
"Would it have been acceptable if she had been a stranger?"
Victoria said nothing.
"Would you have treated her differently if she had arrived wearing an expensive designer dress?"
"You're twisting my words."
"No. I'm asking you a simple question."
Victoria looked around.
The guests were listening again.
She hated it.
She hated that Daniel was making her answer for her behavior.
Finally, she whispered:
"I apologized by trying to move forward."
"You haven't apologized."
Victoria's eyes narrowed.
"Do you expect me to get on my knees?"
"No. I expect you to understand what you did."
Margaret gently touched Daniel's arm.
"Please, sweetheart. Don't let this ruin your wedding."
Daniel looked at her.
"You are not ruining anything."
Then he turned toward Victoria.
"Tonight was supposed to be about the beginning of our life together. I thought I understood what kind of person I was marrying."
Victoria's expression hardened.
"Are you questioning our marriage because of one argument?"
Daniel looked at her for a long moment.
"Maybe I'm questioning how well I know you."
The room became silent again.
The First Crack in a Perfect Marriage
Victoria walked away from Daniel and headed toward the bridal suite.
Her mother followed her.
Inside the private room, Victoria threw her bouquet onto a sofa.
"Can you believe him?"
Eleanor closed the door.
"Victoria, sit down."
"I'm not sitting down!"
"Then at least stop shouting."
Victoria turned toward her mother.
"He humiliated me in front of everyone!"
Eleanor sighed.
"Your husband was defending his grandmother."
"She made the entire evening about herself!"
"She was standing quietly when you attacked her."
Victoria froze.
"Mom!"
"I watched everything. You were cruel."
Victoria stared at her mother.
For several seconds, neither woman spoke.
Then Victoria began pacing.
"You don't understand. Daniel has been changing ever since he became successful. He's constantly talking about family, loyalty, and all these sentimental things."
Eleanor looked at her.
"Those are not bad things."
"They're making him weak."
"Perhaps they're making him a better person."
Victoria stopped walking.
"What?"
Eleanor sat down.
"Victoria, I raised you to believe you deserved a good life. I wanted you to have opportunities I never had. But I never taught you that people with less money were beneath you."
Victoria looked away.
"You've always defended me."
"Because I love you. But loving someone doesn't mean pretending they never make mistakes."
Victoria's face tightened.
"Whose side are you on?"
Eleanor looked directly at her daughter.
"The side of what is right."
Victoria turned away.
She did not want to hear another word.
Meanwhile, in the ballroom, Daniel had asked the wedding coordinator to bring Margaret a warm drink.
He sat beside her, holding her hand.
"Grandma, I wish I had known about the document."
"Your grandfather wanted you to discover it when you were old enough to understand."
"Why did you never tell me about the factory?"
Margaret smiled.
"Because when you were a little boy, you were more interested in building toy airplanes than discussing property."
Daniel laughed softly.
"I remember those airplanes."
"You used to make me sit through hours of your explanations."
"You listened."
"Every single time."
They both smiled.
Then Margaret reached into her handbag again.
This time, she took out a small velvet box.
Daniel frowned.