CHAPTER 7: The House Was Never His

Grant had always called it the Cross estate.
He said it in interviews, on invitations, in speeches about legacy and family discipline.
The house had his initials on the napkins and his portrait in the west library.
But the deed had never belonged to him.
Charles had purchased the property through a trust when Amelia married Grant, not as a gift to Grant, but as a shield around his daughter.
Grant did not know because he had never read anything that did not flatter him.
Daniel placed one page on the table and turned it toward him.
“Effective immediately, Mr. Cross, your access to this property may be revoked by Mrs. Cross.”
Grant laughed once. It sounded almost painful.
“She won’t do that.”
Amelia leaned against the rail and managed to stand with Charles’s help.
Her hand never left her belly.
“Take his keys,” she said.