I gathered my family under one roof, hoping to spend quality time with them, to feel the warmth of shared stories and laughter. But that night, I heard whispers behind closed doors—secret plans, hushed betrayals, conversations filled with hidden agendas. My children thought I was too old to notice, too frail to understand. They were wrong. If they were going to play their games, then so would I. And I would make the rules.
I always said that when you reach old age, you have two choices: either become the sweet, gentle grandmother who bakes pies and knits sweaters, or become the cunning mastermind who keeps her family on their toes. Without a doubt, I belonged to the second category.
At seventy-eight, I wore silk robes, drank fresh juice every morning, and snowboarded whenever I pleased. I knew life could be controlled, shaped like clay, if only you played your cards right. And I always played mine right.
But recently, my children had started acting as if I barely existed. My grandchildren were kept away from me, as if my presence might turn them against their parents.
Meanwhile, life went on…
I sat in my living room, shuffling my deck of cards, while my dear friends kept me entertained with their chatter as we prepared to play bridge.
Dolly, ever dramatic, sighed loudly. “I can’t take it anymore! My secret admirer keeps leaving me flowers with no note. It’s driving me mad!”
Margo, ever the skeptic, rolled her eyes. “The same one as last time?”
“Or maybe a different one! Maybe I attract love like a magnet!”
I turned my cards over and smirked at Margo. “You do realize she orders them herself, don’t you?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Margo said, sipping her coffee.
Dolly gasped in mock outrage. “You two are insufferable! But never mind me. Tell me, how are your kids?”
I sighed. “Alive and well. Theoretically. They remember me so rarely that I wonder if they even recall what I look like.”
Margo arched an eyebrow. “And Gregory?”
“Mr. Grizzly is his usual self. Sitting at home, grumbling about life’s injustices.”
Margo chuckled. Dolly stirred another sugar cube into her coffee. “And Veronica, his wife?”
“Oh, #Hashtag?” I smirked. “She’s busy curating the perfect social media life. I’m not sure she even remembers how to hold a real conversation anymore. But she does keep the family afloat with her advertising deals. A man in a robe while his wife is on stage—what a world we live in.”
“And your daughter, Belinda?” Margo asked, setting her cards down.
I hesitated. “Belinda, as always, is busy making sure everything in life is perfectly arranged. No family, no children, not even a hint of a relationship. Just control.”
Margo leaned in. “And your grandchildren? Mia? Theo?”
I let out a laugh. “Mia is probably barefoot in the mountains somewhere, teaching trees how to meditate. Instead of studying or going to parties, she believes in spiritual enlightenment.”
“Didn’t she have some theory that objects have memory?”
“Oh, yes. She believes they hear us when we yell at them. I once scolded my microwave, and it ignored me for an entire day.”
“And Theo? Your little detective?”
I smiled. “The only man in my family with common sense.”
“Still spying?”
“A full-time investigator. Last I saw, he was crawling under the couch with a magnifying glass. Not sure if he was gathering evidence or just amusing himself.”
Dolly placed her hands over her heart. “I love that boy! Does he know you’re his only ally?”
I sighed, shuffling my cards. “He still thinks I’m the prime suspect.”
Margo narrowed her eyes. “Vivi, you’re up to something.”
I smirked and laid my cards down. “If my children don’t notice me while I’m alive, I will make sure they can’t ignore me.”
I lifted my glass of grapefruit juice, but before I could take a sip, a sharp pain pierced my chest. The room tilted. Dolly screamed.
“Call an ambulance! Now!”
I woke up in the hospital, wrapped in a warm blanket, listening to the doctor speaking to my friends.
“Her condition is stable, but she needs to be careful. Less stress, more rest, and, of course, family around her.”
Dolly gasped dramatically. “Doctor, will she ever be the same again?”
“She needs care,” the doctor said firmly.
Dolly turned to me. “We’re staying with you for the weekend.”
“Just to make sure everything is under control,” Margo added.
Dolly grabbed her phone. “We need to call your family! They should be here with you!”
I hesitated. My condition required attention—but not medical attention. My family needed a reminder of who I was.
“You’re right,” I murmured. “I need them here.”
Dolly clapped her hands. “Oh, finally, you admit it!”
Margo typed a message to Belinda:
Belinda, I just got back from the hospital. My condition is unstable. I don’t want to worry you, but I’m scared. Please come. I need you here.
I nodded.
Dolly smirked. “And now Gregory.” She typed a similar message.
I read it and smiled.
Perfect.
They were already on their way. And they had no idea what awaited them.
That night, as I lay in bed, I heard whispers outside my door.
“We need to find out if she changed the will,” Veronica whispered.
“We can’t just ask!” Gregory snapped. “If she hasn’t, you know who everything is going to…”
Then, from Belinda’s room:
“No, I can’t meet you now. If Mom suspects anything, everything falls apart.”
My blood ran cold. What exactly would fall apart, Belinda?
I turned, and there stood Theo, notebook in hand.
“What are you doing, Scooter?”
He held up his notes:
- Mom & Dad whispering about Granny.
- Belinda canceled a secret meeting.
- Grandma Vivi playing cards.
I smiled.
They thought I was weak. They thought I was clueless. But they were wrong.
Tomorrow, I would reveal my new plan.
And my family would finally learn who I really was.
