He laid the envelope on the table, right next to the blue papers Rebecca had brought.

“There are people who will try to take advantage of you now,” he said.

He glared at Rebecca for a brief, sharp second.

“Predatory relatives who see you as a payday because of your… because you need extra care.”

“I do not need extra care,” Caroline said.

“I require minor physical accommodations, which I manage independently.”

“To the law, it is different,” Thomas insisted, his voice rising slightly before he caught himself.

“The court looks at a young girl with one arm and a massive sudden inheritance, and they see a target.”

He pulled a stapled document from the envelope.

“I have had my lawyers draw up a petition for co-conservatorship.”

“A co-conservatorship?” I asked, stepping between him and my granddaughter.

“She is sixteen, Thomas.”

“Exactly,” he said, pointing a finger at me.

“And until she is eighteen, that money is vulnerable.”

“If she signs this, I will act as her financial protector.”

“We will manage the trust together, ensuring no one can touch a dime without my approval.”