Greyson reflected on the problem with Elena finding out she was John's natural daughter the way she did. As upset as he was about how she lashed out, he realized he played a large part in her heartbreak.
And the worst part was that, after worrying about Damon's selfishness in how he treated Elena, he realized he had acted in a similar way, albeit with very different methods. He realizes that they had both claimed Elena in a way that made her belong to them selfishly. He himself had made her believe he was her father, not her uncle, by blood. And as much as he truly knew he was in every way her true father, she had deserved the truth. He had never given her the respect that proved he knew she could handle her past.
And in the end, he wondered if she was open to Damon and his high-handedness in how he handled their relationship because that was the way he had treated his own daughter. He worried that he might have trained her to see that as acceptable.
"You came for a reason, I presume?" Giuseppe's words cut through his thoughts and brought him back to the present. He was now acting in the way he knew he must, which meant that he willingly went to the Salvatore mansion to request to speak with Giuseppe.
Collecting himself quickly, he launched into his prepared speech. "We don't really get along, to put it mildly, and we've feuded quite publicly for a while now."
"And yet you're here," Giuseppe commented flatly.
"I am," Greyson said, nodding, and then added, "Tyler is engaged to Caroline, and to be frank, it's annoying that the Lockwoods have cemented such a strong bond with the Forbes. It strengthens their position in this town, and he's already the Mayor."
"I offered Stefan…." Giuseppe began, but Greyson cut him off, saying, "No. No matter what you think of him, he's still a second son. One, you might want to make your heir over Damon, but you can't. As much power as you have in town, none of the other founding families will accept him, and you need their approval. It's why you disparage Damon as much as you do. You want them to be on your side and come to welcome Stephan as your heir."
Greyson watched as Giuseppe's expression clouded, and he just smiled. He knew he had a way not only to protect Elena but to get the daughter he loved the marriage she chose. "Lilly hated you so much that it was a secret to no one. You do know she was friends with Miranda, though?"
"I do," he answered in clipped syllables.
"She had a vindictive side, too," Greyson continued. "Despite being friends, Miranda was even burned by it a few times."
"That also know," Giuseppe said tonelessly.
"Damon is your son," Greyson announced assuredly. "She delighted in making you question who the true father was of your heir. It amused her to know you were questioning if it would be your blood that controlled the family wealth and continued the Salvatore name."
"How can you be so sure?" Giuseppe asked, with an unmistakable sound of hope in his voice. It was something that had eaten away at him for so long he didn't care if he gave away how desperately he needed Greyson's answer.
"Because, as much as she loved Damon, and he was the apple of her eye, she wanted you to make Stefan your heir."
"Why the hell would she want to do that!?"
Smiling, Greyson said, "She hated you that much. She wanted you to choose to make another man's child your heir out of spite."
"Who's!? Giuseppe asked, slamming his fists down on the arms of his chair and standing up angrily.
"Richard Lockwood."
"Stefan is Richard's son? How can you be so sure? The timing of…." He trailed off and glared at Greyson. "You lied to me! Stefan wasn't born early. I had been on that trip to speak with my banker! You were complicit in the whole thing!"
"I was complicit in nothing!" Grayson shot back. "I was her doctor, and I obfuscated the truth to protect your son, not Lily or you. I wasn't even sure, and I didn't know what her real plan was. It wasn't until years later, when she confessed it to Miranda, that I knew for sure." He pulled a letter from his pocket. "It's all here. She asked Miranda to burn the letter, but I told her I wanted to hold onto it."
Giuseppe grabbed the letter out of Greyson's hand, opened it hastily, and read every word. Lily had been contagious in the end before she died, and she couldn't have visitors. Hence, anything she wanted to say had to have been written down. Lily had told Miranda everything behind the truth of Stefan's birth, and the letter was dated one day before she died.
"You can destroy me with this," Giuseppe said, grasping the letter in his fist. "She lays out all of the evidence of how Stefan is Richard's true son." He sat back down and slumped in his chair, defeated. "I guess you want me to thank you for warning me before you make this public," he hissed.
Greyson shook his head, plucked the letter from Giuseppe's hand, and then went to the fireplace and burned the letter. "You misunderstand my real intent."
Narrowing his eyes, Giuseppe asked, "And what is your intent? Everyone knows I wanted Stephan to be my heir." The past tense wasn't lost on Greyson. "How can I walk that back and save face?! Or is it that you like the idea of me silently suffering?"
"My daughter, Elena, is in love, and I'm determined to engage her with the man of her choosing. It just so happens that it will help you out. And since her engagement will need your approval, this all works out well in the end."
Not being a dumb man, only a mean one, he said, "She's in love with Damon!?"
"Yes, the only true son you have. Her marriage to Damon would connect our two families, and since I would insist on engaging her to your heir, you can agree to let Damon take his true place as part of the marriage contract. Everyone will believe you let it happen to secure the alliance."
"And no one would wonder why I suddenly accepted him as my heir."
"Precisely."
"You would let Elena be my daughter-in-law?"
Greyson frowned. "I'm going to be blunt. I absolutely hate the idea. But Damon's famous for his epic arguments with you, and he doesn't submit to your will either. I believe he will protect her from you even if it just gives him another way to defy you. I have made peace with that."
"Thank goodness!" Giuseppe exclaimed. "I'm glad we aren't going to have to pretend to like each other. I will accept the marriage, though. It benefits us and takes away some of the power the Lockwoods received with Tyler's engagement to Caroline. I find now that I really like anything that spites that man."
And so the marriage contract, one that included Elena's hefty dowry, was signed by Greyson, Giuseppe, and Damon. Giuseppe signed since many of the items that Greyson required for the contract required Giuseppe's consent. One being, of course, that Damon was made heir in contract and deed.