Page 47 of Last Wish Wedding

“You have my word,” Mac said solemnly.

“And what about Jason?” she asked. “What happens now?”

“That,” said Truman, picking up one of the financial reports beside him, “depends entirely on what you want to happen next, because there’s something else you should know about our position with Maritime Holdings.”

“What’s that?”

“With one phone call,” Truman said, his Irish brogue thickening as it often did when he was passionate about something, “I can orchestrate a complete takeover during this merger.”

Kelsey’s pen stilled mid-sentence. “A takeover?”

“Aye.” Truman’s eyes gleamed with a shrewdness that belied his frail appearance. “The board doesn’t know that Mac and I have been quietly acquiring shares through various subsidiaries. So, rather than twenty-two percent, we own more like seventy-four. Thus, rather than a merger, it will become a covert acquisition; we can absorb the Prescott stake in Maritime Holdings through a hostile takeover.”

Mac moved closer to his grandfather. “If we execute this strategy, Jason Prescott will lose the bulk of his investments. He’ll be financially ruined.”

“Ruined?” Kelsey repeated, the word tasting sharp in her mouth.

Truman nodded. “He’s heavily leveraged, borrowed against everything he owns. He’s betting his entire financial future on this merger going through on terms favorable to him.”

“And you can just…” Kelsey snapped her fingers, unable to articulate the enormity of what they were suggesting.

“That’s about the size of it,” Truman confirmed. “One call to our attorneys, and Jason Prescott would be finished in Boston financial circles.”

Kelsey sank onto the ottoman, her mind racing. The casual way they discussed destroying someone’s livelihood—even someone as despicable as Jason—made her head spin. This was a world she’d never navigated, where fortunes rose and fell on single decisions, where people wielded power she could barely comprehend.

“There is nothing,” Truman continued, his voice hardening, “that would give me greater satisfaction than to see Jason Prescott brought low. Not just for what he’s putting you through, lass, but for decades of underhanded dealings. The Prescotts have never played fair.”

Kelsey looked between them, these two powerful men who had somehow become her allies. “Just like that? You could just ruin him?”

Mac nodded, his expression grim. “Just like that.”

“But,” Truman added, reaching for her hand, “I won’t make that call without your consent. This affects you and Noah most directly. You should have a say.”

Her laugh came out strangled.

“What’s so funny?” Mac asked.

“Nothing’s funny,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s just… I was just upset about you making decisions about my life without my input, and now you’re offering me the devastating power to destroy someone else’s.”

She stood, pacing the small living room. Outside, birds called to each other. How surreal that such peaceful surroundings could contain such momentous decisions.

“I don’t know how to think about this,” she admitted. “I’m a healthcare provider. I help people. The idea of deliberately ruining someone, even Jason…”

“He wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to you,” Mac pointed out quietly. “He’s trying to get custody of your son,”

“I know that.” Kelsey stopped by the window, staring out at the water. “But if we destroy him financially, wouldn’t that make him even more desperate to get control of Noah? For the inheritance?”

Truman nodded gravely. “It’s possible. Desperate men are unpredictable.”

“Then I can’t.” She closed her eyes briefly. “I can’t endorse that. Not when Noah might end up bearing the consequences.”

“Then what do you propose?” Mac asked.

Kelsey turned back to face them. “I don’t know enough about high finance to propose anything. This is your world, not mine. I take care of people for a living—I help them heal, help them find comfort. I don’t… I don’t ruin people.” She took a deep breath. “You need to do what’s best for your business interests. I won’t ask you to make decisions based on my situation.”

Truman studied her, something like admiration in his eyes. “You’re a remarkable woman, Kelsey York. Most people, given the chance to strike at their enemies, would take it.”

“Maybe I’m just a coward,” she said. “Maybe I’m afraid of the blowback.”