"I don't understand. He told me he once had it all secure."
The lawyers exchange confused glances.
Edward clears his throat again. "Anything was null or void, so in the absence of a will, intestate succession laws apply. Which means his estate passes to his next of kin." He looks directly at me. "You, Ms. Quinn. You are Cormac Donoghue's only living child on record. A Mrs. Samantha Quinn submitted paperwork. That's how you came on our radar."
Callum looks at me.
"That's my mother."
"Well," Claire says, "I'm sure your mother thought she was just doing standard protocols, but she inadvertently secured you Cormac's estate. The value of which," she pauses and looks down at her paperwork, "is 582 million dollars."
"What?" I blurt out, leaning forward.
Claire nods and slides the paper across the table. "Shadowharbor Holdings. The umbrella corporation that owns approximately forty-seven subsidiary companies across multiple sectors. Properties in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and a few various financial services." She pauses. "It's a conservative estimate, and it would require you liquidating everything, but it's definitely over half a billion dollars."
I stare down at the paper, large numbers with dollar signs I can't even process.
"I don't…" I shake my head, trying to make sense of it. "I mean, I just knew about Shadowharbor. Nothing about homes or anything else."
"Well, for whatever reason Mr. Donoghue kept it secret," Edward says, "but all his assets, including all holdings under the Shadowharbor Corporation, will be transferred to you effective immediately upon the settlement of his estate. That includes controlling shares and his liquid assets of," he looks down at some papers, "21 million dollars that we can wire to your account within 24 hours of signing."
My mouth goes dry.
"Shadowharbor," I repeat. "You're saying I inherit Shadowharbor?"
"That's correct."
I lean back and almost laugh.
The empire Cormac built specifically to destroy the Killaneys. The machine that funded the Morrígan Order, that paid for the rituals and the robes and the girls who were burned on altars. That money is soaked in blood. My blood. The blood of my sisters is now in my possession.
"This is insane," I say in utter disbelief.
Edward adjusts in his seat. "I assure you, Ms. Quinn, the valuation and paperwork has been thoroughly vetted by our team. Everything is legitimate."
"Well, I don't know the first thing about running a company," I say.
Claire's expression softens slightly. "There's a board of directors currently managing day-to-day operations. You wouldn't need to…"
"Give us a moment," Callum says, his voice cutting through.
The lawyers hesitate, then nod, and step outside.
The door clicks shut, and I exhale a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
Callum turns his chair to face me fully.
"Talk to me."
"I can't do this." The words tumble out before I can stop them. "Callum, that company… you know what it is. You know what he built it for."
"I know."
"It funded everything. The Order, the attacks on your routes, your father's…" I can't finish. "That money is poison."
Callum takes both my hands in his.
"Listen to me," he says, his voice low. "You don't need to know everything. Not today. Not tomorrow." He squeezes my fingers. "We can figure it out. Together. This could be a good opportunity for you."
