Page 175 of Modern Romance Collection February 2025, 5-8

‘What do you mean?’

‘I thought I was selling the business lock stock and barrel, simply a change of ownership, all of the staff assured of keeping their jobs, but it turns out the new owner has a different vision.’

‘Oh?’

‘He wants to keep the lab staff on, at least for now.’

She swallowed, not really wanting to know the answer to her next question. ‘And the admin staff?’

‘He’s bringing in his own team. When I found that out, I couldn’t leave it to everyone getting a blanket email that their services were no longer required. I’ve been saying goodbye to all the staff as they’ve come in.’

Mari’s throat tightened. She thought of Carol and all the admin staff he’d had to share the grim news with, staff who’d probably packed their belongings and left the premises in tears. That explained why it had been so quiet when she’d arrived. But Mari was admin too. Was that what this chat was about? That she was gently being let go too?

Please God, no.

Twenty-four-hour care didn’t come cheaply, and she had no idea how much any new arrangement for her sister would cost. She couldn’t afford to lose her job now. She blinked rapidly and stared blankly into her barely touched coffee, the very same coffee she’d been so desperate for not thirty minutes ago. Now a caffeine hit felt as enticing as a road accident. Now she felt sick. Because Eric Cooper—her mentor, her friend—was dying.

And the icing on that dreadful cake was that Mari was about to lose her job. What was she going to do? How was she going to pay for Suzanne’s care now?

Eric’s voice filtered through her troubled thoughts, thoughts that were suddenly more focused on her own situation. Guiltily, she turned her attention back to Eric in time to hear him add, ‘He wants a meeting with you. Eleven this morning, at his hotel. He has a suite at the Langham.’

Her mind scrambled to catch up. All the admin staff were being let go. She was admin staff. What had she missed?

‘Who are we talking about?’

‘The buyer.’

‘He wants to meet me?’ she scoffed. ‘Why, so he can sack me personally?’

‘He wants you to walk him through the financial statements.’

‘What? Mr Hotshot Takeover Merchant takes over a business but can’t read for himself a set of financial statements?’ Mari didn’t have a lot of sympathy or time for someone who had swooped in and taken over the company, resulting in half the staff being let go without notice. Especially when her neck was next on the chopping block. ‘I don’t know that I care to meet him.’

Eric shrugged. ‘I know where you’re coming from and I don’t blame you. By all accounts, he has quite the reputation. Ruthless is one word I’ve heard to describe him. Arrogant too; I’ve found that myself. But once he made his intentions about the administration staff clear, I asked him—well, actually, I insisted—that he make an exception in your case.’ He held up his hands, almost apologetically, before his voice softened. ‘I know how much you need this job, but that’s not why I recommended you. I told him what I’ve always told you, that other people make excuses, whereas you make things happen. I told him he’d be mad to let you go.’

‘Eric…’ She had no words. The man had just learned that he had a terminal illness, and he was thinking of her? ‘You shouldn’t be worrying about me at this time.’

‘Why not? You’ve always made things happen for this company. You’ve been far more than a finance manager. You’ve been my wingman—’ he managed a chuckle this time ‘—wingperson, I probably should have said. But yes, you’ve been there helping steer this company through the last ten years and setting up the finances for a global expansion. So, this could be an opportunity for you. If—when—the company goes global, who knows where it might take you?’

It was generous of Eric to go into bat for her, but Mari wasn’t as confident. From what she’d seen and experienced during her time in corporate life, companies that were taken over and subsumed into larger conglomerates were always the losers, their systems and staff devalued and changed, if not dispensed with, to fit the larger corporation. It was no surprise the buyer wanted to keep on the laboratory staff—at least until his own scientists were up to speed with the technology—but admin staff? They were a dime a dozen, even good ones. She liked to think she was one of the good ones, but she wasn’t so egotistical as to think she was any kind of world-beating talent, no matter the praises Eric heaped on her.

‘I don’t know,’ she said, wondering how much the buyer really wanted to meet with her. He’d probably just been humouring the older man. ‘Maybe I should just pack my personal belongings and call it quits. Jump before I get pushed.’

‘No, no, no,’ said Eric. ‘Please don’t be too hasty. Finding a new job in this market is going to take time. Surely, it’s at least worth meeting him?’

Well, there was that. Eric was the only one in the company who knew where the bulk of her salary went. And he was right that finding a new job was going to take time. Precious time when she should be sourcing another carer for Suzanne without worrying about the means to pay for her. And Eric had been good enough to recommend her. Given everything he had on his plate, it was generous of him to give anyone else a second thought. The last thing she wanted to do was add another crease to his already furrowed brow.

‘All right,’ she said, adding a smile just for Eric’s sake, ‘I’ll meet him.’

‘Excellent! I’ll drop Estefan a note that you’ll be there.’

The name was like a whiplash to her senses, adrenaline propelling her from her chair. ‘Wait. What?’ She stared unseeingly out of her sliver of window. ‘Who did you say?’ Her words sounded reedy and thin, as if all the volume in her body had been directed to her thumping heart, leaving only the thinnest filament for her voice.

Because she couldn’t have heard that name. She must be mistaken. She must have misheard.Misinterpreted.Even with the way her luck had been running today, life couldn’t be that cruel.

Could it?

‘Estefan,’ Eric repeated. ‘Dominico Estefan. He’s a Spanish businessman—a billionaire, by all accounts—looking to diversify into pharmaceuticals. Have you heard of him?’

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