Page 84 of Eco-Activist's Mountain Men
“Well… yes.”
Jack shakes his head, trying to process. “How? When?”
“The usual way. Cash purchase. Daddy’s very wealthy. I’ve got several unlimited reserve cash cards. I can buy anything—within reason.”
“You bought the—how much did you pay?” Toby asks, voice high-pitched now, like he’s on the edge of cracking up.
“Four and a half million. I spoke to Pat—lovely man, by the way—and we agreed to go with the average of three independent valuations. Came to four and a half, and we were both happy with that. So we shook on it—metaphorically speaking.”
“So… you own the company now?” Luke finally asks. His arms are crossed, face set, as if he’s waiting for her to admit she’s joking.
“Not exactly.” She gives a sly little smile.
“What do you mean, not exactly?” Jack presses. “Come on, Luna—who owns it? You? Your dad? Who?”
“We do.”
More silence. Heavier this time.
“What do you meanwe do?” Jack sounds even more confused than before.
“The five of us,” she says simply. “You, Toby, Eric, Luke, and me. Twenty percent each. The paperwork’s in the post, but if you check your emails, you’ll find a notification and a request to sign the forms and send them back to the accountant for filing. Or you will by the end of the day.”
I blink. I can barely comprehend what she’s saying.
“And what about Collier?” Jack asks, his tone sharpening.
“Oh yes, I forgot to mention. I boughthiscompany, too.”
“What?” Toby half-laughs, half-shouts.
“Yes—well, sort of. I bought a majority shareholding. He kept getting into debt and selling portions to lenders. I approached them and made offers. I now own sixty-three percent. Makes me the majority shareholder—and the decision-maker. So I sacked Collier.”
“You what?” Jack’s voice is hard, incredulous.
“Sacked him,” Luna repeats breezily. “Removed him as CEO. I cited unethical management practices and dismissed him without notice, as I’m entitled to in a case of gross misconduct—bringing the company into disrepute through Kill Climate Change. If it gets out, he could face criminal charges, and he knows it. I don’t think we’ll hear from him again.”
“So… what are you going to do with Collier Logging?” Luke asks, wary, his eyes narrowed like he’s scanning for traps.
“Oh, I’ve acquired it for us. Technically, Mackenzie Forestry Services bought it. It’ll all come under the Mackenzie name now. We’ll lose the ‘Collier’—as far as I can tell, it doesn’t have a good reputation. Better to stick with Mackenzie. Now it’s about three times the size it was a few days ago, and it has new management. Cool, huh?”
Jack leans forward, voice firm. “Let me get this straight. Collier tried to buy Mackenzie cheap by tanking its value. Instead, you bought Mackenzie, Mackenzie bought Collier’s company, and now Collier no longer owns his business, and he’s out of a job. Is that it?”
“Yeah, more or less,” Luna says with a shrug. “He still owns thirty-seven percent, but Daddy thinks his lawyers can persuade him to sell it cheap in return for me promising not to sue him for millions for attempted murder. That might be tricky to prove, but I doubt he’ll risk it. So yeah… we got his business as well as ours.”
“Jesus Christ, Luna,” Toby mutters. His grin is still there, but there’s awe in his eyes now.
Jack shakes his head. “How did you even know how to do all this?”
“Didn’t I tell you I started a business administration degree before I dropped out to join Kill Climate Change? And anyway, I’m my daddy’s girl—he taught me loads. He helped a little, too. I used his accountant and lawyer when I needed them. But I worked it out. I must say, I’m quite pleased with myself.”
She beams, glowing with pride.
“Mommy and Daddy are delighted,” she adds. “Daddy says I’m a chip off the old block, and Mommy’s just glad I’m not hanging around with activists anymore and have what she calls ‘a proper job managing a company.’”
Of course, we all tried to refuse the shares, but Luna wouldn’t have it. She said she’d rather be a little bit wealthy with her friends than a lot wealthy on her own, and that she couldn’t run the business without us anyway. With Jack and the rest of us as part-owners, Mackenzie would be a solid company the Forestry Service would trust. On her own, she’d struggle to show the credibility needed to win contracts.
So now we’re tied together two ways—first in love and friendship, and now in business. Pat Mackenzie gets a fair price for his company, which means he can look after his wife properly and get her the treatment she needs without worrying about the cost. We keep our jobs, share the profits, and have a say in the future. Jack’s already talking about growth.
