The Captain I Married by Chance novel Chapter 573

Her prompt gave Harold the perfect out.

He could be completely righteous and demanding with his grandson.

But seeing how understanding she was made a pang of guilt surface in his chest.

"Nora, that's not exactly what I meant..."

He paused, trying to find the right words. "I know that as a forensic pathologist, you don't like dealing with trivial drama. But while the Peyton family might seem small, our dynamics are complicated. I just want to prepare you so you aren't caught off guard."

She nodded, offering him a warm smile. "I understand. Please, tell me."

Seeing that she genuinely didn't mind, he let out a sigh of relief.

He did, of course, have his own selfish motives.

Nathan was far too stubborn—just like his father.

Harold actually admired that kind of grit.

If he could, he would have loved to live life on his own terms like that.

He would have loved to have a life so full of adventure that it would take days to recount.

But he was old now.

He sighed. As the years caught up with him, he had to plan for the future of the Peyton Therapeutics Group and for his grandson.

He had been able to support Nathan's father in pursuing his own ideals and finding his purpose.

But time wouldn't allow him the luxury of doing the same for Nathan indefinitely.

Which meant either Nathan or his wife would eventually have to take over the company.

Even if they didn't step directly into his CEO role, they had to understand corporate management.

Otherwise, leaving the business entirely in the hands of outside executives would be far too risky.

He had quietly observed Nora. Though she seemed aloof, her profession required immense courage, meticulous attention to detail, and a highly analytical mind.

Looking back, there were CEOs, researchers, and doctors. Some seemingly worked outside the family business, but they were the ones who built an expansive, ironclad network for the company.

By the time Harold took over, the enterprise was a colossal empire.

But he and his cousins fiercely clashed over the company's direction.

"They were greedy. They thought because we had capital, we should just throw money at whatever industry was currently trending."

He shook his head, looking exasperated. "But business doesn't work like that. It took generations to build the Therapeutics Group into what it is today. It's the very foundation of our survival."

"If you try to grab everything, you usually end up with nothing."

So, he vehemently opposed their aggressive expansion plans.

They refused to listen. They began plotting, fighting for power in the shadows and out in the open, even scheming to seize control of the company's shares.

"I knew we couldn't go on like that, so I made the hard choice to sever the infected limbs."