Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 1088

"Based on what you just told me about how much your aunt invested into the company, she is legally entitled to half of the corporate equity.

Once those shares are secured, liquidate them immediately, or have your father manage them through a trust.

The future of those assets can be decided if and when your aunt regains her sanity. When she's older, she can leave the money to whomever she pleases.

If she never recovers, your father remains the executor. That is the only guaranteed way to ensure that she and Sienna receive top-tier medical care and live comfortably for the rest of their lives."

Celine listened to Mira with absolute focus.

"Mira, you truly are a corporate mastermind. Your logic is completely bulletproof.

Okay, I'll go home and present this exact strategy to my dad. We're done being merciful, and we aren't going to care about my three cousins' feelings anymore."

Armed with a concrete plan, Celine looked as though a massive weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

In truth, her family hadn't been entirely devoid of strategies; her father certainly knew how to play hardball. His hesitation stemmed purely from sentimentality. He was worried that gutting the Stanford family's assets would punish the Stanford brothers.

Mira continued her advice. "Furthermore, you need to focus on your own life. You can only help others from a position of strength.

You cannot let your aunt's tragedy consume your entire existence. If this drags on, your own mental health will start to fray.

You are an heir to a massive empire. You are destined to run your own show. When crises hit, you must learn to analyze them with cold, calculated logic, rather than letting yourself be emotionally dragged into the abyss.

As for your aunt and cousin, do what you reasonably can, and leave it at that.

They are victims, yes, but they aren't entirely blameless. Sienna foolishly chased after some charming guy and walked right into a trap. And your aunt, in her desperation to save her, threw all logic out the window.

She acted completely recklessly, refusing to coordinate with the police and keeping her family in the dark. With absolutely zero security detail, she thought she could just march into the Balkan Underworld like she owned the place. Who did she think she was?

You can argue Sienna was brainwashed, but your aunt practically engineered her own downfall.

If he is absolutely resolute about divorcing her—if he's completely dead-set and leaves no room for negotiation—then you drop the hammer with the strategy I just gave you.

Force the divorce and gut his assets.

If he suddenly begs to cancel the divorce the second you demand half the company, you'll know exactly why. He's bleeding for his wallet, not for your aunt and cousin."

"On the other hand, if he's genuinely conflicted, or if he shows real heartbreak over their condition, then the marriage might still have a pulse.

Moving the mother and daughter to a high-end psychiatric facility won't actually damage his company's operations that much.

It just means your family will need to visit constantly to ensure the staff doesn't mistreat them."

As a friend, Mira had offered the most pragmatic advice she could. How the Ward family chose to execute it was entirely up to them.