Page 8 of Worth the Risk (Worth It All #1)

“If I agreed to this—if Highland’s board agreed to this—I’d need your word that it’s genuine. Not a PR stunt, not a delaying tactic. A real attempt to find alternatives.”

“You have it.”

“Your word as CEO Declan Pierce who answers to shareholders, or your word as...” I pause, realizing I don’t know who he is beyond the corporate title. “Actually, I don’t know who you are as a person. Which makes this conversation even more problematic.”

The observation seems to catch him off guard. “What do you want to know?”

“I want to know if the man asking for my trust is someone worth trusting. Or if you’re just another corporate shark who’s gotten better at hiding the teeth.”

He’s quiet for a moment, considering. “Person Declan Pierce studied public policy before his father had a heart attack and he had to switch to business to save the family company. Person Declan Pierce has been wondering lately if there are better ways to build something meaningful than the methods his father used.”

“And which Declan Pierce would Highland be collaborating with?”

“Both,” he admits. “But if you’re asking which one would make the final decisions... honestly, I don’t know yet. That might depend on what we discover through this collaboration.”

Another honest answer that should probably worry me more than it does.

I look around my father’s office—at the photos spanning twenty years of community building, at the awards Highland has won, at the calendar that shows programming booked solid for months we might not have.

Papa always said that sometimes you have to take calculated risks to protect what matters most. The question is whether this is a calculated risk or just desperation disguised as strategy.

“I need to discuss this with Highland’s board,” I say finally. “And with our legal counsel.”

“Enrique de Leon. He has a good reputation.”

“You’ve done your homework.”

“I try to know who I’m dealing with.”

Of course he does. Probably has a file on every Highland board member by now.

I stand, and he follows suit. “If Highland agrees to this collaboration—and I’m emphasizing if—I need absolute transparency. No decisions made behind our backs, no secret board meetings about Highland’s future, no using us as cover while you advance demolition plans.”

“Agreed.”

“And if we discover you’re playing games with Highland’s future, the gloves come off. This morning’s protest will look like a warm-up act.”

Instead of being threatened, he almost smiles. “I believe you’d make good on that promise.”

“Count on it.”

He extends his hand across the desk. “Partners?”

I look at his outstretched hand, thinking about Papa’s legacy and the impossible odds we’re facing. About the community counting on me to save Highland and the fact that this might be our only real chance.

Or our biggest mistake.

I take his hand. “Provisional partners. Subject to Highland’s board approval and contractual guarantees that protect our interests.”

His grip is firm, warm, and lasts a moment longer than strictly necessary. When I look up to meet his eyes, I catch something there that makes my breath hitch—an intensity that seems genuine, almost personal.

Which is exactly the kind of thinking that could destroy Highland if I’m wrong about his motives.

“Maya.” His voice is quieter now. “I want you to know this isn’t just about managing a PR crisis for me.”

“What is it about?” I keep my voice neutral, professional.

“It’s about proving there’s a better way to build something that matters. And it’s about...” He pauses, seeming to struggle with words. “It’s about not wanting to be the man who destroys something you’ve fought so hard to protect.”

For a moment, I almost believe him. Almost let myself think that maybe Declan Pierce is more than just another corporate predator in expensive clothes.

Then reality reasserts itself. This is exactly what a skilled manipulator would say—appeal to my emotions, make it personal, make me think he sees Highland the way I do.

“I should walk you out,” I say, stepping back from his proximity and whatever dangerous territory we’re straying into.

“Of course.”

We walk through Highland in silence, past children practicing dance moves and adults in afternoon classes. Declan studies everything—the artwork, the programs, the easy familiarity between community members who’ve known each other for years.

“It’s not what I expected,” he says as we reach the front entrance.

“What did you expect?”

“Something more institutional. Less...” He pauses, watching teenagers set up for a study group. “This feels like family.”

“That’s exactly what it is.” I follow his gaze. “Highland isn’t just a building, Mr. Pierce. It’s where people come when they need help, when they want to celebrate, when they need to remember who they are.”

“I’m beginning to understand that.”

We step outside into the late-afternoon sun. Pierce Enterprises’ tower gleams in the distance—a reminder of exactly who I’m dealing with and what’s at stake.

“Maya.” He turns to face me. “This partnership—it’s going to work.”

“For Highland’s sake, I hope you’re right.

” I study his face one more time, trying to read the truth behind his words.

“Because if you’re lying, if this is just an elaborate way to neutralize Highland’s opposition while you finalize demolition plans, I’ll spend every day until that building comes down making sure everyone knows exactly who Pierce Enterprises really is. ”

“I understand.”

“Do you? Because I’m not just threatening bad publicity. I’m promising a war you can’t win quietly. Highland has eight hundred and forty-three signatures now, but if you betray our trust, I’ll make sure we have eight thousand. Then eighty thousand.”

Instead of being intimidated, he nods. “I’d expect nothing less.”

I watch him walk to his car, every instinct screaming that trusting Declan Pierce is a mistake.

But as he drives away, I can’t shake the memory of how he looked when he talked about not wanting to destroy what I’m fighting for.

Either he’s the most skilled liar I’ve ever met, or there’s something real underneath all that corporate polish.

Walking back into Highland, past Papa’s photos and twenty years of community achievements, I realize I’m about to bet everything on my ability to outmaneuver a man who’s been trained from birth to win at any cost.

The smart money says I’m walking into a trap.

But the smart money doesn’t understand that sometimes the only way to save what matters most is to risk losing everything.