Master of his heart

Chapter 619

The faces of the Rowland clan were ashen, a ghostly parade of worry that only lifted when they all turned to Tessa after a series of tense calls with the bank.

“What do we do now, Tess?” they asked, their voices tinged with a dread that

mirrored the pallor of their skin.

The family was in deep, with other ventures already sucking dry their resources, and hundreds of billions more needed to keep the wheels turning. If this one project didn’t pay off, the financial blow could be catastrophic for the Rowlands.

Tessa’s lips quivered as she slumped in her chair, the weight of the world on her shoulders. Austin quickly stepped forward, giving her a reassuring pat on the back. “Look, it’s not the end of the road. If you and Andrew tie the knot, we can ride the Clements‘ coattails for a fundraising round. With the two families united, those venture capitalists will be falling over themselves and throwing money our way. A few hundred billion? We’ll have it in no time.”

The thought of it made Tessa’s head throb with pain. She was the linchpin, and she knew it.

Her father was right; the banks were getting wind of their troubles and had started their probing calls. They wouldn’t lend any more to plug the gaping financial abyss, and loan sharks were out of the question–with compound interest, the debt would skyrocket to an unpayable sum.

Rowland family’s net worth might be in the hundreds of billions, but that was all tied up in projects and illiquid assets. Market valuation was just smoke and mirrors; cash flow was the lifeblood

enterprise was like a towering skyscraper with its foundation blocks being pulled out one by one,

out was Austin’s plan–to marry into the Clements family and keep the Rowlands afloat. And they couldn’t breathe a word of this to the Clements. If they caught even a whiff of the Rowlands‘ financial desperation, would they

like Beaconsfield, where family names were currency, it was all about the interests. Once you stripped away the pleasantries, you were left with cold, hard transactions. Without

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12:08

Chapter 619

smooth the

Andrew wants to marry me. I’ll just drop by the Clements‘ home, chat with his parents, and we’ll set a date. Once the news is out, Dad, you, and the uncles

features softened with relief as he gave Tess another supportive pat. “Tess, we’re all counting on you now.”

head high, the de facto leader of this worried pack. “Don’t worry, Dad. It’s as good as done. Andrew’s been

fold by Brielle herself. The offer had been too tempting to refuse. Joining now meant a place at the

William–all would soon be beneath