She waited until everyone had tea before beginning her first lesson. “You need to understand the structure of the bank and the Blackstone finances.”

Liam set his cup down with a clank. “Shoot,” he said.

“Our grandfather founded the Blackstone Bank, and both his sons helped manage the investments. Uncle Oscar took to it like a duck to water, but my father never did. He wanted to do something good with the family fortune. Eventually, my father created—”

“Our father,” Liam corrected.

She nodded. “Our father created Blackstone College. His initial investment wasn’t enough to sustain the college, and our grandfather agreed to support the college until it could turn a profit. My father chose to invest most of our revenue into additional scientific research, which means we aren’t yet self-sufficient and still depend on those annual gifts.”

Liam appeared disinterested as he kept wolfing down tea biscuits. “Why don’t you pay for it? You’re rich.”

She was, but even if she donated her entire fortune, the college would burn through it within three years. Their overseas research initiatives and laboratories were shockingly expensive, and they wouldn’t be able to balance their budget until they patented their serums and vaccines, which might take decades.

In the meantime, the bank continued supporting them, and she did her best to help the college trim its expenses. She taught botany classes and managed the greenhouse for free. She hosted charity auctions and sold rare plants from the greenhouse. It helped, but it was only a drop in the huge, voracious hole in the college’s balance sheet.

“I don’t have enough money to keep the college afloat,” she said simply.

“How much did you inherit when our father died?” Liam asked with his mouth full.

“A lot, but not enough to run the college. I need my uncle to reverse his decision to stop funding the college, and you can help with that.”

Liam leaned back on the bench and met her gaze. “Cut to the chase. I want to know how much you inherited and what part I’ll get.”

Well, that was blunt. She wasn’t accustomed to such frank speaking, but he had a right to know. “Twelve million,” she said, watching Liam’s jaw drop. “You might get half.”

He recovered quickly. “Might? What’s stopping me from getting half?”

“Me.”

It was time to fight for the college, and she would be as blunt and aggressive as Liam. He still didn’t understand the realities of his legal situation, so she would spell it out.