I tense instinctively, expecting confrontation—but Keira rises calmly.
— Callum, it’s not what you think.
— Oh? he says.
His gaze shifts to the items spread between us—the map, the recipe, the letter. His expression changes. Curiosity replaces suspicion.
— We found it, Keira says.
— Found what?
— The McKenzie–McGregor treasure, obviously. Maggie is going to be thrilled.
She quickly walks him through everything we’ve uncovered.
— So it’s real, he says thoughtfully.
Keira and I exchange a look.
— You knew about it? she asks.
Callum crouches down to examine the items.
— Not exactly. But I’ve heard stories. About a lost treasure that would one day bring our families together. I thought it was just one of Gran’s romantic fantasies. Didn’t think it was real.
— How would Maggie even know about this? I ask.
Callum shrugs.
— That woman knows things she has no business knowing. It’s unsettling, honestly. But if I had to guess… she has more letters. Pieces of the story we haven’t seen yet.
— What letters? Keira asks, frowning.
— I caught her once in the attic, reading old correspondence. When I asked, she just said it was a love story waiting for its happy ending. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now…
He gestures to everything in front of us.
— Now it makes sense.
I absorb that, wondering just how far Maggie’s knowledge goes. Has she been orchestrating all of this? Our meeting… our arrangement… every discovery?
— Maybe I’m starting to understand what she’s always known, he adds quietly.
— Which is? Keira asks.
— That some rivalries have run their course. That some things are meant to happen… whether we like it or not.
He glances back at the documents.
— So what exactly is this big discovery?
We explain it all—the unique whisky recipe, the exceptional barley, the pure spring water. How Archibald and Elspeth dreamed of combining their resources to create something extraordinary.
— And my father wants your land without even knowing why it’s so valuable, I finish. He just wants to take it from the McGregors.
— Just like my father would’ve refused to sell it purely to spite the McKenzies, Callum admits. What a waste.
The three of us fall silent, studying the documents.
