The negotiations continued for three months. The company raised its offer to thirty-five million, then sixty million, but I refused both. Meanwhile, Genevieve heard rumors about the proposed facility and began purchasing surrounding parcels, believing she could assemble the entire district and sell it for an enormous profit. She acquired almost everything around my farmhouse, never realizing that the anonymous LLC preventing her deal belonged to the daughter she had erased from her will.
Then came Delphine’s engagement party. My mother insisted I attend so business acquaintances would not suspect family problems. I arrived wearing my only formal dress and clean work boots. Delphine looked down at them and mocked me in front of her guests, saying I smelled like dust and failure. I quietly drank water and left without arguing. The following Thursday, Philippa arrived at my farmhouse carrying an acquisition contract. The company had completed its environmental review and accepted my ninety-two-million-dollar price. She placed the contract on my kitchen table. Beside it lay a black pen. I reached for it, but I wasn’t ready to sign without conditions.
THE STORY CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE… 👇👇👇
