Part 15: The New Frontier
Part 15: The New Frontier
Three months later, the new expansion project was fully operational.
The wide-open logistics lanes were filled with the sound of incoming trucks, their engines carrying through the crisp winter air.
My team stood near the security fence, reviewing the new zoning boundaries that were bright against the snow.
I sat on a stone bench nearby, watching the radiant, peaceful landscape of the newly acquired district.
Then, a black sedan pulled up to the curb, its engine idling with a low, deep rumble.
A man in a sharp, tailored suit jacket stepped out, holding a polished leather briefcase.
It was Nicholas Cross.
The developer who had tried to buy out the southern district before the federal receivership took control of the Hale family land.
He walked up the concrete path, stopping just a few feet from my bench.
"You're a hard woman to find, Claire," Nicholas said, his voice dropping to a smooth, business-like whisper.
"I'm not hiding, Nicholas," I said, not looking up from my laptop.
"The city council is voting on the western expansion project tonight," he said, leaning against the safety fence.
"My firm holds forty percent of the voting proxies. If you don't agree to a joint venture, we will vote to turn that extension into a commercial parking garage."
I closed my laptop and looked at him.
"You look exactly like a man who believes the hardest chapter of his life has already ended, Nicholas," I said quietly.
May you like
He smiled, a confident, practiced expression.
"I know how the regional market indices work, Claire. You can't execute a forensic overrun without a majority share."
