I stared at the number.
To a woman who had spent years checking grocery prices, it was an enormous amount.
But something about it felt wrong.
I forwarded the email to Eleanor.
She called twenty minutes later.
“Don’t respond.”
“Is the offer unreasonable?”
“Extremely.”
“How unreasonable?”
“Based on the preliminary development documents we’ve reviewed, that strip of land could determine whether the entire resort project is financially viable.”
I looked down at Richard’s email.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning he isn’t offering you a fair share of the value you’re creating for him.
He’s offering you enough money that he hopes you’ll stop asking questions.”
That evening, I opened the blue folder again.
The maps showed a winding strip of land that connected the public mountain road to the basin beyond my northern ridge.
The surrounding terrain was steep and unstable.
Building an alternative entrance would require extensive excavation, environmental approvals, and extraordinary expense.
