Chapter 7 - The View from Paradise
While the wreckage of the Vance family unfolded on Cypress Lane, Paige was sitting in the corner office of Vanguard Investment Real Estate on the forty-fifth floor of the Chase Tower in downtown Phoenix.
Julian Vance walked into her office, carrying two champagne flutes and a bottle of chilled vintage Dom Pérignon.
"The Tempe seller just signed the final conveyance," Julian announced, pouring the sparkling wine. "Nine point eight million cash. Closing in seven days. The board is thrilled, Paige. You just saved the firm three million dollars in acquisition capital."
"Thank you, Julian," Paige said, accepting the flute.
"You don't look like someone who just closed the biggest land deal of the quarter," Julian noted, leaning against her mahogany desk, studying her face. "Is everything alright with the legal matter your counsel was handling this morning?"
Paige turned her chair toward the panoramic glass window. From this height, the entire valley looked small, orderly, and manageable.
"The legal matter is concluded," Paige said smoothly. "The property has reverted to the trust."
"And your father?" Julian asked gently. He was one of the few people at the firm who knew the outline of her family situation.
"My father made his choice three days ago," Paige said. "He chose to keep the peace with a person who destroyed everything he built. Today, the peace caught up with him."
Her office phone buzzed. It was Marcus Sterling’s private extension.
Paige pressed the speaker button. "Go ahead, Marcus."
"The movers have cleared all of Eleanor’s personal estate items from Cypress Lane," Marcus reported. "They are currently en route to your Paradise Valley residence. The locks on Cypress Lane have been changed, and a twenty-four-hour private security team is posted at the gate."
"And the occupants?"
"Samuel, Gwendolyn, and Chloe vacated the sidewalk at twelve-forty-five," Marcus said. "They left in an Uber bound for an extended-stay motel near the airport. Samuel’s commercial lender has initiated formal foreclosure proceedings on his Glendale warehouse facilities."
Paige was silent for three seconds.
"What about the secondary mortgage forgery, Marcus?" she asked.
"The lender’s legal team called me twenty minutes ago," Marcus said. "They offered to drop all criminal fraud references against Samuel if you agree to sell the Cypress Lane house to them at eighty percent of market value to satisfy his debt."
Julian looked at Paige, waiting for her reaction.
Paige took a small, elegant sip of her champagne.
"Tell the lender no," Paige said coldly. "The Cypress Lane house is not for sale. If they want to prosecute Samuel Vance for felony forgery, that is entirely between them and the Maricopa County District Attorney."
"Understood," Marcus said without hesitation. "I will inform their counsel immediately."
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Paige disconnected the call.
She turned back to Julian, her expression completely serene. "Now, let’s discuss Phase Two of the Tempe development. I want to break ground on the commercial foundations before the end of the month."
