Chapter 369
“Clayton, you can’t just buy a place in Ashbourne with money alone,” Luzia sand
There were too many additional requirements.
Non–residents needed at least a long–term job and proper tax filings. ‘Does he think burying a house is as easy as chopping at a supermarked thought.
Clayton ran his finger along the coffee cup handle. “Kyle’s yard sold for 550 thousand dollars. I don’t need a big yard just a craft was hadrene
Lucia’s hand trembled as she lifted her cup.
She hadn’t known about Kyle’s yard purchase.
The last time they met, she learned he’d bought his aunt’s house and signed an agreement that any demolition profits would be his alone
That was Kyle’s luck–having the right relatives, seizing the opportunity, and actually saving the money he’d been given.
Now, even with an extra 300 thousand dollars, he couldn’t afford that yard.
Clayton only saw others getting rich and grew jealous, without a clue about reality.
The reality was, she couldn’t scrape together 300 thousand dollars.
She said, “Clayton, that was a once–in–a–lifetime chance for Kyle.”
“Kyle’s greedy. If I ask Audrey to approach him, do you think he’d cover for you or sell you out given Audrey’s wealth?” Clayton took a slow sip, smiling faintly.
Lucia’s hand jerked, and the cup slammed onto the table.
Coffee spilled everywhere, dripping onto her clothes.
She scrambled up, grabbing napkins to wipe the mess.
‘What kind of question is that? Of course, Kyle will follow whoever pays more,‘ she thought.
Right now, Kyle didn’t go after Audrey because Lucia could still meet his needs–no point risking it.
But if Audrey approached him? The whole game would change.
Lucia scrubbed at the coffee stains on her dress like she could erase the past, knowing full well some things could never be hidden.
With her head bowed, fury and spite flickered across her eyes in rapid succession.
‘Damn it! Clayton is even more of a nightmare than Kyle–difficult and greedy,‘ she thought. “What on earth was Audrey thinking?”
Audrey had married him and endured his affairs, and now he was hounding Lucia like a vengeful spirit long after the divorce.
The sound of paper rustling broke the silence.
Lucia looked up to find a property flyer pushed/across the table. She scanned it–units sized from 900 to 1500 square feet purchase.
Her eyes shot to Clayton in disbelief.
“Any unit will do,” he said flatly.
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Chapter 369
Will do? Even with a mortgage, that means thelling out over a million dollars. How could he say it in castry? Dicia (Rought “Clayton.
He cut her off with a wave. “Three days. If you can’t deliver, I’m handing all this to Audrey. She’d probably rewand me with a place herself diy big hearts
up.”
“Wait, please,” Lucia blurted out. “Buying a house isn’t like grabbing groceries. I need time to scrape together the money
“Three days.” Clayton stood and strode away, leaving no room for negotiation.
Once he was out of sight, Lucia unleashed a stream of curses under her breath. But the anger didn’t stop her from desperately racking her lyse firs
solution.
Buying a house was a colossal headache.
Flipping through the flyer in frustration, she suddenly did a double–take. The housing complex seemed cerity familiar
Vivian had pitched an investment opportunity recently, boasting sky high returns for anyone with spare cash.
Most of Lucia’s savings had vanished into Kyle’s bottomless pit, with the rest earmarked for her later life.
Sandra had sunk a fortune into it and supposedly scored not only regular interest payments but a free apartment as a bonus.
This was the same development.
She quickly called Vivian. “Can I still get in on that investment?”
“The old deal’s closed,” Vivian replied. “There’s a new project now. Interest rates are a bit lower but rock–solid. Minimum buy–in’s two million dollars, Gear up. It kicks off next month.”
“When you decide, give me a call.” Vivian hung up and passed a small towel to Celeste.
Celeste had just finished feeding the baby. As the infant nursed from her left breast, the right one started leaking,
She took the towel and held it against her chest. “Who was that?”
“Lucia. She was unsure about investing in the Westmoor Heights project before. Now that she saw Sandra profit, she wants to join my new project.”
“Got it.”
Soon after, Celeste told Audrey the news, who smiled faintly.
The property flyer Clayton had received? Audrey had arranged for it to reach him.
At first, he’d ignored it.
But Audrey had people spread word in places he often went–how the complex had great amenities, was in a top school district, and would appreciate in
value.
Stuck in a rental, watching Kyle about to gain a huge demolition payout, Clayton eventually took the bait.
He thought, ‘Why should Kyle, a high school dropout, be better at scheming than me, a college graduate?‘
His condition was still under control. He could live another decade easily. If he owned property in Ashbourne, he could move his mother there.
He was well aware of Lillian’s resentment toward him for how their family had fallen apart.
He wanted to move her from Ironhaven, where people looked down on them. ‘A home in Ashbourne may even help her health,’ he thought.
Clayton’s hopes were simple.
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Chapter 35
**
Chet houted quickly deranj
Back home, with Logan fif not back, Luis te din signa and the data
After ruining several sheets of paper, the put down the bo
After cooling off, Lucis called Vivian asin
This time Celeste picked up “Vivian’s in the bathroom, ter Wised. You can we post t
Lucia said. “Nothing major, just a friend of mine is eyeing a unit at Wemoor Wight Smes the sh get a staff discount or something”
“Mrs. Winifred, these days it’s not just staff discounts, even the regular opening prices are selling st myself. If you’re interested, I can sell it to you at my purchase price.”
“It’s not for me, it’s for my friend. Are you sure you can sell it at cost?”
“Absolutely! You’ve been so good to me, even giving my daughter that lovely git. This is the least I can do”
Just as Lucia started to relax, she heard Celeste say “but,” and her stomach dropped
Celeste added, “Since I bought it as an investment, it’s not registered under my name yet. We’d have to wait until the transfer the title. But I need the payment upfront. Vivian’s launching a new project, and I want to invest in it
Not transferrin
Chapter 369
He didn’t care about that specific complex. He’d used it to pressure Lucia wouldn’t mention it.
“If she asks Vivian about Westmoor Heights,” Audrey instructed, “tell her this…”
Celeste nodded quickly. “I understand.”
into bargaining. He’d accept other properties, but since she hadn’t eater
Back home, with Logan still not back, Lucia ate dinner alone and went to her studio to paint, but she couldn’t concentrate.
After ruining several sheets of paper, she put down the brush.
After cooling off, Lucia called Vivian again.
This time Celeste picked up. “Vivian’s in the bathroom, Mrs. Winifred. You
tell me your request, and I’ll relay it to her.”
Lucia said, “Nothing major, just… a friend of mine is eyeing a unit at Westmoor Heights. Since Vivian invested there before, I was wondering if she could get a staff discount or something.”
“Mrs. Winifred, these days it’s not just staff discounts, even the regular opening prices are selling like hotcakes. But when Vivian invested, I bought a unit myself. If you’re interested, I can sell it to you at my purchase price.”
“It’s not for me, it’s for my friend. Are you sure you can sell it at cost?”
“Absolutely! You’ve been so good to me, even giving my daughter that lovely gift. This is the least I can do.”
Just as Lucia started to relax, she heard Celeste say “but,” and her stomach dropped.
Celeste added, “Since I bought it as an investment, it’s not registered under my name yet. We’d have to wait until the building passes inspection to transfer the title. But I need the payment upfront. Vivian’s launching a new project, and I want to invest in it.”
Not transferring the title immediately was actually a plus. Lucia thought, ‘If I hold the property, Clayton may finally ease up. But the money…
g the title immediately was actually a plus. Lucia thought, if i hold the property, Clayton may finally g
