Chapter 12 - People Behind the Numbers
A medical power of attorney allows somebody to make health decisions under specified conditions. It does not turn them into the owner of a real-estate company. Mara made that distinction so clearly that even my frightened heart could follow it.
But reputations can be ruined with rumors long before a judge reads the truth.
Wednesday morning I visited Hartwell's brick warehouse. Six small businesses rented space there: a seamstress, a bicycle repair shop, two artists, a bakery, and a family-run print studio. Thomas had once fought a developer who wanted to push them out for luxury offices.
“Buildings are numbers to a banker,” he'd said. “They're livelihoods to the people inside.”
At the print shop, I found manager Luis Ortega stacking boxes. “Daniel's office sent us a notice,” he said. “They say ownership is changing, and our leases might be renegotiated.”
He handed me a letter bearing the management company's logo. It instructed tenants to prepare for a major redevelopment review after Thursday's closing.
Nobody had discussed redevelopment with me. Nobody had asked what would happen to the people who had trusted us for years.
I brought the notice to Mara. She sent a written instruction to Hartwell's property manager that no leases were to be altered without valid authority and began contacting affected tenants through counsel.
“Vanessa isn't just trying to impress her father,” Mara said. “They're using the portfolio to cash out.”
A tenant called while we were speaking. He said someone had already offered him money to leave early.
“Who?” I asked.
“The woman in the red Mercedes. She said she'd be running everything by Friday.”
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That evening an email arrived from an unfamiliar address with no subject.
Attached was a spreadsheet named PRIVATE EXIT PLAN.
