She opened the message to a string of photos and thumbed through them slowly. The bakery. The cracked threshold tile. The arched front window now covered in rough plywood. She imagined the first real sunlight streaming through it once it was whole again. Warm. Hopeful. A reminder that things could be repaired. In every frame, Autumn captured what Lainey had envisioned.
The last photo was of her.
Unlocking the front door. She was in profile, the sun a halo around her head, one hand braced against the weathered brick.
She didn’t look scared or bitter. She looked determined, like someone still standing.
Lainey swallowed hard. Maybe that was all she had to do.
For now.
CHAPTER 17
She thoughtsomeone wanted her to fail.
Well, she wasn’t wrong, but this was way bigger than Lainey realized.
And it wasn’t personal.
She wasn’t stupid, just naive for a woman who’d already been burned once. He’d call her delusional, but it wasn’t his call to make. He just followed orders. It wasn’t about grudges. It was business.
She wanted to believe that this project could redeem her. But she’d be mistaken.
Lainey had stolen what was supposed to be theirs. Signed her name on something they already marked as theirs.
He watched from across the street, hidden in the shadows of a half-gutted duplex. The air inside was thick with dust and mildew. The humidity was making the smell of mold and rotten wood sharper in his nose. A floorboard creaked as he shifted, camera in hand.
Down below, Lainey smiled.
That damn nosy photographer, Autumn Bennett, stood beside her grinning, snapping pictures of the crumbling bakery like it was some kind of miracle rising from the dead.
Lainey laughed at something. Threw her head back, completely unaware.
Fool.
She had no idea what was coming.
Lainey didn’t realize two of their assets were already inside. Acting helpful. Gathering intel. Steering conversations.
They didn’t need to get close to break her. The groundwork was already laid.
A word here. A rumor there. It was just enough to make people whisper.
A flagged permit. Windows broken. A mural vandalized. Tools stolen. And to make it more personal, the photo of her and her kid was defaced.
Nothing traceable. It was just enough to stir up pressure and fear.
That was the first step. And Travis was doing his job, earning his paycheck. Rumors. Delayed permits. Misplaced orders.
Step two? Make her second-guess herself. Then make everyone else doubt her, too.
Again, already in motion. The city was already asking questions.
They didn’t have to push her much harder. The collapse would take care of itself.
Across the street, Lainey and Autumn had disappeared into the bakery.
He lowered the camera and smiled.
