Chapter 640

Lance and his father were run ragged, scrambling every day to shift money from one debt to another. The truth was simple their cash flow had dried up.

They’d sunk a fortune into the redevelopment project, and now that problems had erupted, every cent was stuck. With the project stalled, the company was barely staying afloat-sooner or later, this would drag them down for good.

As she listened to Lance recount what happened, Claire immediately sensed the setup was too deliberate to be a coincidence.

Redevelopment projects always attracted trouble. How could the James family have failed to keep a proper watch on things?

A sensitive operation like that demanded your most trusted people. But now, after everything had gone sideways, what accountability could the project manager truly take? When it came down to it, it was the James family left to face all the fallout.

“You should have offered them a big settlement right away,” Claire said, genuinely baffled. “If you’d calmed them down with money from the beginning, how would things have ever gotten so public and ended up threatening the company?”

“We rushed over as soon as we got word,” Lance replied. “Actually, it was Frederic from the Byron family who made it there first.”

“They talked to the family, agreed on compensation, but the other side got greedy- really greedy.”

“They started out demanding two million dollars. Then it became five million. If they pushed it any higher, how were we supposed to possibly agree?”

Lance had a point: you could negotiate compensation, but there was no way you could just keep paying at any price.

“That family saw easy money. On top of that, a couple of other holdouts saw their chance and teamed up, pushing the buyout prices higher and higher,” Lance continued.

“We could scrape together enough to cover the original bereaved family, sure, but if we had to double every buyout offer in the neighborhood? Neither the James family nor the Byrons could foot a bill like that.”

They were already up to their necks in bank loans just to secure the land. Getting another loan now? Out of the question.

“If this keeps up, the James family will be finished.” Claire didn’t say it unkindly—it was simple fact. This project had been too big from the start.

It was never something just the James and Byron families could handle on their

own.

The problem was ambition-they’d seen the promise of profit but hadn’t properly counted the cost.

Everyone wanted a piece of the redevelopment pie, but almost no one could swallow it whole and survive.

The biggest trap? Longtime residents.

People who’d lived in those blocks for decades or generations weren’t just holding

out for more money-they truly didn’t want to leave.

In most cases, it was about a deep emotional bond with their home.

For many elderly residents, moving was out of the question. If you wanted to

negotiate with them, you had to tread extra carefully.

You couldn’t be rough with any of them-one misstep, and the consequences would be disastrous.

The James family had failed because they were too reckless for their own good.

They’d waded into real estate without the necessary experience.

If Mabel’s family had taken it on, they would have handled it with far more finesse.

Latham, in particular, was just too green in this business.

He’d thought that real estate was an easy gold mine, a slice of cake that anyone could grab.

He’d overreached, and now he was paying the price.

Meanwhile, at Mabel’s family’s house, her parents were having a similar conversation.

Henrietta could barely hide her relief. “Thank goodness we didn’t goi through with the marriage alliance with the dames family. We’d have dragged poor Mabel right into a catastrophe.”

Keen offered a mild, thoughtful smile. “Well, that’s not a given. If the marriage had happened and we got involved in managing things, maybe none of this would have spiraled out of control

“It really just comes down to the James and Byron families-neither had the experience for a job of this scale.”

If Mabel’s family had wanted to take it on, they would have had to risk half their

fortune and find trustworthy partners before even trying.

Who would have thought the James family would have the nerve to try swallowing a

project that size with only the Byrons at their side?

To be honest, Keen found the situation Suspicious. He couldn’t shake the feeling that someone with

a grudge against the James family had been waiting for the right moment to bring them down.

“It’s a good thing Mabel never had any real interest in Lance,” he said at last. “We’re

well-clear of this mess.”

Suddenly, Keen shifted the conversation to an entirely different subject.