Chapter 24 - The Return to the EstateIn the summer of that year, the bank completed the liquidation auctions for the seized Mercer family properties. The famous Greenwich estate—the sprawling thirty-acre property where my parents had hosted their pretentious galas and where I had been relegated to the servant quarters during family events—was put on the public market.
Adrian and I drove out to the property on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
The iron gates were rusted, the manicured lawns were overgrown with weeds, and the grand stone mansion looked abandoned, its windows dark and dusty.
We walked through the empty rooms, our footsteps echoing off the bare hardwood floors. The expensive paintings had been stripped from the walls, leaving pale rectangles on the wallpaper.
“It looks so small now,” I whispered, standing in the middle of the grand foyer where my father used to hold court.
“Big houses built on small foundations always collapse, Claire,” Adrian said, wrapping his arm around my waist.
“What will happen to the land?” I asked.
“Sterling Global bought it at the auction yesterday,” Adrian revealed with a subtle smile.
I turned to look at him, surprised. “You bought it? Why?”
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“Because we’re tearing the house down next week,” he said calmly. “And we’re turning the thirty acres into a public park and wildlife sanctuary, gifted to the town in perpetuity. No more galas. No more corporate posturing. Just trees, trails, and open space for families who actually love each other.”
I looked at him, my heart overflowing, and kissed him deeply under the dusty chandelier.
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