Chapter 7 - THE WOMAN WHO DIDN'T NEED SAVING
I moved into a townhouse in Brooklyn.
Not because I couldn't afford Manhattan.
Because I wanted quiet.
A garden.
A kitchen where nobody argued about financing.
And a place that belonged entirely to me.
For the first time in years, I slept through the night.
I worked.
Read books.
Walked in the park.
And slowly remembered who I was before becoming Mrs. Wycliffe.
One afternoon, I received a call from an unfamiliar number.
“Ms. Ellsworth?”
“Yes.”
“This is Adrian Vale.”
I froze.
Adrian Vale.
Founder of Vale Infrastructure Group.
Forty years old.
One of the most respected developers in the Northeast.
We had met years earlier at an investment conference.
He was intelligent.
Reserved.
And known for refusing deals that depended on questionable accounting.
“What can I do for you?”
He smiled through the phone.
“I hear you're looking for a new waterfront project.”
I laughed.
“Who told you that?”
“Your reputation.”
I smiled.
“And what does my reputation say?”
“That you're the only investor in New York who can make a room full of billionaires nervous with a spreadsheet.”
I laughed.
“That sounds accurate.”
He chuckled.
“Would you have lunch with me?”
I hesitated.
Then answered.
“For business?”
A pause.
“Initially.”
May you like
I smiled.
“Interesting answer.”
