Daniel looked down at himself.
“This is a suit.”
“You think you're untouchable because you're rich.”
“That's not what this is about.”
“You people always think rules don't apply to you.”
Daniel paused.
The words hung between them.
He had heard versions of them before.
At airports.
At stores.
In boardrooms.
Sometimes openly.
Sometimes disguised.
He refused to give the sentence more power by reacting to it.
Instead, he said:
“Move your vehicle.”
Margaret didn't.
“I'm not leaving.”
“Then I'll call the police.”
“Go ahead.”
Daniel did.
Officers arrived twenty minutes later.
Margaret immediately began talking.
“He's trespassing.”
One officer looked at Daniel.
“Do you own the property?”
“Yes.”
“Can I see identification?”
Daniel handed it over.
The officer checked the address.
Then looked at Margaret.
“Ma'am, this is his property.”
Margaret protested.
“The HOA has jurisdiction.”
“Do you have a court order?”
“No.”
“Then I don't see a trespass.”
She became furious.
“This man is deliberately violating community regulations.”
The officer remained calm.
“That's a civil issue.”
Margaret pointed at Daniel.
“He thinks he can do whatever he wants.”
The officer shook his head.
“Not what I said.”
Daniel said nothing.
The officer advised Margaret to leave.
She did.
But before getting into her car, she looked back.
Her face was expressionless.
That frightened Daniel more than her shouting.
He watched her drive away.
Then he called Thomas.
“She was here again.”
“Document it.”
“I am.”
“Good.”
Daniel looked toward the cameras.
Every interaction had been captured.
Every word.
Every gesture.
Every threat.
He didn't know yet how important that footage would become.
The Brick
The grand reopening was supposed to happen six weeks later.
Daniel had named the new business Carter's Market & Fuel.
He hired twenty-two employees.
Most lived within ten miles.
He partnered with local farmers.
He planned a small coffee counter.
The old building was finally beginning to look alive.
That was when Margaret made her final move.
She arrived at 4:38 p.m.