She turned.
“What?”
“I had not even seen you at the church when I called Avery.”
Her eyes widened.
I looked at Michael.
“And you need to understand exactly what was about to become yours.”
Avery Whitman had prepared three property deeds.
The first concerned the Langford Commerce Building, a downtown office property that I’d purchased during a market downturn and spent eleven years renovating and leasing.
Its estimated value was $11.5 million.
The second concerned Riverside Court, a thirty-six-unit apartment building worth approximately $6.8 million.
The third was a small distribution warehouse outside the city, valued at about $3.7 million.
Together, the properties were worth an estimated $22 million.
I owned all three outright.
They generated rental income, supported long-standing tenant relationships, and represented a substantial part of what I’d built after my husband died.
The proposed deeds would have transferred the properties into Michael’s and Sabrina’s names after the wedding.
Avery had prepared the documents and reviewed the implications with me.
I had not signed or delivered the deeds. No transfer had been completed.
The originals remained in my safe, awaiting final execution and delivery through my attorney.
Until that happened, the properties were still legally mine.
“This wasn’t a check I could simply tear up,” I explained. “These are income-producing buildings with tenants, maintenance obligations, insurance, and property taxes. Ownership carries responsibilities.”
Michael stared at me.
“All three buildings?”
“Yes.”
He looked toward Sabrina.
She was studying her wedding ring.
“Mom, that’s more than I ever expected.”
I almost smiled.
“Then why did everyone in the ballroom seem to know about it?”
He looked embarrassed.
“I told Sabrina you were preparing something extraordinary. Avery had explained the broad outline to me so I could consider the responsibilities. I asked her not to discuss the details.”
