But none of them had looked beyond the trees yet.

None of them had seen what was waiting.

Part 3

Garrett stormed up the gravel driveway and tossed the cardboard boxes at my feet.

“Time’s up, Sienna,” he sneered, his bloodshot eyes revealing the crushing pressure of his debts. “A real estate appraiser is arriving in two hours. Pack your junk and leave.”

My mother folded her arms smugly. Even my father, Douglas, looked completely unmoved by the fact they were about to make their only daughter homeless.

I didn’t flinch.

I simply smiled.

A slow, terrifyingly calm smile that made Garrett hesitate.

“You’re actually late, Garrett,” I said evenly. “The appraisal already happened. Honestly, a lot of things already happened.”

Before he could process my words, the sound of multiple vehicles entering the driveway shattered the silence. But it wasn’t the sheriff.

It was a convoy of sleek black SUVs followed by a local news van and a luxury catering truck.

Garrett’s confidence cracked instantly. “What the hell is this, Sienna? Who are these people?”

I pointed toward a massive canvas tarp hanging between two oak trees near the entrance. Then I pulled the release rope.

The tarp dropped.

Beneath it stood a massive professionally crafted sign nearly two meters tall with bold gold lettering:

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT: VERDANT VENTURES LLC.

My mother gasped and stumbled backward. My father’s jaw literally fell open.

“Welcome to the official public transfer ceremony for the Verdant Lavender Estate,” I announced smoothly while corporate executives, local politicians, and my brilliant attorney Amanda Cortez stepped out of the SUVs. “You see, Garrett, you can’t seize my property to pay off your crypto debts. Because I don’t own it anymore. I sold it to Verdant Ventures three days ago for 2.85 million dollars.”

“You… you what?” Garrett choked, all the color draining from his face. He looked seconds away from vomiting.

“It’s finalized,” Amanda Cortez said, stepping forward with a razor-sharp legal smile. “And if you continue harassing the Managing Director of this estate—which is Sienna—Verdant’s legal team will bury you in restraining orders and trespassing lawsuits before lunch.”

My family stood frozen in the dirt like ghosts.