“I’m selling you dirt.”

That was the moment he understood I was serious.

He held out his hand.

I took it.

The closing moved with unsettling speed. Valerie managed the paperwork. Gordon’s team handled the money. Three days later, I signed the documents in a sterile conference room while a notary watched from the corner and Gordon sat across from me with his pen already ready.

“Are you sure?” he asked once.