I let the silence hang for a few seconds. “No. Dad left it to me, and I’m going to handle it myself.”

Her tone sharpened instantly. “Don’t be difficult, Riley. You know you aren’t cut out for property management.”

I hung up before she could finish her sentence. My pulse was pounding, but I felt a new sense of resolve.

That evening, I ate the rest of the stew by the fire. The flames crackled and popped, and I thought about what it meant to build something.

Skylar only saw things as piles of cash, but my father wanted something more. I read the final lines of his letter one more time.

“You’ve been underestimated your whole life, Riley,” he wrote. “Don’t waste this chance to prove them all wrong.”