Chapter 43
What Evelyn wanted to see was how they'd react after receiving that message.
Would they send another anonymous warning text? Or would they make a more aggressive move?
The intensity of the reaction would help her gauge their level of fear and where their boundaries were.
Evelyn reopened the Pine Hill Phase Two proposal document, fingers returning to the keyboard, and started entering the fourteenth data set for the brand evaluation.
Eleven-forty.
The emergency lights in the office switched to energy-saving mode, dimming by one level.
Evelyn's workstation screen was the only light source on the thirty-sixth floor.
Her phone hadn't buzzed again during that time.
Night pressed against the glass curtain wall of Parker Group Tower. Every floor above the thirty-sixth was dark.
The other side of the city.
Ashford Estate, second floor.
Arianna leaned against the headboard, phone resting on her knees, screen dark. She was waiting for a message.
An hour ago, her contact had said they were handling "that matter" and to wait. But she'd been waiting a full hour now.
The AC vent blew toward the nightstand. The condensation on the mint tea cup had dried completely.
Arianna's phone suddenly vibrated. She picked it up and lit the screen. A screenshot. The image showed a WhatsApp status update. The profile picture was Evelyn's. Post time: Today, 10:17 PM.
The status said only: [Mom, soon.]
Arianna's thumb froze on the screen. In the cold glow, her pupils contracted by an imperceptible degree.
A long moment passed before Arianna snapped out of it. She exited the screenshot and opened her call log, dialing a number. The area code wasn't domestic. The ringtone sounded four times before someone picked up.
Arianna pressed the phone to her ear, voice low. "She's figured it out."
The conference room at the Southern District Development Zone Management Committee was on the sixth floor of the administrative center. Eleven people sat on either side of the long table. On the left were Committee Director Mr. Woods and three officials. On the right were the Parker Group team—Luna, two project assistants, and Evelyn, seated closest to the projection screen.
The meeting started seven minutes late because Mr. Woods had brought an extra person at the last minute—the deputy director of the district planning bureau. Apparently he'd been called over from the office next door mid-task. When he sat down, he was still holding an unfinished cup of tea.
During those seven minutes of waiting, Evelyn didn't flip through the proposal or look at her phone. Instead, she swept her gaze over all eleven people, taking in their seating positions and expressions.
After Mr. Woods flipped through the printed version of the proposal Evelyn had sent ahead of time, he casually folded down a corner on page twelve.
Evelyn noted that page number. Page twelve was the zoning map for historical building protection boundaries.
The projector lit up.
Evelyn stood, presentation clicker in her right hand, left hand hanging naturally at her side.
"Mr. Woods, ladies and gentlemen, the Pine Hill Phase Two supplemental proposal has thirty-one pages. The first fifteen cover revisions to the previous version. The last sixteen address the specialized plan for Phase Two's additional land. Given time constraints, I'll focus on three key issues."
She didn't say "thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules."
She didn't say "let me briefly introduce the project background."
She clicked straight to page six.
"First issue: land use classification change."
A cadastral map appeared on the projection screen. The Phase Two parcel boundaries were marked in red, with a set of identification numbers in the lower right corner.
"Two parcels in Phase Two are mixed-use. One is R2 residential land, the other B1 commercial land. According to the Pine Hill area's regulatory plan, tourism projects require Class A public facility land. For the classification change approval process, based on last year's revised Municipal Planning Bureau 'Construction Land Planning Permit Processing Guidelines,' the standard timeline is sixty working days."
She paused, gaze sweeping to the planning bureau deputy director beside Mr. Woods.
"But Phase Two's construction timeline requires the main structure topped out within eighteen months. If the land classification change follows the standard process, we can't file for a construction permit until after sixty working days. Add the construction permit approval period, and actual available construction time gets compressed to under thirteen months."
She clicked to page eight. A Gantt chart filled the screen.
"These are two timeline scenarios. Scenario one follows the standard change process. Thirteen-month construction period. The risk is that topping out the main structure will hit the deadline on the very last day. Zero margin for error."
Her pointer landed on the second timeline.
"Scenario two requests advance planning condition approval. The basis is Article Seven, Clause Three of the City Hall's 'Several Opinions on Optimizing Construction Project Approval Processes' issued this March. For construction projects included in the district-level key project roster, planning condition approval can proceed in parallel with land transfer procedures. If Pine Hill is added to the district's key support list, this parallel process can compress the change period to thirty-five working days. Construction time returns to fifteen and a half months. Margin for error returns to a reasonable range."
The planning bureau deputy director set down his tea. He flipped to page eight in his printed copy, eyes lingering on the Gantt chart for five seconds before looking up. "Ms. Kendall, I'm familiar with Article Seven, Clause Three. But the prerequisite is that the project must satisfy three conditions: completed investment agreement signing, environmental assessment approval, and no demolition of historical buildings. Are you saying your project's environmental approval is finalized?"
"Yes."
Evelyn clicked to page eleven. A scanned environmental assessment approval filled the screen.
"The approval number is in the upper right corner. You can verify it. The environmental report was signed off by the Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau last Wednesday."
The deputy director nodded. Didn't press further.
Mr. Woods flipped to the page he'd marked—twelve. "Ms. Kendall, let me jump straight to the second issue. The historical building protection boundary in your proposal—that area on Evergreen Avenue with three protected structures. How does your plan handle them? I see you've written 'retain original structure, functional renovation,' but the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's approval standards are notoriously strict. Have you gotten their preliminary review opinion?"
Evelyn clicked to the page after twelve. A preliminary review opinion letter stamped with the ACHP's red seal appeared on screen. "The preliminary opinion was issued last Friday. Conclusion: Approval granted for interior spatial functional renovations, provided the building's exterior appearance remains unchanged and no load-bearing structures are removed. Approval conditions require each building's renovation plan to be submitted separately, with on-site supervision during construction."
She clicked again. "Pages fourteen through sixteen show the individual renovation plans for the three protected buildings, including structural reinforcement, fire safety upgrades, and accessible access modifications. Renovation budgets and timelines for each building are in the summary table on page seventeen."