Chapter 151

Chapter 151

Before Elizabeth could even search for anything, a string of explosive headlines popped up on her screen.

"Seabrook South District Development Project Officially Launches — Total Investment Expected to Reach $3 Trillion!"

"Seabrook South District — The Jewel of Nevada!"

"Financial Center Set to Move to Seabrook South District — The Future of Seabrook Lies in the South!"

The bold headlines hit Elizabeth like a thunderbolt, nearly knocking her off her feet.

Three years ago, the Cole Group had gone all in after catching wind of this news, pouring every dollar they had into that land. Of the nearly 77 square miles that made up the South District, the Cole Group had secured the most prime 7.7 square miles — a full 7,400 acres of pure gold.

Back then, the news had barely leaked, and the land was still relatively cheap. The area was low-lying, not great farmland, and far from the city with poor access — so it only ran about $150,000 per acre.

Word had it that once the project kicked off, land prices would jump seven or eight times over, maybe even ten or twenty times. Nothing seemed out of reach.

But fate had other plans. The moment the Cole Group closed on the land, the project was shut down without warning. They lost nearly $5 billion and never recovered — right up until Cody and his son skipped town.

Who could have guessed the project would quietly come back to life now, of all times?

Elizabeth's hands trembled as she clicked on one of the articles. When she saw experts estimating that land prices in the South District lowlands could break $2.5 million per acre, tears spilled down her face.

Eighty million dollars. That's all it took for her to miss the opportunity of a lifetime.

"God, are you seriously messing with me right now?" Elizabeth screamed inside.

Meanwhile, out in the living room.

After Mason and Ava got Owen settled in a seat, Ava put on a smile and casually probed, "Owen, did you guys hear something too?"

Ava was smart enough to know that asking directly would get her nowhere. A roundabout approach might catch Owen off guard.

But she still underestimated how slippery Owen could be.

Owen caught the look on Ava's face right away and smiled. "I'm Elizabeth's second uncle — can't I just stop by to have a drink with her husband? What, David's not home? Never mind, I'll just call him."

Just as Owen reached for his phone, Mason spoke up. "Zane came by earlier and took David with him."

That hit like a bolt from the blue.

Owen shot to his feet, eyes wide, staring at Mason. "What? Zane took David? You're not serious."

Aria panicked too, turning on Owen with a flood of complaints. "I told you we should've come earlier! See? Someone beat us to it!"

Ava's anxiety was building fast. "Owen, what is going on?"

Owen grabbed Aria by the wrist and headed for the door, tossing back a casual, "Nothing, nothing to worry about!"

Ava was about to go after them.

Elizabeth wiped the corner of her eye and slowly stood up. "Mom, don't bother. I know what's happening."

Ava rushed over and grabbed Elizabeth's hand. "Elizabeth, what is going on?"

Elizabeth's face was completely drained of color, her lips pale. "Everything David told us before — it was all true."

Ava hadn't caught up yet and stomped her foot in frustration. "Just tell me — what are you talking about?"

Elizabeth walked to the sofa and sat down, choosing her words carefully. "A while back, when the Cole Group's father and son ran off, we spent $80 million to pick up an 8% stake in the Cole Group. Then David told us to keep investing and take over the whole company. We didn't listen. Worse than that — we transferred that 8% stake over to David."

Ava nodded. "I know all that. But what does that have to do with Owen and the others coming for David today?"

Mason was the first to put it together. His eyes went wide. "Elizabeth — did the South District project just officially launch?"

Elizabeth nodded weakly. "Yes. And it's even bigger than we thought. Nevada's state capital is being relocated to the South District."

The words had barely left her mouth when something unbelievable happened.

Mason, who had been confined to a wheelchair for years, suddenly pressed his hands against the armrests and pushed himself to his feet. "What? This can't be real. My God!"

Elizabeth had been drowning in the pain of losing billions, but seeing her father stand up jolted her out of it. Her eyes went wide. "Dad, you're..."

Mason looked down at his own legs. When it sank in that he was actually standing, tears streamed down his face. "God almighty — what good does it do me to stand up now? Why does the Perez family have such rotten luck?"

Ava hurried over and helped Mason back into his wheelchair. "Calm down, calm down. Let me think. Elizabeth — you found this on the computer just now?"

Elizabeth answered quietly. "Yes. The South District new city development is all over the news right now."

Ava rushed to the computer and read through everything carefully. When she came back to the living room, her voice dropped to a murmur as she started doing the math. "David took 8% from us. The Cole Group bought about 7.7 square miles of land in the South District — that's 7,400 acres. So David's share would be at least 592 acres. If land prices hit $2.5 million per acre, then 592 acres would be..."

Her voice began to shake. "One and a half billion dollars. That guy didn't lift a finger, and he's sitting on $1.5 billion. Elizabeth, you've broken your mother's heart. One and a half billion dollars!"

Elizabeth took a deep breath and walked around to stand behind her father's wheelchair. "Dad, let's get you to the hospital. The way you just stood up — you might actually be able to walk again."

Mason shook his head. "Forget it. Whether I can walk again doesn't matter right now. Go find David. See if you can buy some of that land from him at a lower price. I don't think he knows about any of this yet. If Zane gets him drunk and pulls some dirty trick to get David to sell that land to them, we're going to lose everything!"

Ava was frantic now. She rushed to Elizabeth's side and pushed her toward the door. "Don't worry about your father — he's been in that wheelchair for years, a few more days won't hurt. You go find David right now. Do whatever it takes to bring him back. Even if you have to spend the night with him — whatever it takes — get that 500-plus acres of land back from him!"