It was an article about the acquisition of a large tract of land in a minority neighborhood. The newspaper celebrated the purchase by Warren and highlighted the agreement not to displace the people within the area. Instead, Warren had plans to revitalize the area while keeping the old residents in it.
It was strange how much the newspaper kissed their ass. Purchasing land in a low-income area and revitalizing it was definitely a thing to celebrate. But it also sounded a bit too much like…propaganda to me. No one did anything just for the altruistic good feels. There was a reason that Lewis had purchased the neighborhood.
I had a bad feeling about this.
Lewis had bought my building when he wanted to get me a good deal for the apartment. But it wasn’t normal in New York to keep prices low just for the fun of it. Why would he have bought that land? What did it have that interested him? If he wasn’t going to do something to make more money, then I wagered he needed it for something else.
I searched out the low-income neighborhood that the article said Warren had purchased and found the apartments listed for rent were twice as much as I was paying currently. My eyes bulged. That wasn’t sustainable on the Upper West. How could people afford that outside of Manhattan?
The answer was, they couldn’t.
As I kept scrolling through the listings, I realized that there were hundreds of them. All from this area. All from the buildings Lewis had purchased. All of these people were now displaced.
There was nothing to prevent him from doing this. I’d taken a class in college that discussed gentrification. It was a common thing in most cities. It was even hailed as a good thing by a lot of people. Gentrification was when efforts were made to revitalize a neighborhood that was predominantly low-income. It brought new tenants, new stores, and a new life to the area. But it hurt communities as much as it helped them. What happened to the people who had to leave the communities and apartments and houses they’d lived in their entire lives? How did they survive now that everything was triple what they’d paid in the past? It wasn’t fair. And it was becoming more and more common to try to force out people that others found “undesirable.”
Not illegal, but shady as fuck. Especially after claiming they had no intention of harming the community.
I frowned. This wasn’t concrete proof. I could get that. I could find out who had lived there, what they had been paid, how many people had left. I could look up city permits to see if new construction was planned or if new businesses were intending to move in. I was pretty sure that I could do enough work to show this. And I had to bet…if he’d done this once, then it wasn’t the first time. Especially considering that Anselin-Maguire hadn’t even wanted to work with Warren. Lewis’s dad had made that pretty clear. They had to know what they were signing away. And the type of business the Warrens ran. Just like Jane had said.
All the threads connected.
It was all there at a glance.
I could do this.
My fingers hesitated on the keys. To what end?
Ruin him to satisfy my own revenge?
It would make me feel better, but then would I get that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach again? And if I went through with this, there was no coming back. It was one thing to try to take over Katherine’s socialite status, but was this worth it?
I closed my laptop.
I needed to think on it. Get my head on straight.
My phone buzzed on the counter. A text from Jane.
Hey, are we still on for coffee this morning?
“Shit,” I groaned.
I’d forgotten that I’d agreed to meet Jane. I’d gotten so wrapped up in my research that it slipped my mind.
I texted her back to let her know I was on my way and then hastily changed into one of the Bergdorf outfits I’d left at Penn’s place.
It was a beautiful day in Manhattan, so I skipped a cab and walked down Fifth Avenue past the park to Jane’s favorite coffee shop, only blocks from her favorite department store. Spring was right around the corner. I could smell it in the air. And hear the chirping of the birds. The people jogging through the park. The babies being pushed in strollers.
It had all the makings of why I loved this city so much.
And made me think that maybe I should just be happy that I was in love. That Penn loved me back. And put it all behind me. Did I really need my revenge?
I chewed on my lip as I debated what to do. I wanted to make them pay. I didn’t want them to continue to get away with hurting people. The way Katherine treated people was disgusting. And what Lewis was doing was abhorrent. Even if it wasn’t illegal, it was still repulsive. And people deserved to know who they were dealing with. That this behemoth was kicking the little guy.
But how far would I have to dig back down into that dark place when I had only just been able to see the light again?
My thoughts stopped abruptly when my phone rang. I stared down at the number in excitement. The attorney.
“This is Natalie.”
“Natalie, thank you for answering. This is Shonda from Dr. Kensington’s staff,” she said.
“Yes, Shonda, I’m so glad to hear from you. I’ve been awaiting your call.”
“I’m afraid that I have…unfortunate news,” she said softly.
My stomach sank. “What?”
“The judge ruled to throw out your restraining order. He said that there wasn’t sufficient evidence of stalking or domestic abuse. Especially considering the length of the relationship.”
My body went numb. No. No, this wasn’t how the legal system was supposed to work. It was supposed to protect people.
“Natalie?” Shonda asked. “Are you there?”
“Yes, I’m here. I can’t believe this.”
“I know. I’m shocked. I think…”
“Yes?”
“I’m not sure that I should say. It’s merely speculation based on past experience.”
“Explain.”
“I think the judge knows the Warrens. They…donate to his campaign.”
I went as still as death. I found that black place rush up at me like a car skidding across thin ice, prepared to plummet to its depths.
My voice was just as icy when I responded, “Of course they do.”
“I’m really so sorry. I didn’t…expect this outcome. Nor do I support it. We can still appeal.”
“No,” I said at once. “No, that won’t make a difference.”
And I knew in my heart that it wouldn’t.
It would make no difference.
Because once a-fucking-gain, I had to be painfully reminded of this world. That there were no consequences. Not even a slap on the wrist. Not even an order of protection for harassing and stalking and bruising me. Nothing. Lewis Warren was untouchable. He had made himself that way over time. And even the judge could take the bribe to let it pass.
No. If I was going to get what I wanted, I had to do this myself.
And now, I had the tools to do it.
“Thank you, Shonda. You’ve reminded me of a very important lesson.”
“I did?”
“Never underestimate your enemy.”
She sighed. “I’m so sorry. Let me look into the appeal, and I’ll get back to you.”
I let her finish and then hung up. My feet carried me down Fifth Avenue, inside the little café that made me think so much of Paris, and to the table where a frazzled Jane Devney sat.