Chapter 5 - The Desperate Broker
On Monday morning, Daniel arrived at his commercial real estate brokerage in high spirits. He had spent the entire weekend polishing a presentation for H.B. Heritage Capital Group.
Through public property registration data, Daniel had tracked down the corporate representative for H.B. Heritage: Arthur Vance of Vance, Sterling & Cole. Daniel assumed Vance was merely an intermediary for an overseas family office or an out-of-state private wealth client looking to park capital in high-end Arizona real estate.
Daniel walked into his partner’s office, adjusting his silk tie. “Greg, I need you to set up an introductory meeting with Arthur Vance’s office today. Tell him we represent a premier corporate executive family looking to lease the Willow Creek property under a long-term triple-net agreement with an option to buy within twenty-four months.”
Greg looked up from his dual monitors, his brow furrowing. “Vance? He’s impossible to pin down, Dan. That firm handles billionaires and institutional trusts. They don’t usually take cold calls from residential brokers.”
“Drop my name,” Daniel boasted, leaning over the desk. “Tell him I have pre-approved capital. Tell him we’re willing to pay twenty percent above market rent. Renee is already picking out drapes for the living room, Greg. I am not losing that house.”
By two in the afternoon, against all odds, Arthur Vance’s executive assistant called back.
“Mr. Daniel Briggs?” the secretary’s crisp voice echoed over the speakerphone. “Mr. Vance has reviewed your preliminary inquiry regarding the Willow Creek estate. He is prepared to discuss terms with you in person tomorrow morning at ten o'clock sharp at our Camelback offices.”
Daniel pumped his fist in the air, grinning wildly at his partner. “See? Money talks, Greg! When you come to the table ready to pay, even the big dogs listen.”
That evening at dinner, Daniel and Renee opened a two-hundred-dollar bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Without my presence to serve or clean up, the kitchen was already cluttered with dirty pans, cardboard takeout containers, and half-eaten pizza boxes. Toby and Maya sat quietly at the island, eating cold leftover crusts.
“Tomorrow is the day,” Daniel announced, raising his wine glass toward his wife. “Vance agreed to see me. Once we sign that master lease, we’ll put this starter house on the market immediately. We’ll finally have the prestige address we deserve. Willow Creek is going to put us on the social map in Scottsdale.”
Renee beamed, her eyes shining with social ambition. “Did your mother ever call with her new address? She hasn’t texted once since she left on Saturday.”
Daniel waved his hand dismissively. “You know how dramatic she gets. She’s probably in some cheap studio apartment off Scottsdale Road, pouting because we didn’t beg her to stay. She’ll come around by Thanksgiving when she realizes she can’t afford groceries on Harold’s meager pension.”
“I just don't want her showing up unannounced once we move to Willow Creek,” Renee sniffed, taking a sip of wine. “That neighborhood has an image. Old people with grocery carts and faded polyester don't belong on Willow Creek Lane.”
Maya looked up from her plate, her young voice cutting through the smug atmosphere like a knife. “Grandma was nice. She read to me every night. You guys just talk about houses and money.”
“Go to your room, Maya,” Daniel snapped, his temper flaring. “You don't understand the real world. Grown-ups have to make hard choices to build a life.”
May you like
Maya pushed her chair back, left her plate on the counter, and ran upstairs, slamming her bedroom door.
Daniel sighed, rubbing his temples, but the wine quickly smoothed over his irritation. Tomorrow, he would walk into Vance’s marble-lined office, secure the home of his dreams, and prove to everyone that he was a self-made master of the universe.
