I looked at Mom and asked what exactly she meant by “settle down.” She gestured toward Delphine’s photograph and started talking about mortgages, property, and building something permanent. I let her finish. Then I asked Delphine for the address of her new house. She laughed and told me, assuming I was finally showing interest. I already knew the address.
Three years earlier, one of my investment companies had purchased the undeveloped land beneath that entire subdivision through a long-term ground-lease structure. Delphine and Rowan owned the house itself, but the land beneath it belonged to a company I controlled. Their closing documents included the lease disclosures. They simply had never noticed the ownership name buried in the paperwork.
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