"Open it, Ethan, open it now, because I cannot open another letter from Northgate, I cannot do it, my hands are shaking too much!"Lilith stands in the hallway of 14 Rosewood Lane, and the envelope is on the table, and it is white, and it is thick, and it has the Northgate Holdings stamp on it, and Ethan picks it up, and he tears it open, and he reads it, and his face goes red, and then white, and then red again, and he throws the papers onto the floor, and they scatter, and Lilith picks one up, and she reads it, and she starts to cry."Doubled, Ethan, the rent is doubled, and we have seven days, and seven days is nothing, and where are we going to get that kind of money, because my account is empty, and your account, Ethan, tell me your account is not empty, tell me you have the money!""I have the money, Lilith, do not shout at me, I have the money, but I will not pay it, because I will not pay rent to a company I do not know, and I will not pay double rent to a ghost, so I will fin

"Mr. Calvino, I have been in this business for twenty years, and I have found men who did not want to be found, and I have found money that did not want to be found, so tell me what you want, and I will find it, for a price."Ethan sits in his office, and the man across from him is thin, and his suit is cheap, and his eyes are sharp, and he is holding a notebook, and he is smiling like a man who enjoys other people's secrets, and Ethan slides a photograph across the desk, and it is a photograph of me, taken outside the lawn shop, and I am in my suit, and I am smiling, and Ethan taps the photograph with his finger, and his voice is hard."I want everything on this man, Kael Watson, and I want it fast, and I want to know where he sleeps, and where he eats, and who he talks to, and where his money comes from, because three days ago he was a lawnmower boy with nothing, and today he walks around in a suit like he owns the town, and I do not believe in miracles, so find the man behind him."

"Excuse me, I am looking for the owner of Northgate Holdings, and I need to speak to him, and I need to speak to him today, because this cannot wait!"Lilith stands in the reception of my new office, and she is wearing a white dress, and her hair is perfect, and her makeup is perfect, and she looks like a woman who has rehearsed this moment a hundred times in the mirror, and the receptionist looks at her, and she smiles politely, and she says the owner is busy, and Lilith's smile drops, and her voice goes sharp, and I am watching from behind the glass wall of my office, and I can hear every word, and my heart is beating fast, even though I told myself it would not."I am Lilith Watson, and I used to be Mrs. Watson, and I own a house that Northgate now owns, and I pay rent to Northgate, and I deserve to speak to the owner, so tell him Lilith is here, and tell him I will not leave until he sees me!""Young master, do you want to see her, or do you want me to see her, because if you walk

"Fire, fire in the shop, somebody call for help, the mowers are burning, the whole shop is burning!"I wake up to my phone ringing, and it is Mr. Doyle, and his voice is panicked, and he is shouting, and I can hear sirens in the background, and I can hear men shouting, and I sit up in bed, and my heart is pounding, and I pull on my clothes, and I run out of the hotel, and Mr. Graves is already in the car, and we drive fast through the dark streets, and the sky over my shop is orange, and smoke is rising, and my stomach drops, because my shop is my past, and my shop is my future, and someone has set it on fire."Mr. Doyle, I am coming, and I am on my way, and tell me, is anyone hurt, tell me no one is hurt, because the shop can be rebuilt, but men cannot, so tell me everyone is safe!""Everyone is safe, Kael, everyone got out, but the shop is gone, the front is gone, and the mowers are gone, and the counter is gone, and the men are standing outside, and they are crying, Kael, grown men

"Mr. Calvino, you are invited to meet the owner of Northgate Holdings, tomorrow at noon, at the Northgate office, and the owner wishes to discuss your membership, and your house, and your future, and he asks that you come alone."Ethan reads the letter, and he reads it again, and his hands are shaking, and Lilith is sitting across from him, and she is watching his face, and she knows this letter is important, and she knows it could change everything, and she leans forward, and her voice is soft, and it is hopeful, and it is the voice of a woman who wants this nightmare to end."Ethan, this is it, this is our chance, and if you go, and if you talk to the owner, and if you apologise, and if you pay what he wants, then maybe we can get the house back, and maybe we can get the club back, and maybe we can live like we used to, so please, go, and please, be polite, and please, do not shout, because shouting is what got us here.""I will go, Lilith, and I will be polite, and I will listen, a