Rachel stepped closer. You don't get to protect me by making my choices for me. The words landed. Maya nodded. Okay.
By afternoon, something worse reached South Lyndon. Daniel called while Maya was crossing the quad. His voice was steady. Too steady. A letter came.
What letter? Property inquiry. Maya stopped walking. Students flowed around her. What kind?
Redevelopment. Daniel explained that a company called Midstate Urban Development had begun contacting several property owners along his block. They were exploring a purchase corridor. Carter Community Fitness sat almost directly in the middle of it. Maya's stomach tightened.
Are they forcing you out? Not yet. Who owns Midstate? Working on that. Maya was already searching on her phone.
Corporate pages, real estate articles, a project announcement from 2 years earlier. Then she found it. Midstate Urban Development had partnered repeatedly with Bradford Properties.grant Bradford's company. Maya stood stood beneath the orange leaves of an old campus tree while the connection became clear. The cafe Rachel the studio.
Not one attack. A circle closing. Daniel. I found it too. His voice was calm.
Bradford. Yes. For several seconds. Maya could not speak. This was different from the dining hall, different from Lauren's scissors.
They were no longer humiliating her because they thought she was weak. They were threatening what she loved because they had discovered she wasn't. I'll withdraw it. Daniel's answer came instantly. No, Nana.
I'm not your nana. The correction would normally have made her smile. It didn't. Daniel, you could lose the studio. I could lose the studio anyway.
This started because of me. No. His voice hardened. This started because people with power decided your dignity was negotiable. Maya closed her eyes. Daniel continued.
You withdraw because you decide the complaint no longer matters. That's your choice. A pause. You withdraw because they scared you with my building. Then they own more than the building.
Maya looked across Hawthorne's quad. The Bradford Performance Center rose beyond the trees. Stone dot glass. Millions of dollars made visible. What am I supposed to do?
The same thing you did with Lauren. Maya frowned. Nothing. No. Daniel's voice softened. Know exactly what you're capable of.
Then choose. The call ended. Maya remained beneath the tree. Friday's annual donor reception was less than 24 hours away. Her scholarship program required recipients to attend.