Would she fail once the excitement of the delivery faded?
But she didn't let the businessman see those doubts.
Instead, she answered.
"No."
He looked surprised.
She continued.
"My experience managing agricultural supplies, the hatchery's technical support, and the farm's actual financial records are what I'm using to decide whether I can make this work."
The buyer stared.
Then she added, "And none of that requires your permission."
For several seconds, he couldn't speak.
Then he leaned closer.
"You're going to regret refusing me."
The attorney stepped beside her.
"Is there a specific offer or legal concern you want to discuss?"
The buyer turned sharply.
The attorney held his gaze.
"If there is, send it to my office."
The businessman looked between them.
Then walked away.
The woman watched him disappear into the hallway.
Her attorney turned.
"Are you all right?"
She nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Then she glanced toward the blue folder.
For a moment, she imagined her father standing beside her.
He would have been wearing his old work jacket.
His hands shoved into his pockets.
His expression serious.
And afterward, he would have asked whether she'd remembered to request the supporting survey.
The thought made her smile.
She looked toward the attorney.
"Can we ask for the original drainage plans too?"
The older woman laughed.
"Absolutely."
The documents eventually revealed why the businessman was so determined to purchase the ponds.
He controlled a small investment entity that had entered discussions with the industrial developer concerning future land access.
The arrangement was preliminary and subject to numerous conditions.
But the potential payments were far greater than the fourteen thousand dollars he'd offered the daughter.
If he acquired the southern parcel and could negotiate the necessary drainage rights, he stood to benefit financially from the development.
He had never explained that possibility to the woman.
He wasn't necessarily obligated to disclose every business strategy during an ordinary land purchase negotiation.
But the incomplete description of the property and the pressure surrounding the offers raised serious concerns.
The attorney also discovered that the buyer had relied on outdated statements concerning the ponds' water quality.
He repeatedly described them as contaminated and commercially unusable, even after independent testing demonstrated significant improvement.
Those claims could affect negotiations.
They could also influence people who lacked access to the actual records.
The woman provided the new water reports to her attorney.
Then requested written corrections where inaccurate statements had been submitted to public bodies.
The process was tedious.
It involved letters.
Meeting minutes.
Technical assessments.
And the careful separation of proven facts from speculation.
Some days, she wished she could simply shout at the buyer.
Tell everybody what he'd done.
And force him to admit that her father was right.