Chapter 44
POV: Damian
I couldn't buy Brookside.
I couldn't secretly pay the repair bill.
The bet had rules.
That didn't mean I had to stop thinking like the man who built companies from impossible situations.
The answer wasn't money.
The answer was waste.
Before sunrise, I sat in the laundromat with a notebook, studying the inspection report for the twentieth time.
The plumber's estimate included replacing every underground pipe.
That didn't feel right.
I called someone I trusted.
Not from my company.
An old engineering professor who enjoyed solving problems more than charging for them.
"I need a favor."
"What have you broken this time?"
"Technically... nothing yet."
He laughed.
"Send me the report."
Ten minutes later, my phone rang again.
"Whoever prepared that estima
