Rachel actually put down her pen.
“That company never owned Jack’s farm.”
Bradley said, “The option relies on a preexisting access agreement.”
The forged document.
There it was.
The corn maze wasn’t just an event.
It was evidence.
If Cedar Ridge could prove it had openly used my land under the old agreement…
if hundreds of people attended…
if vendors operated there…
if sponsors recognized the site…
if nobody stopped them…
they could later argue the access agreement had been treated as valid.
They weren’t selling corn maze tickets.
They were manufacturing a history of use.
Judge Marsh understood it too.
Her face went cold.
“When was this option agreement signed?”
Bradley looked at Trish.
“February.”
“Value?”
“I’d need to review—”
“Counsel.”
“One point eight million dollars.”
The courtroom seemed to shrink.
I heard someone behind me inhale sharply.
Rachel leaned toward me.
“Don’t react.”
