Chapter 29

So when later developers wanted to launch projects on his land, they had no choice but to purchase the plots from him first—only to get fleeced by him and his construction material suppliers. You can reason with civilized people using laws, but how do you negotiate with a thug? The more I read, the more frustrated I became. By the time I finished studying the documents past midnight, my throat was parched. I grabbed a glass of milk and downed it in one gulp. I had planned to push through for another two hours to thoroughly understand every detail. But less than thirty minutes later, my eyelids started staging a rebellion, drooping relentlessly, urging me to sleep. Fine, fine. I’ll just lie down for a bit and get back to work later, I told myself. Yet the moment my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light. The tension in my nerves melted away in sleep, and I found myself chatting merrily with the Sandman in my dreams. I dreamed I was alone in an endless ocean, not a soul in sight. Te