Page 27 of The Silver Fox Brother

"That's the plan."

I open the folder and slide architectural renderings across the table. The building in full—thirty stories of glass and steel, positioned in Tribeca with views of the Hudson and lower Manhattan skyline.

"Sterling Tower will be fifty-six residences across twenty-eight residential floors, two units per floor. We're targeting Manhattan's elite—finance executives, tech entrepreneurs, established wealth looking for primary residences, not investment properties."

Anna Steinberg studies the renderings with the same sharp focus her father has. She's thirty-four, MBA from Wharton, runs the real estate division of Steinberg Group.

"What differentiates this from every other luxury building going up in Tribeca?"

"The experience." I pull up the next set of images on the screen behind me. "Most luxury developments focus on amenities—rooftop pools, private gyms, concierge services. We're offering all of that across two dedicated amenity floors, but we're also offering something harder to quantify: livability. These aren't showpieces. They're homes."

One of the analysts leans forward.

"How do you demonstrate livability in a pro forma?"

"You don't quantify it. You demonstrate it." I advance to the next slide—interior concepts, though with Vertex gone, these are now slightly outdated.

"The model units will showcase exactly what life looks like at this price point. Full design, custom furniture, art, staging that tells a story. When buyers tour these spaces, they're not imagining what could be. They're seeing what is."

Richard leans back in his chair. "And your timeline for these model units?"

"Six months from designer contract to installation complete. Fully staged and ready for investor tours in December."

"That's ambitious."

"I don't do anything that isn't ambitious."

Anna almost smiles at that.

"And the designer? Who are you working with?"

Here's where I have to address the Vertex situation head-on.

"We're finalizing that this week. I had Vertex Design Group lined up—Amanda Cho was leading the team. They breached contract this morning for a conflicting opportunity in Dubai. I'm vetting replacements now."

Richard's expression sharpens slightly.

"This morning?"

"This morning. But I build contingencies into every timeline. We'll have a replacement by end of week and design concepts within two weeks."

"That's aggressive," Anna says.

"That's necessary. December isn't negotiable."

They exchange glances—the kind of silent communication that happens between people who've worked together long enough to read nuance.

"We appreciate the transparency," Richard says.

"But we'll need confirmation on the designer before we move forward with the next tranche of funding. Fifty million is contingent on seeing this project properly resourced."

"Understood. You'll have confirmation by Friday."

We spend the next forty minutes walking through financials, projected ROI, market comparisons against similar Tribeca developments. Anna asks about cost per square foot. One of the analysts wants to see absorption rate projections. I have answers for all of it—this is what I do, this is the work I've put in before this meeting ever happened.

By the time we wrap at 9:20, I can see the interest solidifying into commitment.

"We'll be in touch by the end of week," Richard says, shaking my hand at the door.