Chapter 4 - The Woman Behind the Phone
Meredith was not simply another beach visitor.
She was a luxury real-estate agent with more than half a million social-media followers.
Her videos featured oceanfront homes, private clubs, designer clothes, and motivational speeches about refusing to let ordinary people obstruct your goals.
That morning, she was filming promotional content for Shoreline Crown Residences, a proposed condominium development overlooking Pelican Bay.
The development was already controversial.
Local residents feared it would restrict public access, damage the dunes, and turn one of the town’s last open beaches into a marketing backdrop for wealthy buyers.
Meredith’s company represented the developer.
She had positioned her beach blanket near Noah’s castle because the coastline behind it matched the view in the architectural renderings.
When she complained that the castle blocked her view, she did not mean her view of the ocean.
It blocked the shot she wanted for an advertisement.
Her phone had been livestreaming when she kicked it.
Thousands of viewers heard Noah say:
“I built it for Dad.”
They also heard Meredith answer:
“It’s just sand.”
Her assistant ended the stream seconds later.
It was already too late.
Screen recordings spread before Thomas reached us with the golden box.
Guests at the beach began checking their phones.
Meredith’s expression changed as notifications filled her screen.
She was no longer looking at a grieving child.
She was looking at a public-relations disaster.
“Can we discuss this privately?” she asked.
May you like
I held Noah closer.
“No.”
