Chapter 20 - The Last Attempt to Sell the PierBy August 5, Evelyn had realized that Halcyon Development would not rescue her on the terms she wanted.
Hollis Crane's lawyers had identified too many unanswered questions.
The financial disclosures were incomplete.
The safety investigation was ongoing.
The North Quay consulting arrangement presented serious conflicts.
And the archived footage had changed the public narrative.
But Evelyn still controlled fifty-two percent of Brightwater's shares.
The company was under financial pressure.
She believed a quick sale could limit further losses.
After Halcyon suspended negotiations, she turned to another investment group willing to consider a distressed acquisition subject to disclosure and approval.
The proposed transaction was smaller and less favorable.
Eighteen million dollars for the real estate and operating assets, with significant debt and liabilities to be addressed at closing.
A shareholder meeting was scheduled for August 12.
Evelyn intended to use her controlling vote to approve the transaction after board authorization.
Nathan's attorneys immediately objected.
The proposed sale involved potential related-party payments, disputed financial statements, and allegations that management had concealed material information.
More importantly, Grace's trust held a thirteen-percent beneficial interest, and Evelyn's dual role as controlling shareholder and trustee created serious conflicts.
Nathan could not simply seize the trust's voting rights.
He could, however, seek judicial protection of Grace's interests through appropriate proceedings, supported by independent counsel.
His corporate litigation attorney, Caroline Reed, prepared an emergency application challenging the proposed asset sale and seeking temporary relief until the disputed transactions could be examined.
Miriam pursued a separate trust proceeding requesting an accounting, protection of trust assets, and consideration of Evelyn's removal as trustee.
The cases involved different legal questions.
Both mattered.
On the morning the papers were filed, Nathan sat alone on a bench overlooking the lake.
The Ferris wheel rose beyond the trees.
He had loved its silhouette since childhood.
Now the sight made him feel trapped between two terrible possibilities.
If the sale went forward, Brightwater might disappear.
If it was stopped, the company might still fail financially.
A bank loan was approaching maturity.
Vendors were demanding payment.
Seasonal workers were worried about their jobs.
Nathan knew that exposing wrongdoing would not magically solve the park's debts.
His phone rang.
It was Dylan.
Nathan answered, surprised.
"Hello?"
"Leah said the sale might happen next week."
Nathan looked out over the water.
"That's what we're trying to prevent."
"Would it really save the employees?"
Nathan hesitated.
"Maybe some of them. Depends what a buyer does."
"And the park?"
"Probably not."
Dylan was silent.
Then he said, "I talked to some of the maintenance workers. They said the bank might consider refinancing if you had a real repair plan and outside oversight."
Nathan looked up.
"Who told you that?"
"Walter. He's been speaking with a local credit union about whether there's any interest in financing an employee-supported restructuring."
Nathan sat straighter.
"Why?"
"Because those people love the park."
He paused.
"Not all of them have your last name."
Nathan closed his eyes.
The words hurt.
But he needed to hear them.
"Do you think we could save it?" he asked.
"I don't know."
It was the first honest answer Nathan had received about the park's future in months.
Dylan continued.
"But if you're going to ask people to trust Brightwater again, you can't rebuild it around the same people who broke it."
Nathan looked toward the Ferris wheel.
"You're right."
That afternoon, he met Walter, Andrea, two employee representatives, and a financial adviser who specialized in distressed small businesses.
They discussed what a legitimate rescue would require.
An independent safety overhaul.
Accurate financial statements.
A repayment arrangement with lenders.
New governance.
A realistic operating budget.
Outside capital.
Nathan listened carefully.
The plan was difficult.
But unlike Evelyn's secret transactions, it depended on people knowing the truth.
That evening, Caroline Reed called.
"The court has scheduled an expedited hearing for August tenth."
Nathan stood.
"Will they stop the sale?"
"That depends on the evidence and the legal standard. A temporary order isn't automatic."
"What do we need?"
"Clear documentation of the conflicts, the proposed transaction, and the harm that may occur if it proceeds before review."
Nathan looked at the growing stack of records.
The trust transfers.
The questionable amendment.
The meeting emails.
The security footage.
For weeks, each discovery had felt like another wound.
Now those documents were beginning to form a case.
Before bed, Nathan called Maya.
"Can I talk to Grace?"
Maya handed over the phone.
"Daddy!"
"Hi, sweetheart."
"Mommy says you're working on something important."
"I am."
"Is it the park?"
"Partly."
"Will the little ride be okay?"
Nathan looked toward the dark window.
"I don't know yet."
Grace was quiet.
Then she asked, "Will Dylan get his job back?"
Nathan closed his eyes.
"That's something he gets to decide."
"Because he helped me?"
"Yes."
Grace thought for a moment.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Sometimes when something breaks, you have to stop using it until somebody fixes it."
Nathan felt tears rise.
"Who taught you that?"
"Grandpa's picture in your office."
He smiled through the ache.
She meant Samuel's brass plaque about safety.
Even at six, she understood the promise behind it.
Nathan whispered, "That's right, sweetheart."
After the call, he returned to the legal documents.
The hearing was five days away.
The shareholder vote was seven days away.
May you like
And the woman who had endangered his daughter still had enough corporate power to decide the future of everything Samuel had built.
Unless Nathan could finally stop her.
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