The original monitoring patents were central to the valuation.
Without them, the transaction was less attractive.
Without the ability to transfer and license them as planned, several projected revenue streams would need to be reconsidered.
Victor understood that.
He also understood that the special stewardship rights could become a costly obstacle if their holders refused consent.
At a private meeting in Asterion's Manhattan headquarters, he demanded an update from his chief financial officer.
The CFO was a fifty-one-year-old executive named Elliot Voss, a polished man who had built his career by giving Victor the numbers he wanted before anyone else could challenge them.
Elliot opened his laptop.
"The deal remains on schedule."
Victor looked toward him.
"Then why are the lawyers still asking questions about the founders' waiver?"
Elliot shrugged.
"A technical dispute."
Victor's expression hardened.
"Technical disputes don't cost six months unless people let them."
The company's general counsel sat near the end of the table.
Margaret Vale spoke carefully.
"The authenticity and scope of the waiver have been challenged."
Victor turned toward her.
"By whom?"
"The successor representative of the founders' stewardship arrangement."
"Who?"
"Nia Brooks."
Victor frowned.
"Never heard of her."
Margaret glanced toward her notes.
"She's Lorraine Brooks's daughter."
For a moment, the room became quiet.
Victor leaned back.
"How old?"
"Twenty-eight."
He laughed dismissively.
"And she thinks she can hold up a two-billion-dollar acquisition?"
Margaret didn't smile.
"The issue isn't her age. It's whether the necessary consent exists."
Victor waved one hand.
"Then establish it."
Elliot nodded.
"We're working on that."
Margaret leaned forward.
"I recommend we suspend reliance on the disputed waiver until the underlying evidence is verified."
Victor stared at her.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then he said coldly, "You've been paid a great deal of money to solve legal problems, Margaret. Not to create them."
The lawyer maintained her composure.
"Identifying a potentially invalid consent is not creating a problem."
Elliot shifted in his chair.
Victor looked from one to the other.
Then smiled without warmth.
"Whatever you need to do, do it quickly."
He stood.
"The closing timetable is not changing because a young woman has questions about her mother's paperwork."
Margaret watched him leave.
She didn't know then how much that sentence would eventually cost him.
Nia's questions also unsettled Jade Passage.
The company had several shareholders who welcomed Asterion's offer. Its valuation was substantial, and many investors believed the acquisition would provide an attractive exit after years of waiting.
Some of those investors had legitimate concerns about delays.
They weren't necessarily dishonest or indifferent to workers.