They believed the transaction could create value and worried that uncertainty might cause Asterion to withdraw.
But other directors were more cautious.
Chairman Wei Tan had already expressed concerns about the planned intellectual-property transfer. He believed the original founders' protections deserved serious consideration, especially when the transaction's projections depended so heavily on those assets.
He requested a meeting with Nia.
They spoke in his office overlooking the Hudson River.
Wei greeted her warmly.
For several minutes, they talked about Lorraine.
He asked whether Nia still had her mother's old engineering notebooks.
She smiled.
"Boxes of them."
Wei laughed softly.
"Of course."
Then his expression became serious.
"I've been told you are contesting a waiver."
Nia nodded.
She placed the disputed document on his desk.
Wei examined the signature.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he looked toward the date.
His eyes narrowed.
"Nia."
She waited.
"Your mother was in the hospital."
"Yes."
He read the document again.
Then slowly lowered it.
"Did anybody contact you about this before the acquisition notice?"
"No."
Wei looked toward the river.
For a moment, his expression seemed deeply troubled.
Then he said, "I remember speaking with Lorraine the week before she died."
Nia felt a familiar ache.
He continued.
"She was very weak. But she asked me to watch the technology agreements carefully."
Nia nodded.
"She said the same thing to me."
Wei looked toward the document.
"Then we have to establish where this came from."
For the first time, Nia felt that someone with real authority inside the company understood what she was trying to protect.
Wei explained that he couldn't simply cancel the entire acquisition because he disliked the way Asterion approached the deal.
Jade Passage had other shareholders and legal obligations. Its directors needed to consider the company's interests, the governing documents, and the rights of all relevant parties.
But he could request an independent review of a potentially invalid consent.
He could insist that the board receive accurate information.
And he could refuse to treat a serious authenticity question as insignificant merely because it threatened an attractive sale.
He asked Nia to work through the trust's counsel.
She agreed.
Then Wei reached into his desk and removed an old photograph.
It showed Lorraine standing beside him at the opening of the company's first major temperature-monitoring facility.
Both were much younger.
Lorraine was laughing.
Wei held a pair of ceremonial scissors.
Behind them stood workers who had helped build the system.
He handed the photograph to Nia.
"Your mother never liked ribbon-cutting ceremonies."
Nia laughed through tears.
"She thought they wasted time."
Wei smiled.