The CEO leaned back.
For a moment, she felt like a teenager again.
Sitting beside him at the kitchen table while he explained aircraft maintenance.
He continued.
“People forget that a business jet isn't a painting.”
She smiled.
“No.”
“It's not enough that it looks expensive.”
“I know.”
“It has to be maintained by people who know what they're doing, and the records have to support its status.”
She nodded.
“That's what we're checking.”
Her father became quiet.
Then he said, “I'm proud of you.”
Her throat tightened.
“Because I blocked eight hundred million dollars?”
“No.”
She smiled faintly.
“Then why?”
“Because you didn't let somebody else's impatience make you careless.”
For a moment, she couldn't speak.
Then she whispered, “Thanks, Dad.”
He chuckled.
“And for the record, your mother showed me the dress.”
The CEO laughed.
“Oh, no.”
He paused.
“It's something.”
She burst out laughing.
Then he added, “But I figure if you can inspect aircraft wearing that thing, you can do almost anything.”
Inside Crestline's headquarters, the atmosphere had become tense.
The billionaire's board requested an emergency meeting.
Several directors were furious about the public confrontation.
Others were more concerned about the unresolved technical records.
The company's lenders demanded clarification concerning the anticipated closing date.
Its employees worried that the delay could threaten jobs.
And charter customers began asking whether their scheduled flights would be affected.
The company's operational teams continued following the applicable procedures for individual aircraft, including technical reviews and any necessary restrictions.
There was no blanket declaration that every jet was unsafe.
Most aircraft were operating under their established documentation and approved processes.
But the uncertainties surrounding certain records required attention.
The billionaire entered the board meeting looking exhausted.
For decades, he had been the dominant voice in that room.
He founded the company.
Built its reputation.
Attracted investors.
And convinced lenders that Crestline's future would be bigger than its past.
Now the directors had questions he couldn't answer.
One asked why the technical exceptions weren't escalated sooner.
Another wanted to know whether the financial officer's transaction representations accurately reflected the records.
A third questioned the company's dependence on a single outside maintenance provider.
The billionaire listened.
Then turned toward the chief financial officer.
“Explain the record discrepancies.”
The officer opened a presentation.
He described administrative complexity.
Routine paperwork delays.