Six hundred eighty million dollars would fund the initial closing once its conditions were met.
The remaining one hundred twenty million dollars would be held under agreed escrow and contingent-payment arrangements associated with specified assets, technical obligations, and contractual protections.
Not every dollar of the contingent amount was guaranteed to become payable.
The terms depended on documented performance and satisfaction of the relevant requirements.
The structure gave Crestline a path forward.
It also protected Meridian from accepting unresolved obligations without appropriate safeguards.
Most importantly, it separated financial pressure from technical verification.
The CEO reviewed the final proposal with her investment committee.
One director leaned forward.
“It's less elegant than the original structure.”
She smiled.
“Real life often is.”
Another asked whether the transaction remained attractive.
Her investment officer explained the revised valuation.
The risks.
The expected fleet utilization.
The cost of maintaining the acquired assets.
And the projected returns under several possible operating scenarios.
There were no guarantees.
But the revised transaction was commercially reasonable if executed carefully.
The director turned toward the CEO.
“Your recommendation?”
She looked toward the report.
Then answered.
“Proceed, subject to the final approvals and conditions.”
The room remained quiet.
She continued.
“We've now verified what we're acquiring to the standard agreed for this closing. The remaining assets have separate protections. And the operational plan includes independent technical oversight.”
The board considered the recommendation.
Then voted.
The revised transaction was approved.
The CEO exhaled slowly.
For months, she'd carried the weight of a decision that could affect hundreds of employees and an enormous amount of capital.
Now the investment committee had reached a decision based on records that had been examined, questions that had been answered, and risks that had been identified rather than concealed.
She closed the folder.
Then looked toward the meeting room window.
The New York skyline stretched beyond the glass.
She remembered the billionaire throwing her documents onto the floor.
The laughter.
The red screen.
And the way he'd demanded that she respect his wealth.
Now she was preparing to return to the same hangar.
Not to prove she was richer.
Not to humiliate him.
But to complete the portion of a transaction that could responsibly proceed.
The billionaire met with his employees before the final closing.