The week after the private meeting with Hawthorne Capital began with a different kind of energy inside the company.
The tension that had once surrounded every decision was gone. In its place there was focus. The conflict had forced the entire leadership team to examine every part of the expansion strategy. Every department had reviewed its systems and strengthened its plans.
Now the company stood stronger than it had before the challenge began.
The question that remained was what to do next.
I arrived at the office early Monday morning. The city was just beginning to wake, and the streets below the building were still quieter than usual. From the windows of the executive floor, the skyline looked calm and endless.
Adrian was already inside the office reviewing a set of financial repor
