The morning began with a strange stillness.
Not the quiet calm of an ordinary workday, but the kind of silence that settles over a place before something important happens. The office building felt more alert than usual. Conversations were softer. Phones rang constantly. News alerts appeared on screens across the executive floor.
The meeting with the board was only two days away.
Hawthorne Capital had made that clear in their most recent communication late the previous night. They had formally requested the opportunity to present their concerns to the board and outline what they called alternative strategies for the company’s future.
It was a polite way of saying they wanted influence.
I arrived at the office shortly before eight. The lobby screens were already showing financial news
