Part 6: The Buyout Proposal

The attorneys prepared a buyout proposal based on the expert's revised valuation and the company's cash-flow analysis. It included a payment schedule, a way to resolve disputed amounts, and conditions designed to protect the company's ordinary operations. Priya explained each section and marked the questions she wanted the finance team to answer.

I asked whether accepting the proposal would mean giving up any claim concerning the deposit. She said the draft treated the deposit as part of the overall settlement, but the wording needed to be clearer. We requested a revision rather than relying on an informal explanation.

Julian asked for an independent review of the payment schedule. His adviser raised a concern about what would happen if the company missed a payment. Our finance team proposed a notice period and a process for addressing a temporary problem. Both attorneys reviewed the change.

At the same time, we continued discussing the parenting plan. The counselor recommended a gradual schedule based on the boys' routines, their school, and the practical arrangements each household could provide. The recommendation did not declare either parent the winner. The judge would review the plan under the applicable process.

Ben asked whether he could keep a pair of shoes at each house. Eli wanted the same book in both places because he disliked remembering to pack it. We agreed to both requests. The cost was small, and the arrangements reduced the number of things the boys had to carry between adults.

My mother offered to help with pickups. We added her as a backup only after checking that she could manage the schedule and the school's procedures. Julian also proposed his sister. We discussed the options with the boys without asking them to choose between relatives.

At the company, the employees received an update that the owners were reviewing a possible change and that existing operations would continue. Company counsel checked the wording. Lena invited questions about payroll, reporting lines, and client commitments. She did not promise that every detail was settled.

A warehouse employee asked whether a new investor would change the safety budget. The finance team explained that no investor had been selected and that the current budget remained in place. The question was recorded for any future review.

The revised proposal arrived on a Friday. I took it home but did not read it while the twins were awake. We made dinner, checked the field-trip forms, and watched the concert video again. This time Eli pointed out that he had waved at the camera.

“Did you see it?” he asked.

“I did now.”

After they slept, I read the proposal and wrote down three questions. One concerned the deposit. One concerned the company's ability to continue funding its operations. The third concerned how the parties would confirm that the ownership register had been updated after completion.

Priya answered the first two the next day and requested additional language for the third. I felt impatient. I wanted the case to end. But the first hearing had taught me that an incomplete record could remain a problem for years. I wanted the final documents to say what we actually agreed.