Northstar's conference room had a better view than my apartment and worse coffee.

Nadia sat beside me with the Vale debt summary open on her laptop. Across the table, Caleb Ross had brought in two people I had not met before: Northstar's credit director and an outside

Dominic arrived at my office eleven minutes early. He had never been early for anything that did not involve a plane.

Nadia looked through the glass wall at him, then at me. "Do you want me in there?"

"No."

"Do you want me directly outside pretending not to listen?"

"Yes."

The notice arrived at 7:14 on Tuesday morning. Dominic read it once in his office. Then again.

**Seventy-two hours to deliver an acceptable cure plan.**

The bank did not use the word panic. Banks never did. They used words like liquidity, covenant, remediation, and re