As their problems piled up, Lincoln called the entire Ambrose family to meet on one of their many islands, Fairview Island.
On the day of the meeting, the view was anything but fair. The air was bitterly cold, heavy rain clouds hung in the sky, and biting winds were pummeling the island from the sea. Despite the gloomy atmosphere, the island was teeming with increased activity. The arrival of the family members caused a stir among the uneasy staff, and helicopters had been coming and going from the island for the last couple of days.
The members of the family had gathered in the parlor of the main building. Through a large window that looked out toward the sea, they watched as the waves and the wind came crashing onto the shores of their island refuge. Their moods were as gloomy as the weather, if not quite as turbulent. Every one of them sat in silence, contemplating their future as they waited for Lincoln to arrive.
They had expected him hours earlier, but he still hadn't come. They were growing anxious. If something had happened to Lincoln, they knew that their problems couldn't be solved. They would be facing an unmitigated disaster, and there would be no way to avoid it.
The wait was growing intolerable, and Nathan was the most impatient of them all. He rose to speak. "There's no point waiting," he said. "We all know what's happening. The stock price of our company is plummeting, and everyone's tripping over themselves to sell. There's only one thing we can do."
The rest of the family stared at him in silence. They looked as if they were ready to cry.
"Just shut up, Nathan," Justin said, looking contemptuously at his cousin. Nathan's pessimism was the last thing the family needed. "You don't get to speak for the whole family."
Nathan scoffed. "Oh, really?" he answered. "Then, who does? The old man isn't here. He's losing it. He won't be able to save the company, and we'll have to declare bankruptcy. When and if he bothers to show up, we need to convince him to divide the family property amongst ourselves before we lose it all. If we wait, the state will take it all."
The atmosphere in the room grew unsettled. There were many in the family who agreed with Nathan's description of the future. There was a crisis brewing, and this was only the beginning. There was no telling how bad things would get. They needed to act now, before it was too late.
Gideon stood up. "Nathan, sit down," he said sternly. "We don't need to hear your divisive doomsday prophecies. If we're going to fix this, we need to band together and trust each other."
"All I'm telling you is the truth," Nathan said while he met the eyes of the other family members. "I'm sorry if it hurts, but we need to be honest. Unlike some of us, I don't want to punish the family because I couldn't raise my son properly."
"You little snake!" Flora shouted. She was shaking with anger. "You're only looking out for yourself. Lincoln isn't even here yet, and you're already trying to split us apart. Just to save your own money. You're the enemy."
"I don't know, Flora," said one of the older family members, a distant uncle of Alex. "What Nathan is saying makes sense. The way things are going, we have a choice between divesting now or waiting until we're left with nothing. I know it hurts to split up the company, but at least all of us will get something out of it."
Many of the people in the room nodded in agreement, and Nathan smiled triumphantly. Things were working out better than he had dared to hope for. His grandfather was a no-show, and more and more of his family were starting to look to him for guidance.
"No!" Justin roared. "We need to work together now."
He looked around him in desperate frustration. Many of his family members seemed to just not want to hear him. It occurred to him that most of them had probably come to the meeting only to discuss how best to divide the family assets among themselves.
"Well, I think this island should be given to our side of the family!" someone suddenly yelled, as if to confirm Justin's fears. "We're the ones who use it the most."
"That's ridiculous," cried another, younger member of the family from the other side of the room. "Why should you just get to have it?"
"There are other properties," was the answer. "And there's Harmony Island. We're willing to give up our claim to it. For a small compensation."
These words caused an uproar on the other side of the room. "Rubbish!" the young man roared as he and those around him rose from their chairs. "This place is much more valuable. And there's no villa on any of our properties that's better than this one. You're trying to swindle us!"
"How dare you?" the other man yelled, rising from his chair. The tension in the room was electric. It seemed as if a fight was going to break out.
"Stop it!" a booming voice suddenly cried out. It echoed in the large, barren space.
At the sound of it, everyone turned toward the entrance into the room. Through the large, open doorway, with his hand resting on the handle of a cane, came Lincoln. He walked slowly and unsteadily, and his face was a shadow of its old self. His white hair lay flat and shapeless on his head, and his eyes were sunken and bloodshot. None of them had ever seen him look so frail.
As he came further into the room, everyone around him nodded deferentially and muttered salutary greetings. He barely looked at them. When he finally reached his chair, which stood at the other end of the room in front of large window, he tried to straighten himself and raised his head to speak.
"What's going on here?" he asked calmly. There was a sadness in his voice, but the serene self-confidence of his old self was still with him.
No one dared to answer. Their respect for him had mingled with the shock of seeing him in his present state, and their combined effects had stunned them into silence. That silence hung over the room for what seemed like several minutes, until Nathan stepped forward to speak.
"Grandfather, we're discussing how to divide up the family property," he said. "Given the state of the company, it seems to be our best option."
"You think so?" Lincoln said, and he looked at Nathan with pain in his eyes. The calm tone of his voice surprised everyone in the room.
"Yes, I do," Nathan answered. "And I'm not the only one. Our company is a sinking ship. We need to salvage whatever assets we can before it's too late."
Nathan glanced around himself. He had hoped that some of those who agreed with him would back him up in front of his grandfather, but nobody did.
"Oh, Nathan," Lincoln said with a smile. "Everything's been going our way for so long. You don't know what bad times are like. Now there's trouble, and you want to cut and run at the first opportunity. Every man for himself. Perhaps you also feel like you don't need to listen to me anymore?"
"I'm trying to make the best of a bad situation," Nathan shot back. "I'm just telling you the truth."
"Oh, get over yourself!" Justin cried. He couldn't hold his anger in any longer. "Do you really think that Grandpa needs you to tell him what's true or not? You're a liar."
Lincoln raised his arms gently and gestured for his grandsons to calm themselves. "Control yourselves, boys," he said. "Nathan, please come and sit down."
Nathan didn't move. Instead, he stood staring at Lincoln as the old man walked slowly over to an empty chair and gestured for him to sit. Every eye in the room stared at Nathan in disbelief. He stood frozen, locking eyes with his grandfather, and neither of them moved for several seconds. Lincoln's hands started to tremble. Nathan's whole body shivered.
"You sit down!" Lincoln suddenly shouted angrily. The power of his deep voice shocked the entire family.
Then, there was complete silence again. No one dared to say a word.