CHAPTER 142: Kevin

POV: Selene Castellano

They told the community partners on Thursday.

They didn't make the announcement by email or in a press release. Instead, they did it in person, at the foundation's office. Twelve organisations had been invited to what was supposed to be a year-end review, according to the calendar.

Selene had insisted on that.

“They deserve to hear it from us directly in a room not from a screen,” she’d said. 

Nobody had argued.

The office was full by nine.

In the front row, Susan Park took her place, with Kevin Walsh sitting beside her. David Torres stood near the window, while nine other familiar faces filled the room. Over the past year, Selene had gotten to know these individuals, who had put their trust in the foundation, sharing their work, their communities, and the young people they cared about - forty-two in total, along with thirty-eight others who were also part of their lives.

Amara opened.

Brief and clear..

"We've found out something important about Pierce Holdings' past that we think you should be aware of," she said. "We're sharing this with you before anyone else because we believe you have a right to know, and we want to give you that information first."

She explained the displacement bonds.

The thirteen years.

The three neighbourhoods.

The documented harm.

And the room got very quiet very fast.

Selene spoke next.

She didn’t use notes.

"I want to make one thing clear," she said, her voice firm but measured. "The work that our foundation does is genuine, it's tangible, and it's making a real difference in people's lives. Just look at the impact Kevin's program has had on those twelve young individuals - it's been life-changing. And Susan's efforts to secure infrastructure funding have yielded some amazing results. None of that is going to change, it's still going to be a vital part of what we do. But what is changing is the situation we're in, the context in which we're operating. And that context is crucial, it affects everything. You all deserved to know about this from the start, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. Avalon found out about it back in March, and he decided without consulting anyone else, which wasn't the right call." She paused, collecting her thoughts before continuing. "We need to be transparent about what's going on, and we need to work together to navigate this new reality."

Her eyes drifted towards Avalon, who stood quietly at the rear of the room.

He didn’t look away.

"She spoke up, her voice firm. 'That was wrong,' she said. We're telling you this now because being transparent isn't just something we do when it's easy. It's who we're supposed to be. And today, we're trying to make that a reality again."

The room was silent for a moment after she finished.

Then Kevin Walsh spoke.

"He wanted to know the exact harm caused by those bonds, not just a general idea. What was the real cost to these communities, he asked, seeking a specific answer."

James walked them through the financial modelling.

Numbers. Documented. Specifics.

When James finished, Kevin spoke up, saying, "And what about the remediation plan?"

Amara presented it.

He finished what he was doing, then leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling for a brief moment.

Then at Selene.

"You could have just taken the simple way out," he said.

“Not tell you,” Selene said.

He agreed, saying “ I thought you wouldn't be the ones to reveal it. Instead, the law firm should handle the release of the information. By getting out in front of it and making a public statement, they could spin it as something that happened in the past and had no connection to their current activities. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing. This, he pointed out, was the typical approach that most organisations would take in a situation like this."

“We’re not most organisations,” Selene said.

“No,” Kevin said slowly. “ You’re not.” He looked at the remediation plan on the table. “ Is this real? The numbers. The timeline. Is this actually what you’re committing to?”

Avalon spoke up from the back of the room, "Yes."

Kevin looked at him.

It was the first time he’d acknowledged Avalon’s presence.

“You knew since March,” Kevin said.

“Yes,” Avalon said.

“And you said nothing.”

“Yes.”

Kevin was quiet for a moment.

"My grandfather lost his home in the Mission back in 1983," he recalled. "At the time, I had no idea what had happened - it wasn't until I was much older that I finally understood. But by then, it was too late to do anything about it. The neighbourhood had already changed, and so had he." He glanced down at the remediation plan in front of him. "Let me be clear: I'm not forgiving what happened. This isn't about forgiveness. It's about something else entirely."

“I know,” Avalon said.

Kevin wasn't ready to give up on the project, not when forty-two young people were counting on him. He thought about all the progress they had made and how much they still needed to achieve. The fact that their funder had made a bad decision wasn't going to derail everything. Kevin picked up the plan and looked at it carefully. "I'm staying," he said finally, "but only if certain conditions are met." He was willing to fight for this project and for the people who depended on him.

“Name them,” Selene said.

He did.

“There are four key conditions that need to be met. Firstly, these conditions must be specific and well-documented, leaving no room for misinterpretation. A community oversight committee should be established, but not just as an advisory body - it needs to have real power to make decisions. This committee should also be responsible for producing quarterly transparency reports, which should be shared with all partners before they are made public. Additionally, a remediation fund should be set up, independent of the foundation's operations, and managed by community-appointed trustees. Lastly, there needs to be a formal, public acknowledgement in Nene's name, acknowledging the wrongdoings of Pierce Holdings and taking responsibility for their actions.”

"Kevin spoke up, his voice firm. 'I'm talking about her, personally,' he said. 'Not the company, just her. She's the one who created this, who made it happen. So she should be the one to own up to what it's done.'"

Selene looked at Avalon.

He nodded.

“Yes,” Selene said. “ All four.”

The other organisations took longer.

Two left saying they needed time and promised nothing.

The other nine stayed.

It wasn't easy, though. The conversation was tough, with many difficult questions and even tougher answers. At one point, Susan Park turned to Avalon and said, "You should have told her back in March." The room fell silent after that. Avalon just nodded and agreed, saying "Yes, I should have." And that was it, that's all that was said about it.

By noon it was done.

Selene sat alone at her desk, the office empty and quiet around her, and for a long time she just sat there, unmoving.

Amara came and sat across from her.

“Two left,” Selene said.

“Two left but Ten stayed,” Amara said. 

“Kevin’s conditions.”

“ Fair,” Amara said. “ All four.”

“The acknowledgement in Nene’s name.”

Amara nodded in agreement, “It was only right. After all, she was the one who had founded the company, and with that came the responsibility of owning both its successes and failures."

Selene looked at the empty room.

"I'm sure she would have agreed with everything," she replied.

“Yes,” Amara said. “ She would have.”

Avalon found her there an hour later.

Still at the desk.

He sat across from her without speaking.

She looked at him.

"Kevin's grandfather lost his house back in 1983," she said.

“I know,” Avalon said. “ I heard.”

"These are the people we're creating for," she said, "real individuals, not just ideas. People like Kevin's grandfather, Susan Park's clients, or David Torres's neighbours. She stopped for a moment, reflecting on their journey. "We almost forgot what's truly important," she added.

“We didn’t,” he said. “ You didn’t.”

“We almost did,” she said.

He didn’t argue.

Her phone buzzed.

Kevin Walsh.

A text, 

The oversight committee. I want Dr Ruth on it. She held Elena. She should hold this too.

Selene read it twice.

She typed back.

Yes.