This modifier way of eliminating seems pretty complicated to me. I will try a different process of elimination without delving into a lot of grammatical jargons. "Since" out here is a cause and effect trigger and not a time trigger. Hence we do not require present perfect tense in this case. So "B" and "E" are eliminated. Secondly "the investors" had first hoped to see the deal materializing and then pushed. Hence "had" should be placed before hoped
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