Albert Co$.$ is considering a four$-$year project that will require an initial investment of $$15,000.$ The base$-$case cash flows for this project are projected to be $$15,000$ per year. The best$-$case cash flows are projected to be $$22,000$ per year, and the worst$-$case cash flows are projected to be $-$$$1,500$ per year. The company's analysts have estimated that there is a $50\%$ probability that the project will generate the base$-$case cash flows. The analysts also think that there is a $25\%$ probability of the project generating the best$-$case cash flows and a $25\%$ probability of the project generating the worst$-$case cash flows.

What would be the expected net present value $($NPV$)$ of this project if the project's cost of capital is $14\%?$

$$ $$21,786$

$$20,697$

$$26,143$

$$25,054$