Richard was quiet.
She continued.
“If the financial model is sound, an independent review should help demonstrate that. If it has weaknesses, identifying them now gives the company a chance to address them before the investors make a decision. Either outcome is useful.”
“Not all findings can be shared with every party.”
“I agree. Confidential information should be handled appropriately. But the intended recipients must receive an accurate assessment of the issues relevant to their decision.”
Richard glanced toward the glass wall.
For a moment, he seemed less like a senior executive and more like someone trying to choose between two difficult answers.
“May I ask why this matters so much to you?” he said.
Naomi hesitated.
She could have given him a general answer about professional ethics.
Instead, she decided to tell him a small part of the truth.
“Several years ago, I worked on an investment proposal where the public projections and the internal assumptions did not match. I raised the issue through the appropriate channels. The company treated the concern as a problem with my attitude rather than a problem with the model.”
Richard listened without interrupting.
“I left that job,” Naomi continued. “I don't want to repeat the same mistake by accepting responsibility for work I can't complete honestly.”
He looked at her for a long moment.
“I'm sorry that happened.”
“Thank you.”
“Was the issue ever resolved?”
Naomi's expression became guarded.
“I don't know the full outcome.”
It was true.
She knew the company had revised some of its documents after she left. She knew an internal review had taken place. She did not know whether the changes had addressed every concern.
Richard nodded slowly.
“I'll speak with Victor about your conditions.”
“Thank you.”
He stood.
“I can't promise you an answer today.”
“I wouldn't expect one.”
They shook hands.
As Naomi reached the door, Richard spoke again.
“Ms. Carter?”
She turned.
“Your questions are reasonable.”
She waited.
“But reasonable questions can become difficult inside a company when a decision has already been made.”
Naomi studied him.
“Then perhaps the decision should be examined.”
Richard did not answer.
She left the building with the uncomfortable feeling that he understood more than he had been willing to say.
At 6:32 that evening, Naomi received a message from an unfamiliar number.
You were right to ask about the reporting terms. Be careful about what you agree to.
She stared at it.
There was no signature.
She typed a response.
Who is this?
No answer came.
She waited several minutes, then tried calling the number.
The call went directly to voicemail.
She did not leave a message.
Instead, she saved a screenshot and returned to her apartment.
The warning could have come from anyone.
A concerned employee.
Someone who had overheard the discussion.
A person attempting to manipulate her.
She had no way to know.
Naomi placed her phone on the table and opened her laptop.
She reviewed her notes from the meeting.
Then she returned to the public financial disclosures.
She had no access to the company's private documents, and she was not going to pretend otherwise. But she could still examine the public record.
She searched for the financing amendment she had noticed earlier.
This time, she found a related filing.
It referred to a separate entity whose name appeared only once in the materials she had downloaded.
Meridian Harbor Infrastructure LLC.
Naomi wrote the name down.
Then she searched for its relationship to the waterfront project.
The results were incomplete, but one public document connected the entity to a financing arrangement involving infrastructure costs.
Another document referred to a guarantee that would become effective if certain milestones were not achieved by a specified date.
Naomi leaned closer to the screen.
The date was less than three weeks away.
She checked the project announcement again.
It described the financing as secure.
She looked at the guarantee document.
Then she opened a new note.
Potential discrepancy between public description of funding status and conditions attached to infrastructure financing. Requires underlying documents and qualified legal/financial review. Do not draw conclusions yet.
She saved the note.
For several minutes, she sat perfectly still.
She had come to the meeting hoping to determine whether Victor's behavior was merely difficult or whether it reflected a more serious reluctance to permit scrutiny.
She had not expected to find another question.
Now she had two.
And both appeared to be connected to a deadline that was approaching far too quickly.
The Dinner That Changed EverythingThe invitation arrived on Wednesday morning.
It was delivered to Silver Pines in a cream envelope bearing the logo of Hale Urban Holdings.
Daniel handed it to Naomi during the quiet period between breakfast and lunch.
“Looks official,” he said.
Naomi opened it.
Inside was a printed invitation to a private dinner at a downtown hotel. The event was scheduled for Friday evening and would include Victor Hale, representatives of the Shanghai investment group, several executives from Hale Urban Holdings, and invited financial advisers.
A handwritten note appeared at the bottom.
Ms. Carter,
I hope you will join us. We have made progress on the terms you raised. I believe your perspective could be valuable.
Victor
Naomi read it twice.
Daniel leaned against the counter.
“Is he trying to hire you again?”
“Apparently.”
“Are you going?”
“I don't know.”
Daniel folded his arms.
“You've been thinking about this project for days.”
“I know.”
“And you keep telling me you don't want anything to do with it.”
“I haven't said that.”
“You said you don't want to work for Victor Hale.”
“That is different.”
Daniel considered this.
“Fair point.”
Naomi looked at the invitation.
She wanted to know what was happening with the financing. She wanted to understand why Richard Cole had looked so troubled during their meeting. She wanted to determine whether the company had corrected the questions she had raised.
But attending the dinner could be interpreted as accepting an advisory role she had not agreed to.
She called Richard Cole.
He answered after two rings.
“Ms. Carter. Good morning.”
“I received an invitation to Friday's dinner.”
“Yes. I asked for it to be sent.”
“Does that mean the reporting conditions have changed?”
“We've revised the draft.”
“May I see it before deciding whether to attend?”
“Of course. I'll send it this afternoon.”
Naomi paused.
“Mr. Cole, I want to be clear that I'm not accepting a consulting engagement simply by attending dinner.”