“You've been digging through my company's files?”
“Public records aren't your company's files.”
One of the businessmen at the table almost smiled.
Victor noticed.
His anger intensified.
“You think you're clever.”
“No.”
“You embarrassed me in front of my investors.”
“I answered the question you asked.”
Victor pointed toward the door.
“Leave.”
Naomi looked at Henry.
“I'll bring your dessert.”
Henry shook his head.
“No.”
He looked directly at Victor.
“I would like to speak with Ms. Carter.”
Victor's jaw tightened.
“She works for the restaurant.”
“Then perhaps we should move to another table.”
The restaurant manager, Daniel Brooks, had been watching from across the room.
He approached cautiously.
“Mr. Hale, is everything all right?”
Victor immediately turned on him.
“Your employee has interfered with my business meeting.”
Daniel glanced at Naomi.
“What happened?”
Victor opened his mouth.
Henry interrupted.
“Mr. Brooks, your employee saved me from making a very expensive mistake.”
Daniel looked confused.
Victor said:
“Don't listen to him.”
Henry continued.
“I would like a private room.”
Daniel nodded.
“Of course.”
Victor looked at Henry.
“Henry, this is ridiculous.”
Henry stood.
“No. What's ridiculous is that a woman working here knew more about the environmental risks of your project than you expected.”
The other two businessmen stood as well.
One of them spoke in Mandarin.
“I agree.”
Victor's face went pale.
“Sit down.”
Neither man did.
Henry turned to Naomi.
“Will you join us?”
Naomi hesitated.
She looked at Daniel.
He nodded.
“Go.”
The four businessmen walked toward the private dining room.
Naomi followed.
Victor remained standing alone.
For the first time that evening, nobody was listening to him.
Inside the private room, Henry closed the door.
“Tell me everything you know.”
Naomi sat down.
“I don't know everything.”
“Then tell me what you know.”
She opened her order pad.
Then, surprisingly, pulled a folded document from inside it.
Henry stared.
“You carry that while working?”
“I carry notes.”
She unfolded the document.
“These are the original flood-risk projections.”
Henry studied them.
“Where did you get this?”
“Public records.”
“This isn't the revised assessment.”
“No.”
Naomi pointed at a section.
“This is the original modeling.”
Henry's expression changed.
The other businessmen leaned closer.
Naomi explained.
“The development's projected flood exposure was originally considered substantial. Then the risk estimate changed after the developer adjusted the assumptions.”
“How?”
“They changed the baseline.”
Henry looked up.
“What does that mean?”
“They assumed future protective infrastructure would already exist.”
“But it doesn't.”
“Correct.”
“So they're presenting future mitigation as if it were current protection.”
“Yes.”
One of the businessmen spoke quietly.
“That is dangerous.”
“It could be.”
Henry stared at Naomi.
“Why haven't regulators caught this?”
Naomi smiled sadly.
“They may have.”
“What do you mean?”
“Sometimes regulators notice problems.”
“Then why would the project continue?”
“Because noticing something and stopping something are different.”
The room fell silent.
Henry looked down at the document.
Then he asked:
“Why are you a waitress?”
Naomi looked surprised.
“That isn't relevant.”
“It is to me.”
She hesitated.
“My father got sick.”
Henry nodded.
“I understand.”
“I needed flexibility.”
“And you never went back?”
Naomi looked at the floor.
“Life became complicated.”
Henry folded the document carefully.
Then he said:
“I don't think you belong behind a restaurant counter.”
Naomi smiled faintly.
“I've heard that before.”
This time, Henry didn't laugh.
He understood.
Because the irony was impossible to miss.
Victor had told Naomi she didn't belong at his table.
But she had spent years sitting outside rooms where decisions about people like her were being made.
Now one of those rooms had finally opened.
And she was walking through the door.
The following morning, Victor Hale woke up to a disaster.
His phone contained seventeen missed calls.
His chief financial officer had called six times.
His attorney had called three.
His project director had called twice.
Henry Lin had not called at all.
That was the worst sign.
Victor sat on the edge of his bed.
“What happened?”
His CFO, Martin Reed, answered immediately.
“Henry suspended the investment.”
Victor's stomach tightened.
“For how long?”
“He hasn't said.”
“Why?”
Martin hesitated.
“Because of the environmental issue.”
Victor stood.
“What environmental issue?”
“You know exactly what I'm talking about.”
Victor walked toward the window.
“You mean the nonsense that waitress was talking about?”
“Naomi Carter.”
Victor froze.
“How do you know her name?”
“Because I've been investigating her.”
Victor turned.
“What did you find?”
Martin was silent.
“Martin.”
“She isn't just a waitress.”
Victor felt a cold sensation in his chest.
“What does that mean?”
“She has a master's certificate in environmental engineering.”
Victor sat down.
“What?”
“She worked for Bayline Environmental Consulting for almost ten years.”
Victor's eyes narrowed.
“Why did she leave?”
“Family reasons.”
“That's it?”
“Apparently.”
Victor rubbed his forehead.
“Does she have any connection to the city?”
“Not directly.”
“Regulators?”
“No.”
“Media?”
“Not that we've found.”
“Then why are you worried?”
Martin hesitated.
“Because she was right.”
Victor stared at the phone.
“What?”
“The flood projections.”
Victor's jaw tightened.
“What about them?”
“The original model did show significantly higher risk.”
Victor said nothing.
Martin continued.
“And the revised model does rely on infrastructure that isn't currently operational.”
“That's standard modeling.”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“Victor, if Henry's lawyers investigate this and find that we've represented future mitigation as current protection, we could have a serious disclosure problem.”
Victor stood.
“Fix it.”
“I can't.”
“You're the CFO.”
“I can't fix an engineering report.”
Victor's voice hardened.
“Then find someone who can.”
Martin was silent.
Finally, he said:
“There's another problem.”
“What?”
“Naomi Carter submitted a public comment on the project eighteen months ago.”
Victor froze.
“What did she say?”
“She predicted the exact issue Henry raised last night.”
Victor stared at the wall.