Naomi watched him leave.
She thought the matter was over.
She was wrong.
The Call
At 10:47 the next morning, Naomi's manager called her into the office.
“Sit down.”
Naomi immediately knew something was wrong.
Her manager, Patricia Gomez, closed the door.
“Victor Hale called.”
Naomi nodded.
“I assumed he would.”
“He says you interfered with a private business meeting.”
“I answered questions.”
“He says you misrepresented yourself as a financial expert.”
Naomi blinked.
“I never claimed to be anything.”
Patricia sighed.
“He wants you removed from his account.”
“That is fine.”
Patricia looked uncomfortable.
“He also wants the restaurant to terminate your employment.”
Naomi went silent.
Six years.
Six years of shifts.
Six years of holidays.
Six years of birthdays missed because she was working.
Six years of knowing regular customers by name.
Now one wealthy man could erase it with a phone call.
Patricia lowered her voice.
“I don't agree with him.”
“But?”
“But he's an important client.”
Naomi smiled sadly.
“There it is.”
Patricia looked down.
“I am sorry.”
Naomi stood.
“Don't be.”
She removed her apron.
Patricia looked up.
“What are you doing?”
“Making your decision easier.”
Naomi placed the apron on the desk.
“I quit.”
Patricia's eyes widened.
“You don't have to.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Naomi—”
“I've spent six years letting people decide what I am because they thought they knew me.”
She picked up her bag.
“I don't want to do it anymore.”
She walked out.
She expected to feel fear.
Instead, she felt strangely light.
Outside, San Francisco was bright and cold.
She stood on the sidewalk.
Her phone rang.
Henry Lin.
Naomi answered.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Carter.”
“Yes?”
“I heard what happened.”
Naomi smiled faintly.
“News travels fast.”
“In investment circles, it does.”
There was a pause.
Then Henry said:
“I want to make you an offer.”
The Offer
Henry invited Naomi to a private office near the Embarcadero.
The office was smaller than she expected.
No marble lobby.
No unnecessary luxury.
Just bookshelves, large windows, and a conference table.
Henry was already there.
So were Daniel and Marcus.
Naomi sat.
Henry placed a folder in front of her.
“We are reconsidering the Hale project.”
Naomi opened it.
Inside were financial projections.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Tell us what you see.”
She studied the documents.
Thirty minutes passed.
Then an hour.
Naomi marked several pages.
Finally, she looked up.
“The project isn't bad.”
Henry smiled.
“That is not the answer I expected.”
“It isn't bad.”
She pointed to the numbers.
“But the structure is.”
Daniel leaned forward.
“Explain.”
Naomi did.
She identified five weaknesses.
Overly optimistic absorption assumptions.
Insufficient construction contingency.
Refinancing exposure.
Environmental uncertainty.
And excessive dependence on premium pricing.
Henry listened without interrupting.
When she finished, he asked:
“If you were investing your own money?”
“I wouldn't invest yet.”
“Why?”
“Because the project can work. But not under these terms.”
Henry smiled.
“That is exactly what we thought.”
He pushed another document toward her.
It was a consulting agreement.
Naomi looked at him.
“You want me to advise you?”
“Yes.”
“I just lost my restaurant job.”
Henry nodded.
“Then perhaps the timing is useful.”
Naomi laughed softly.
“I've never worked as an independent consultant.”
“You have been doing the work for free for years.”
Daniel smiled.
“Now we would like to pay you.”
Naomi looked at the contract.
Then at Henry.
“How much?”
Henry named a figure.
Naomi nearly dropped the pen.
It was more than she had earned in the restaurant in three years.
She signed.
Not because she wanted revenge.
Because for the first time, someone had seen what she could do.
Victor Strikes Back
Victor Hale did not like losing.
Especially not to someone he had ordered out of a restaurant.
Within days, rumors began circulating.
Naomi Carter was supposedly dishonest.
She had supposedly misrepresented her credentials.
She had supposedly manipulated investors.
The claims were vague.
But damaging.
Naomi's former coworkers were confused.
Patricia called her.
“Are you all right?”
“I've been better.”
“There are rumors.”
“I know.”
“Victor has been calling people.”
Naomi sighed.
“Of course he has.”
“What are you going to do?”
Naomi looked at the financial documents on her desk.
“Nothing.”
Patricia was surprised.