Tanaka looked at her.
“Where did you study?”
Monique hesitated.
Whitfield cut in.
“This is ridiculous.”
Nakamura raised one hand.
“Let her answer.”
Monique looked at him.
“I studied international business at Northwestern.”
Whitfield's eyebrows rose.
“Northwestern?”
“Yes.”
“And you work here?”
“Currently.”
“Why?”
“Because I need the income.”
He stared.
“That's it?”
“That is enough.”
Tanaka asked, “Do you have experience with international agreements?”
Monique nodded.
“I worked for a consulting firm before my brother became ill.”
“What firm?”
She gave the name.
Tanaka's expression changed.
He recognized it.
“That company worked with Japanese manufacturers.”
“Yes.”
Nakamura leaned forward.
“What did you do?”
“Cross-border contract review. Translation. Regulatory coordination.”
Yuki Sato looked at her with new interest.
“How long?”
“Three years.”
Whitfield scoffed.
“And now you're serving steak.”
Monique looked at him.
“Tonight, yes.”
He shook his head.
“You expect us to believe you understand a $440 million acquisition because you worked at a consulting company?”
“No.”
“Then why are you speaking?”
“Because you asked.”
Silence.
That answer disarmed him.
Nakamura turned toward Tanaka.
“Section 14.”
Tanaka opened the folder.
He searched through the pages.
Then his eyes widened.
“This is different.”
Nakamura leaned closer.
“What?”
Tanaka pointed.
“The language.”
Monique stepped forward.
“May I?”
Tanaka handed her the document.
Whitfield moved immediately.
“Wait.”
Monique stopped.
Whitfield stared at the paper.
“You are not authorized to examine confidential documents.”
Monique handed it back.
“Then don't ask me to.”
Nakamura looked at Whitfield.
“Douglas.”
Whitfield's expression was hard.
“This is a private business transaction.”
“Yes.”
“And she's not involved.”
Nakamura replied calmly.
“She is now.”
Whitfield turned toward Monique.
“Do you understand what you're risking?”
Monique met his eyes.
“My job?”
“More than that.”
He stepped closer.
“You're interfering in a multimillion-dollar corporate transaction.”
“Four hundred and forty million.”
Whitfield stopped.
“You know the amount.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“It's been in the news.”
He looked at her suspiciously.
“You've been following this?”
“No.”
“Then how did you know?”
Monique glanced at the folder.
“Because you said it earlier.”
Whitfield looked toward Nakamura.
He seemed to realize something.
Monique had been listening.
Not gossiping.
Not snooping.
Listening.
Nakamura spoke.
“Monique, tell us what you noticed.”
She took a breath.
“The version you are holding appears to transfer broader intellectual property rights than the language discussed during negotiations.”
Tanaka nodded.
“Yes.”
“And the employee retention section is also different.”
Tanaka flipped pages.
“Yes.”
Yuki Sato looked at Whitfield.
“Why were these changes made?”
Whitfield answered immediately.
“Legal revisions.”
Nakamura said nothing.
Monique continued.
“The problem is that the changes aren't simply clarifications.”
Whitfield stared.
“What are they?”
“They alter control.”
Tanaka nodded.
“That is our concern.”
Whitfield's voice hardened.
“You're making assumptions.”
Monique looked at him.
“No.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“Reading.”
He laughed.
“From a waitress?”
Monique said nothing.
Nakamura looked at Whitfield.
“That word is becoming increasingly irrelevant.”
Whitfield ignored him.
He stepped toward Monique.
“You should leave.”
Daniel Brooks appeared in the doorway.
“Mr. Whitfield.”
Whitfield turned.
“This is a private room.”
“Yes.”
“Then why is your employee still here?”
Daniel looked at Monique.
Then at Nakamura.
Then at Whitfield.
“Because she was asked to stay.”
Whitfield's expression hardened.
“I am the client.”
Daniel remained calm.
“You are a client.”
“Then tell her to leave.”
Daniel shook his head.
“I can't do that.”
Whitfield stared at him.
“Do you know who I am?”
Daniel smiled faintly.
“Yes.”
“Then you understand the importance of this dinner.”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“And I also understand the importance of how we treat our employees.”
Whitfield laughed.
“This is absurd.”
Daniel didn't respond.
Nakamura stood.
“I agree with Mr. Brooks.”
Whitfield looked at him.
“You're taking this too far.”
“No.”
Nakamura closed the folder.
“You did.”
Whitfield's face tightened.
“Kenji.”
“You changed the agreement.”
“I did not personally change anything.”
“But your company did.”
Whitfield said nothing.
Nakamura continued.
“You expected us to sign tomorrow.”
“That was the plan.”
“Under language we did not approve.”
Whitfield's eyes narrowed.
“Your lawyers had the document.”
“They had a draft.”
“You had time to review it.”
“We did.”
“Then what is the issue?”
Nakamura looked at Monique.
“The issue is that your draft does not match the negotiated terms.”
Whitfield turned toward Monique.
“You caused this.”
She looked surprised.
“I didn't change your agreement.”
“You brought this to their attention.”
“I answered questions.”
“You listened to confidential information.”
“I didn't request it.”
“You knew about the clauses.”
“I recognized them.”
Whitfield's face darkened.
“How?”
Monique took a breath.
“Because I worked on similar agreements.”
Whitfield shook his head.
“This is unbelievable.”
Nakamura spoke quietly.
“Douglas.”
Whitfield turned.
“If you continue blaming the server, you will make this worse.”
Whitfield stared at him.
“Are you threatening me?”
“No.”
Nakamura's voice remained calm.
“I am warning you.”
The door opened.
Daniel returned with a printed document.
He handed it to Nakamura.
“We checked the printer records.”
Nakamura looked down.
“What is this?”
“Document history.”
Tanaka leaned over.
Daniel pointed.
“The revised agreement was printed at 4:17 this afternoon.”
Whitfield's face changed.
“By whom?”
Daniel looked at the record.
“Someone using Whitfield Dynamics' access code.”
Silence.
Whitfield reached for the paper.
Nakamura held it back.
“Don't.”
Whitfield stared.
“That's my company's code.”
“Exactly.”
Tanaka opened his laptop.
“I have the email.”