Yet every few minutes, Richard found himself looking toward the corner table.
He could see the older woman, the empty chair opposite her, and the brown handbag resting beside her.
He could see the restaurant manager occasionally checking on her.
And he could see that the staff were careful not to disturb her.
The behavior offended him because he could not explain it.
Richard had always believed that information created leverage. If he understood why Eleanor had been given special treatment, he could decide whether to challenge it, ignore it, or use it to strengthen his own position.
Not knowing made him feel powerless.
He hated feeling powerless.
"Excuse me," he said to Michael, interrupting a discussion about financing.
Michael stopped speaking.
"What now?"
Richard ignored the tone.
"I need to make a call."
"We're in the middle of a meeting."
"It will take a minute."
Gregory leaned back.
"Then make it after dinner."
Richard gave him a cold look.
"I'll be right back."
He stood and walked toward the entrance, where the noise of the dining room would not carry as easily.
His assistant answered on the second ring.
"Good evening, Mr. Halston."
"Jessica, I need you to find out something for me."
"Of course."
"The name is Eleanor Grant. I want to know who she is, what companies she owns, and whether she has any connection to the Grand Aurelia."
There was a brief pause.
"Is this related to the Riverside investors?"
"No."
"Should I prioritize it?"
"Immediately."
"Understood."
Richard ended the call.
He looked back through the glass doors toward the dining room.
Eleanor was speaking to Daniel again.
The waiter had brought her a small plate containing two plain biscuits. She thanked him and asked whether the kitchen had managed to accommodate a request from another table.
Daniel appeared surprised.
Then he smiled and told her the kitchen had found a solution.
Richard shook his head.
He could not understand the woman's interest in everyone around her.
Most wealthy people he knew were selective about where they placed their attention. They cultivated relationships that could produce opportunities. They remembered names when the names belonged to influential people.
Eleanor seemed to remember people who could do nothing for her.
He returned to his table.
"Everything all right?" Gregory asked.
"Fine."
"Your assistant?"
Richard's eyes narrowed.
"How did you know?"
"Because you leave meetings whenever something bothers you, and you make phone calls whenever you think you can solve it without asking anyone else."
Michael gave a quiet laugh.
Richard did not.
"Can we return to Riverside?"
"Certainly," Michael said. "But before we do, I want to clarify something."
"What?"
"If our investment committee approves the proposal, who will have final authority over the residential phase?"
"Halston Capital will manage the development."
"That isn't what I asked."
Richard rested his hands on the table.
"The management structure is described in the proposal."
"I've read it. I want to know who can override a decision if the management team begins acting against the interests of the investors."
"That would depend on the decision."
Michael studied him.
"And if the decision were to ignore a contractual obligation because someone believed they knew better?"
Richard's expression cooled.
"We're discussing a hypothetical situation."
"Of course."
Michael returned to his meal.
Richard looked toward Table Twelve again.
For the first time, he wondered whether Michael was deliberately connecting their conversation to the earlier confrontation.
He dismissed the possibility.
He had more important concerns than a disagreement about seating.
At least, he told himself he did.
In the private room, Thomas Reed opened the black folder again.
Martin Shaw sat opposite him, looking at the papers spread across the table.
The documents were older than most of the restaurant's current staff. Their pages had yellowed slightly at the edges, and the signatures had faded from black to brown.
Thomas handled them carefully.
"These are the original articles of the operating company," he explained. "This is the founding agreement. And this is the document establishing the Grant Hospitality Trust."
Martin leaned forward.
"I've seen copies of some of these."
"Have you seen the amendments?"
"No."
"That's what I expected."
Thomas placed one document beside another.
"The restaurant changed ownership structures over the years. New investors came in. Some shares were transferred. Certain operational responsibilities were delegated. None of that was unusual."
"So what is unusual?"
Thomas pointed to a paragraph near the bottom of the page.
"This clause."
Martin read it twice.
The language was formal, but its meaning was clear enough.
The founding trust retained specific oversight rights related to the restaurant's identity, guest policies, staff welfare, and use of the Grand Aurelia name. The trust could request an independent review if there were credible concerns that the business had departed from its founding principles.
Martin looked up.
"I didn't know this existed."
"That is not uncommon. The restaurant's day-to-day management has changed several times. Some of the original governance documents were transferred to outside counsel. The people responsible for operations were not always given the complete file."