Then the English version.
His face went pale.
“How much?” Mr. Shu asked.
The attorney swallowed.
“Twenty million dollars.”
Nobody moved.
Gerald stood.
“That cannot be right.”
Mr. Shu looked at him.
“Then explain it.”
Gerald immediately blamed the lawyers.
He said there had probably been a translation error.
Mr. Shu shook his head.
“Two translation errors.”
He looked toward the attorney.
“Both benefiting Mr. Covington's side.”
The room became very quiet.
Whitney stared at the document.
Something about the pattern bothered her.
She read the section again.
Then she noticed a name.
Victor Hale.
She looked up.
“Who is Victor Hale?”
Gerald's expression changed instantly.
It was almost imperceptible.
But Whitney saw it.
His eyes moved.
His jaw tightened.
His fingers curled against the edge of the table.
“An outside consultant,” he said.
Whitney shook her head.
“No.”
Gerald frowned.
“No?”
“The Chinese text identifies him as an authorized representative.”
Gerald went pale.
Mr. Shu slowly turned toward him.
“Authorized representative?”
Gerald said nothing.
And Whitney suddenly realized the hundred-thousand-dollar bet was no longer the most important thing happening at table twelve.
The Contract
Daniel finally approached the table.
“Mr. Covington, is everything all right?”
Gerald snapped,
“No.”
Daniel looked nervous.
Whitney could see exactly what he wanted.
He wanted the situation to disappear.
He wanted Gerald to be happy.
He wanted Whitney to step away.
But Mr. Shu spoke first.
“Your waitress has discovered something very serious.”
Daniel looked at Whitney.
“What?”
Whitney hesitated.
“I found discrepancies between the Chinese and English versions of the agreement.”
Daniel stared at her.
Then at Gerald.
Then at the lawyers.
Gerald interrupted.
“This is a misunderstanding.”
Mr. Shu shook his head.
“No.”
His voice was calm.
“That is what we need to determine.”
Gerald sat down again.
The confidence he had carried into the restaurant was fading.
Whitney remained standing.
She had no intention of interfering in something beyond her job.
But she also couldn't ignore what she had seen.
Her grandmother had taught her that.
If you know someone is walking toward a hole, you don't stay silent simply because it isn't your responsibility.
Mr. Shu's attorney examined the contract again.
Then he looked at Gerald.
“Victor Hale is listed here as an authorized representative with authority to negotiate certain portions of the agreement.”
Gerald shook his head.
“He was assisting us.”
“That is not what the document says.”
Gerald looked at Whitney.
“You're making a lot of assumptions.”
Whitney met his gaze.
“I am reading what is written.”
Mr. Shu leaned back.
“Continue.”
Whitney looked at the agreement.
She pointed toward another section.
“This paragraph references a separate corporate entity.”
The lawyer nodded.
“Yes.”
“The English version identifies it as a subsidiary.”
“And?”
“The Chinese version describes it differently.”
“How?”
Whitney paused.
“It creates a relationship that is broader than a normal subsidiary relationship.”
The attorney leaned closer.
“What kind of relationship?”
Whitney explained.
“If interpreted literally, it could indicate that the entity is being used as an operating arm rather than simply an affiliated company.”
Mr. Shu looked at Gerald.
Gerald said nothing.
One of his business associates opened his laptop.
He began searching corporate records.
Minutes passed.
Then he looked up.
“We have a company with that name.”
Gerald's face tightened.
“Of course you do.”
“It was incorporated recently.”
Gerald said nothing.
Mr. Shu's voice became colder.
“When?”
The associate answered.
“Three months ago.”
Mr. Shu looked at the contract.
Then at Gerald.
Then at Whitney.
“Why was this company not disclosed?”
Gerald finally spoke.
“Because it was irrelevant.”
Whitney shook her head.
“No.”
Everyone looked at her.
Gerald's eyes narrowed.
Whitney pointed to the clause.
“It isn't irrelevant if this company falls under the restrictions described here.”
The attorney checked.
He slowly nodded.
“She is right.”
Gerald stood again.
“This is ridiculous.”
Mr. Shu didn't raise his voice.
“Sit down.”
Gerald froze.
It was the first time someone had spoken to him that way all evening.
He slowly sat.
His wife, Lillian, looked increasingly uncomfortable.
She had watched her husband bully the waitress.
She had watched him make the bet.
She had watched Whitney prove him wrong.
And now she was watching something much more serious unfold.
“Gerald,” she whispered.
He didn't look at her.
The attorney continued reviewing the agreement.
Then he found something else.
A payment reference.
It connected Victor Hale to a consulting company.
The consulting company was indirectly connected to one of Gerald's businesses.
The room fell silent.
Mr. Shu asked,
“How much money has already been transferred?”
Gerald's face hardened.
“I don't know.”
His attorney looked at him.
“You should.”
“I said I don't know.”
Whitney stepped back.
This was no longer about her.
She had done what she could.
She turned toward Daniel.
“I should get back to work.”
But Mr. Shu stopped her.
“Miss Sawyer.”
Whitney turned.