Richard offered her coffee.
She declined.
He sat opposite her and opened a folder.
“I understand you've reviewed the proposed consulting agreement.”
“I have.”
“And you have concerns.”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Hale believes there may be a misunderstanding.”
Naomi opened her notebook.
“Then perhaps we can clear it up.”
Richard gave a small smile.
“I appreciate your directness.”
He explained the company's needs.
The Shanghai investors were considering a substantial equity contribution to the waterfront project. They wanted additional reassurance about projected costs, the construction schedule, and the assumptions underlying the proposed financing.
Hale Urban Holdings wanted to present a coherent account of the project's financial position and respond to the investors' questions.
Naomi listened carefully.
“What exactly are you asking me to produce?” she asked.
“A written assessment of the materials provided to you, together with recommendations for presenting the project to the investors.”
“Would the assessment be independent?”
Richard paused.
“It would be prepared by you.”
“That wasn't my question.”
He looked down at the contract.
“I understand.”
Naomi waited.
Richard folded his hands.
“The company would retain the right to review the report before distribution.”
“Would that review be limited to correcting factual errors, protecting confidential information, and identifying material omissions?”
He considered the wording.
“Those would certainly be part of it.”
“And if the company disagreed with one of my conclusions?”
“We would discuss it.”
“Would you have the right to remove it without my agreement?”
Richard did not answer immediately.
That was answer enough.
Naomi closed the folder.
“Then I don't think I can accept the assignment.”
Richard leaned forward.
“Please don't make a decision before we've discussed the actual work.”
“I haven't. I'm deciding whether the proposed conditions allow me to do the work responsibly.”
He looked troubled.
“Mr. Hale is under pressure. The investment decision is approaching, and there are several moving parts.”
“I understand.”
“The project is important to the company.”
“I understand that too.”
“Then perhaps you can appreciate why we need control over how the information is presented.”
Naomi looked at him.
“Control over presentation is not the same as control over findings.”
Richard was quiet.
She continued.
“If the financial model is sound, an independent review should help demonstrate that. If it has weaknesses, identifying them now gives the company a chance to address them before the investors make a decision. Either outcome is useful.”
“Not all findings can be shared with every party.”
“I agree. Confidential information should be handled appropriately. But the intended recipients must receive an accurate assessment of the issues relevant to their decision.”
Richard glanced toward the glass wall.
For a moment, he seemed less like a senior executive and more like someone trying to choose between two difficult answers.
“May I ask why this matters so much to you?” he said.
Naomi hesitated.
She could have given him a general answer about professional ethics.
Instead, she decided to tell him a small part of the truth.
“Several years ago, I worked on an investment proposal where the public projections and the internal assumptions did not match. I raised the issue through the appropriate channels. The company treated the concern as a problem with my attitude rather than a problem with the model.”
Richard listened without interrupting.
“I left that job,” Naomi continued. “I don't want to repeat the same mistake by accepting responsibility for work I can't complete honestly.”
He looked at her for a long moment.
“I'm sorry that happened.”
“Thank you.”
“Was the issue ever resolved?”
Naomi's expression became guarded.
“I don't know the full outcome.”
It was true.
She knew the company had revised some of its documents after she left. She knew an internal review had taken place. She did not know whether the changes had addressed every concern.
Richard nodded slowly.
“I'll speak with Victor about your conditions.”
“Thank you.”
He stood.
“I can't promise you an answer today.”
“I wouldn't expect one.”
They shook hands.
As Naomi reached the door, Richard spoke again.
“Ms. Carter?”
She turned.
“Your questions are reasonable.”
She waited.
“But reasonable questions can become difficult inside a company when a decision has already been made.”
Naomi studied him.
“Then perhaps the decision should be examined.”
Richard did not answer.
She left the building with the uncomfortable feeling that he understood more than he had been willing to say.
At 6:32 that evening, Naomi received a message from an unfamiliar number.
You were right to ask about the reporting terms. Be careful about what you agree to.
She stared at it.
There was no signature.
She typed a response.
Who is this?
No answer came.
She waited several minutes, then tried calling the number.
The call went directly to voicemail.
She did not leave a message.
Instead, she saved a screenshot and returned to her apartment.
The warning could have come from anyone.
A concerned employee.
Someone who had overheard the discussion.
A person attempting to manipulate her.
She had no way to know.
Naomi placed her phone on the table and opened her laptop.
She reviewed her notes from the meeting.
Then she returned to the public financial disclosures.
She had no access to the company's private documents, and she was not going to pretend otherwise. But she could still examine the public record.
She searched for the financing amendment she had noticed earlier.
This time, she found a related filing.
It referred to a separate entity whose name appeared only once in the materials she had downloaded.
Meridian Harbor Infrastructure LLC.
Naomi wrote the name down.