“Your role tonight is to facilitate communication.”
“My role tonight is whatever we agreed to before I accepted it. I have not accepted the consulting contract.”
Victor stared at her.
He had expected the invitation, the formal setting, and the presence of senior executives to create pressure she would be reluctant to resist.
Instead, she was calmly reminding him that no agreement existed.
Henry Lin spoke before Victor could respond.
“Mr. Hale, I believe this is an important distinction.”
Victor turned toward him.
“Of course. But we are here to discuss the project, not the employment status of a potential consultant.”
“Then let us discuss the project.”
Henry opened a thin folder he had brought to dinner.
He removed a document and placed it on the table.
“This is the financing amendment we received last week.”
Victor glanced at it.
“Yes.”
“We were told it did not materially change the project's risk profile.”
“That is correct.”
Henry turned the document toward Richard.
“Mr. Cole, is that your understanding?”
Richard hesitated.
“I would need to review the exact language before answering.”
“You signed the internal approval memorandum,” Henry said.
The room became very still.
Victor's eyes moved toward Richard.
Richard looked at the document.
“Yes,” he said. “I did.”
“Then you are familiar with it.”
“Yes.”
“Does the amendment change the conditions under which the infrastructure guarantee becomes effective?”
Richard drew a breath.
“The amendment changes certain timing provisions.”
“Does it affect the guarantee?”
Richard looked at Victor.
Victor's voice sharpened.
“Richard, I think we're getting ahead of ourselves.”
Henry folded his hands.
“I would appreciate a direct answer.”
Richard stared at the document for several seconds.
Then he said, “Yes. It affects the timing and the conditions associated with the guarantee.”
Michael Zhou sat back.
David Chen looked down at his notes.
Victor's face became rigid.
“That is a technical distinction,” he said. “It does not change the fundamental strength of the project.”
“Perhaps,” Henry replied. “But it changes what we need to understand before investing.”
He turned to Naomi.
“Ms. Carter, would you be willing to review the amendment and explain its implications, provided you had access to the relevant documents?”
Naomi looked at Richard.
He gave her a small nod.
She turned back to Henry.
“Yes. I would be willing to review it, provided the scope of the work is clear and the findings can be communicated accurately to the people who need them.”
Henry nodded.
“Then I believe we may have a basis for an agreement.”
Victor's expression suggested he had swallowed something bitter.
He lifted his wineglass.
“Excellent. I think we've made progress.”
But Naomi could see that he was no longer thinking about progress.
He was thinking about control.
And for the first time, she suspected that the most important question at the table was not whether the project would succeed.
It was whether Victor Hale had been telling everyone the same story.
The Question Behind the Numbers
The dinner did not end with a toast.
It ended with a list of documents.
Henry Lin asked for the latest financial model, the complete infrastructure agreement, the amended guarantee, the environmental remediation estimate, and the internal memorandum explaining the change in financing conditions.
Victor agreed to provide them.
He did so with the confidence of a man who believed that agreeing to a request was the same as satisfying it.
Naomi knew better.
Documents could be incomplete.
Explanations could be carefully worded.
A report could be technically accurate while leaving out the fact that mattered most.
Still, the investors' request represented a significant change.
They were no longer willing to rely solely on Victor's presentation.
They wanted evidence.
As the guests stood and gathered their belongings, Henry approached Naomi.
“May I speak with you for a moment?”
“Certainly.”
He led her a short distance away from the table, where the other guests could not easily hear them.
“I want to thank you for your honesty.”
“I haven't done very much.”
“You have done something important. You have been careful not to claim knowledge you do not possess.”
Naomi nodded.
“That is the minimum standard I would expect of anyone conducting a review.”
“Unfortunately, it is not always the standard people follow.”
She glanced toward Victor.
He was speaking quietly with Richard, his expression controlled but his posture tense.
Henry followed her gaze.
“Mr. Hale is a persuasive man,” he said. “He understands how to make a complicated opportunity sound simple.”
“Is that why you are concerned?”
“Partly. We are considering a substantial investment. We do not expect a project to be free of risk. We expect the risks to be disclosed honestly.”
Naomi understood.
Investors did not need every project to be perfect.
They needed to know what they were buying.
“What happens if the documents reveal a problem?” she asked.
“We assess the problem. We determine whether it can be corrected, whether the price or terms should change, or whether we should withdraw.”
“And if the project is fundamentally sound?”
“Then a review should help us proceed with greater confidence.”
Henry looked at her.
“Would you accept the assignment if the reporting conditions were resolved?”
Naomi considered the question.
“Yes, if I have access to the relevant materials and can report my findings accurately.”
“Even if your findings are unfavorable?”
“Especially then.”
Henry smiled faintly.
“That is what I hoped you would say.”
He handed her a business card.
“Please contact me if the arrangements become difficult.”
Naomi accepted the card but did not promise anything.
“I will keep that in mind.”