“Then please explain which finding is incorrect.”
He did not answer.
Instead, he said, “We need to discuss your role.”
“I agree.”
“Come to my office tomorrow morning.”
“I can attend at nine.”
“Good.”
He ended the call.
Naomi sat quietly for several seconds.
She had expected resistance.
She had expected Victor to dislike an unfavorable report.
But she had also expected him to identify a specific factual error if he believed the report was wrong.
He had not done that.
Instead, he had focused on who received the report and how its existence might affect the project.
Naomi wrote a final note in her private log.
Victor objects to distribution of preliminary findings but has not identified a factual error. Continue review. Preserve all work and correspondence. Avoid assumptions about intent.
Then she saved the document in two secure locations.
She had learned from experience that a record was most useful when it was created before anyone knew how important it might become.
At 8:52 the following morning, Naomi arrived at Victor Hale's office.
His assistant escorted her into a conference room.
Victor was already there.
A printed copy of her report lay in front of him, covered with handwritten notes.
He did not invite her to sit.
“Do you realize what you've done?”
Naomi remained calm.
“I submitted the preliminary findings required under our agreement.”
“You've made this project look unstable.”
“The report identifies unresolved risks.”
“You've created doubt among investors who were already nervous.”
“They asked for an accurate assessment.”
“They asked for reassurance.”
Naomi stared at him.
“Those are not the same thing.”
Victor's face hardened.
“You think you're the only person in this company who cares about accuracy?”
“No.”
“Then stop behaving as though you've discovered something everyone else is too stupid to see.”
“I haven't said that.”
“You've implied it.”
“Where?”
He lifted the report.
“Everywhere. You point out a discrepancy, and suddenly the entire project is under suspicion.”
Naomi took a breath.
“Mr. Hale, the report does not say the entire project is unsound. It says that certain assumptions need to be verified before the investors rely on them.”
“And what happens if the review confirms the assumptions?”
“Then the company can present the corrected model with greater confidence.”
“And if it doesn't?”
“Then the company can address the problem before it becomes more expensive.”
Victor threw the report onto the table.
“You have no idea what this is costing us.”
Naomi looked at the pages.
“I know the project could cost investors hundreds of millions of dollars. That's why the assumptions matter.”
He stared at her.
For a moment, his anger seemed to give way to something closer to fear.
Then it vanished.
“You are not an auditor. You are not a regulator. You are a consultant I hired to help us communicate with investors.”
“I am a consultant you hired to review specific financial and communication risks.”
“You are exceeding the spirit of the engagement.”
“The agreement explicitly permits me to identify material concerns.”
“Legal language can be interpreted in different ways.”
“Then we should ask the lawyers to interpret it.”
Victor's eyes narrowed.
“You always have an answer.”
“No,” Naomi said quietly. “I have questions. The answers are in the documents.”
He walked to the window.
For several seconds, he looked out over the city.
When he spoke again, his voice was lower.
“Do you know how many jobs depend on this project?”
Naomi did not answer immediately.
“Hundreds during construction,” he continued. “Thousands indirectly. The city has spent years trying to revitalize that waterfront. The investors are considering a major commitment. If this deal collapses, people will lose opportunities.”
“I understand.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
Naomi stood still.
“Because if the project depends on investors misunderstanding the risks, it shouldn't proceed on those terms.”
Victor turned sharply.
“That is not what is happening.”
“Then let's establish what is happening.”
He stared at her.
The room seemed smaller than it had when she entered.
Naomi knew she was standing at a turning point.
She could soften the report. She could revise the language, emphasize the project's strengths, and describe the unresolved issues as minor administrative matters.
She could protect the consulting fee.
She could perhaps earn a longer contract.
She could return to a professional office, rebuild her résumé, and tell herself that she had finally found a way back.
All she had to do was make the questions sound less important than they were.
She thought of the company in Shanghai.
She thought of the emails she had raised through the proper channels, the meetings that had been canceled, and the way her concerns had gradually been transformed into a criticism of her personality.
She had promised herself she would not repeat that experience.
“I will correct any factual error in the report,” she said. “I will clarify any wording that overstates a risk. I will also acknowledge evidence that supports the project. But I will not remove a material finding simply because it makes the project less attractive.”
Victor's face became unreadable.
“Then perhaps this engagement is not a good fit.”
“Perhaps it isn't.”
He seemed surprised by the answer.
He had expected her to negotiate.
To plead.
To remind him that she needed the money.
Instead, she had accepted the possibility that the job might end.
Victor looked at her for a long moment.
Then he said, “You should go.”
Naomi collected her folder.
At the door, she turned.
“One more thing, Mr. Hale.”
He looked up.