Imani looked down.
She knew that phrase too.
Out of context.
It was often what people said when the precise wording had become inconvenient.
Walter turned toward the Japanese delegation.
“Gentlemen, let's take a short break.”
Hiroshi's face remained serious.
He spoke in Japanese.
「まず、法務担当者に確認してもらいましょう。」
First, let's have our legal counsel examine it.
The interpreter translated.
Walter nodded.
“Of course.”
Julian immediately objected.
“The lawyers have reviewed these documents.”
Hiroshi looked toward him.
“Then another review should not be a problem.”
For a moment, Julian seemed unable to answer.
Walter turned toward the restaurant manager, who had appeared near the door after hearing the raised voices.
“Where's our Japanese attorney?”
The manager hesitated.
“Ms. Morita arrived at the restaurant several minutes ago. She was asked to wait downstairs.”
Walter stared.
“Asked by whom?”
The manager looked toward Julian.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Walter said quietly, “Bring her up.”
Julian took a breath.
“Dad—”
“Now.”
The manager hurried away.
Imani stood beside the table, suddenly aware that everyone was looking at her.
She wanted to disappear.
She hadn't intended to become the center of a corporate dispute.
She hadn't expected a billionaire to place twenty-five thousand dollars in front of her.
And she certainly hadn't expected to identify a suspicious voting arrangement in a transaction involving hundreds of millions of dollars.
But there was something else she couldn't ignore.
The document's execution schedule contained a familiar name.
Eleanor Sterling.
Imani had seen that name in older public filings during her previous translation work.
She remembered reading that Walter's wife had died several years earlier.
Now the schedule appeared to carry her signature.
And the date printed beside it was only nine days old.
Imani stared toward the page.
For a moment, she wondered whether she was misunderstanding the context.
Perhaps the schedule reproduced an archival signature as an example.
Perhaps the document had been assembled from several older records.
Perhaps she was seeing a reference copy rather than an operative instrument.
But the page was labeled as a current certification.
And the wording described it as an authorization executed on the printed date.
Her stomach tightened.
She looked toward Walter.
Then toward Julian.
The younger man was speaking rapidly to Conrad Vale near the window.
They didn't appear to notice her.
Imani lowered her eyes.
She shouldn't make a formal accusation.
She wasn't qualified to determine whether the signature was genuine or legally operative.
But she couldn't ignore a material discrepancy.