Their confident predictions.
Their repeated insistence that she should trust people with more experience than she possessed.
Finally, she said, "I want to meet him personally."
Her attorney frowned.
"Why?"
"Because everybody keeps telling me what a brilliant businessman he is."
She closed the folder.
"I'd like to see how he behaves when he thinks nobody important is watching."
The private dinner was arranged as a final preliminary meeting before the next round of negotiations.
The billionaire expected to dine with four American advisers and representatives associated with the proposed transaction.
He had been told that the restaurant's owner might join them later in the evening.
That was technically true.
The owner intended to attend.
But she also arranged to work briefly as a member of the service team.
She had done that many times before.
When the restaurant became unusually busy, she helped seat guests, carry dishes, clear tables, and coordinate service.
Most regular employees understood that she didn't consider herself above ordinary restaurant work.
Some thought it amusing that an owner worth several million dollars still checked glassware and occasionally cleaned tables.
She didn't find it unusual.
Her mother had taught her that every job inside a restaurant mattered.
If the dishwasher stopped working, service stopped.
If the kitchen porter failed to prepare ingredients, the chefs struggled.
If the servers were treated badly, guests noticed.
An excellent restaurant depended on people performing difficult work with care.
The owner's willingness to help was not a performance.
It was part of how she understood the business.
On the evening of the billionaire's dinner, however, her presence in uniform served another purpose.
She wanted to see how the prospective buyer treated someone he believed had no authority.
The restaurant's general manager was uncomfortable with the idea.
He was a tall Black American man in his early forties who had worked with the family for more than a decade.
He had managed the difficult transition after the founder's death and remained one of the owner's most trusted advisers.
When she explained her plan, he frowned.
"You don't have to do this."
"I know."
"He could recognize you."
"He might."
"And if he doesn't?"
She smiled slightly.