"She told me she'd rather spend the money replacing an old compressor."
For several seconds, they looked at the photograph.
Then he became quiet.
"I don't want to romanticize her. She could be stubborn and difficult."
Nia smiled.
"She definitely could."
"But when she was right about a technical risk, she wouldn't let people ignore it."
Nia nodded.
Wei placed one hand over the disputed waiver.
"Now it's our responsibility to find out whether someone ignored her again."
The independent review began quietly.
An outside law firm was appointed to examine the consent question on behalf of the relevant governance body. The firm's lawyers requested document histories, execution records, communications, and verification of the purported signature.
They also sought authorization to review the medical evidence necessary to evaluate whether Lorraine could have signed the waiver on the date shown.
Nia provided relevant records through counsel.
The lawyers didn't ask her to publish private medical information.
They arranged a limited, confidential review.
The hospital documentation established that Lorraine had been unconscious during the period when the waiver was supposedly executed.
A separate examination of the document raised further concerns about its origin and the source of the signature image.
The findings weren't immediately conclusive on every point.
But they were serious enough that the independent lawyers advised against relying on the waiver without additional verification.
Then the review identified a second problem.
The disputed consent had been entered into Asterion's acquisition file months after Lorraine died.
The record wasn't a contemporaneous document stored in Jade Passage's original archive.
It appeared to have been introduced during the later due-diligence process.
And the person responsible for providing it was associated with Asterion's financial team.
Nia's attorney called her that evening.
"We found a significant discrepancy."
She sat on the edge of her bed.
"What kind?"
He explained what the reviewers had established so far.
Nia felt her stomach tighten.
"Does that mean someone made it up?"
"We're not at that conclusion yet. But the provenance raises serious concerns."
She nodded.
Then asked who had supplied the document.
Her lawyer paused.
"The available records point toward a person working under Elliot Voss."
Nia stared at the wall.
Elliot was Victor Liang's chief financial officer.
And for the first time, she began wondering whether the questionable waiver was more than a careless error.
While the lawyers examined the waiver, Nia continued working at the restaurant.
Most customers knew nothing about the dispute. They came for carefully prepared food, private celebrations, and the quiet luxury that made a long dinner feel separate from the restless city outside.