She didn't need another outfit to become entitled to speak.
Then she returned to the table and sat in the empty chair Wei indicated beside him.
Victor watched her.
His expression showed a mixture of anger, confusion, and embarrassment.
The waitress he'd threatened to fire was now seated as an authorized representative in a discussion that could determine the acquisition's future.
And several of his own advisers appeared to take her more seriously than they took him.
Margaret opened the formal notice.
"The independent review has identified substantial questions about the purported waiver's execution and provenance."
Victor looked toward her.
"How substantial?"
"Substantial enough that the committee advises the parties not to rely on it for the proposed transfer."
Elliot shifted.
For several seconds, he stared at his plate.
Victor noticed.
"Elliot."
The CFO looked up.
"Yes?"
"Where did this waiver come from?"
Elliot swallowed.
"The due-diligence repository."
"Who supplied it?"
"We need to reconstruct the chain."
Margaret interrupted.
"That reconstruction is already underway."
Victor turned toward her.
"And?"
She looked directly at Elliot.
"The file's source history points to material entered through the financial transaction team."
For a moment, Elliot seemed unable to breathe.
Then he said, "That doesn't establish wrongdoing."
Margaret nodded.
"Not by itself."
Nia watched them.
She understood the distinction.
A suspicious document was evidence requiring examination.
It wasn't permission to accuse everyone at the table of a crime.
But she also knew that the transaction couldn't responsibly proceed as though the disputed signature were unquestionably valid.
Wei looked toward Victor.
"The board needs a complete account before any further commitment involving those assets."
Victor leaned forward.
"Do you have any idea how much delay this could cause?"
Wei's expression hardened.
"Yes."
He paused.
"Do you have any idea what relying on a fabricated consent could cost?"
Victor stared at him.
The elderly chairman didn't look away.
The conversation became increasingly tense.
Victor argued that the deal's overall economic value shouldn't be jeopardized by one disputed document.
Margaret agreed that the transaction might still be possible through a different lawful structure.
But the projected intellectual-property transfer couldn't simply be assumed.
The terms would require reconsideration.
And the independent directors needed accurate information before recommending the acquisition.
Nia listened.
Then asked a question.
"Has anyone evaluated what happens to the employee-benefit arrangements under the proposed integration?"
Victor looked irritated.
"That's a separate issue."
"Not entirely."
He frowned.
Nia continued.
"The licensing projections depend on transferring assets away from the structure that helps support those obligations. I'd like to see an analysis of how the combined company intends to fulfill them."