“That's why I wanted tonight's meeting.”
The billionaire looked back at her.
“Not to humiliate you,” she continued.
“Not to argue about whether I know Dutch.”
Her voice remained steady.
“I wanted to understand whether the people asking me to surrender my family's business had taken the time to understand what they were purchasing.”
The billionaire lowered his eyes.
For the first time, he seemed unable to find an answer that would make him appear powerful.
The billionaire's first instinct was to become angry.
He had spent decades in negotiation rooms, surrounded by people who knew his reputation and understood the financial power he represented.
He wasn't accustomed to having a young woman challenge him with documents prepared by his own side.
He certainly wasn't accustomed to discovering that his representatives had failed to explain important features of a deal he intended to announce publicly.
He leaned forward.
“You're presenting this as though my company is deliberately trying to deceive you.”
The young owner looked at him.
“I'm presenting the documents you've supplied.”
“That doesn't answer my question.”
She considered the wording.
“I don't know whether you personally intended to mislead me.”
The billionaire's expression softened slightly.
She continued.
“But I do know your latest proposal contains assumptions that don't match the available property records.”
He looked toward the developer.
The American man shifted in his chair.
The young owner continued.
“And I know your team has repeatedly dismissed requests for clarification.”
The billionaire adjusted his silver tie.
“These matters can be corrected.”
“Of course.”
“Then why are you making this so difficult?”
She paused.
Then asked, “Would you sign a forty-eight-million-dollar agreement without understanding what it obligated you to do?”
The billionaire stared.
“Obviously not.”
She nodded.
“Neither will I.”
The older financial adviser lowered his glasses.
For the first time that evening, he looked at her with unmistakable respect.
The billionaire turned toward him.
“You've been very quiet.”
The adviser met his gaze.
“I've been reviewing the documents.”
“Well?”
The adviser took a breath.
“The concerns deserve examination.”
The billionaire frowned.
“That's all?”
“The restaurant's ownership structure appears more complicated than our original presentation suggested.”
The developer interrupted.
“Only because she's deliberately making it complicated.”
The young owner looked at him.
“Did my family create these property agreements decades ago to interfere with a hotel project that hadn't yet been imagined?”
The developer's jaw tightened.
She continued.
“Or did your team simply underestimate the legal arrangements already in place?”
He stared.
The older adviser answered quietly.
“I suspect the latter.”
The billionaire looked toward the table.
He didn't like the direction of the conversation.