"As it should be."
The gray-suited executive opened another folder.
Documents were distributed.
I stepped back.
I wasn't supposed to examine them.
My job was to clear dishes and provide service.
I respected that.
But as I approached to remove an empty plate, Whitmore turned a document toward Mr. Lam.
The page lay openly on the table.
And there it was.
The heading.
Supplemental Disbursement Schedule — Revision 19.
My chest tightened.
I recognized the format immediately.
The same pale-blue watermark.
The same numbering.
The same revision title that had triggered my compliance alert.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
I looked away.
Then returned to the service station.
My hands trembled as I placed the plate down.
I told myself not to jump to conclusions.
Seeing the heading didn't establish the contents were unchanged.
Perhaps the disputed terms had been corrected.
Perhaps the final revision now reflected a proper approval.
But the possibility that the same document remained in use frightened me.
I glanced toward Mr. Lam.
He was reviewing the English-language pages.
His adviser beside him was checking a tablet.
Whitmore leaned forward.
"Everything is consistent with what our teams agreed."
Mr. Lam nodded.
Then asked a question about the modernization reserve.
I stopped moving.
Whitmore answered smoothly.
"Handled through the supplemental implementation structure."
Mr. Lam frowned slightly.
"With the same approval conditions?"
Whitmore smiled.
"Substantially."
That word.
Substantially.
I had seen it used in countless business meetings.
Sometimes it was harmless.
A way to avoid repeating detailed language everyone had already reviewed.
But sometimes it concealed differences the speaker hoped nobody would examine.
Mr. Lam looked toward his adviser.
They exchanged a few words in Cantonese.
The adviser answered cautiously.
I couldn't hear everything.
But I heard enough to understand they believed the forty-million-dollar reserve remained protected by the original approval requirements.
My pulse quickened.
Then Whitmore leaned back and said something that changed the atmosphere.
"Raymond, trust me. We've simplified the release process so nobody has to wait months for bureaucracy."
Mr. Lam didn't smile.
"I prefer clear controls."
Whitmore laughed.
"Of course. We all do."
He turned toward me.
And that was when he noticed I was listening.
His expression hardened.
"Can we get some privacy here?"
I stepped forward.
"Of course, sir. Is there anything else you need before I leave?"