“They suspended you.”
Elena nodded.
Nadia closed her eyes.
“Oh, Elena.”
For a moment, Elena tried to smile.
Then the tears came.
Not many.
She was too exhausted even to cry properly.
Nadia stepped forward and hugged her.
“They're wrong.”
Elena shook her head.
“I should've stayed quiet.”
Nadia drew back.
“No.”
She looked directly into her friend's eyes.
“You didn't insult him. You didn't break anything. You answered the question he asked.”
Elena swallowed.
“But now I can't pay my rent.”
Nadia's expression softened.
“We'll figure something out.”
Elena shook her head.
“You don't understand.”
Nadia squeezed her hands.
“I understand enough.”
For several seconds, they stood together in the narrow staff corridor.
Then Nadia whispered something Elena would remember for years.
“You spent your whole life learning things men like him assume you don't know. Don't let one angry millionaire convince you that speaking was the mistake.”
Elena nodded.
She wanted to believe her.
But when she stepped outside the restaurant, the cold Paris air struck her face, and the practical consequences of the evening returned.
She had lost her shifts.
She had no guarantee Antoine would honor his wager.
And a powerful business executive now knew she was connected with a research assessment his company considered threatening.
Her phone vibrated.
A message from Professor Ibarra.
Elena. Call me as soon as you can. Something has happened with the project review.
Elena stared.
Then another message arrived.
This one was from an unfamiliar number.
Miss Marković, this is Inés Valcárcel. We need to speak before tomorrow's investor meeting. Please do not sign anything Mr. Delcourt's representatives send you without obtaining independent advice.
Elena felt her pulse quicken.
For a moment, she stood motionless beneath the restaurant awning.
Then she looked toward the Eiffel Tower across the river.
Only an hour earlier, she'd been a waitress trying to complete a difficult shift.
Now a Spanish investor was warning her about legal documents she hadn't even seen.
And when she opened her email, she discovered why.
A message from the Delcourt Group's legal department was waiting.
Its subject line read:
Urgent: Unauthorized Disclosure of Confidential Business Information.
Elena's heart began pounding.
The message accused her of improperly discussing private investment matters during the dinner and demanded that she cease communicating about the company's proposed expansion.
It also referred to possible legal action if she disclosed protected information.