A junior analyst apologized repeatedly when a printer malfunctioned, even though the problem was ordinary and easily corrected.
A department assistant warned Naomi never to interrupt Graham during calls.
And a senior executive's secretary joked that the billionaire considered every second of his time more valuable than most people's monthly salaries.
Naomi listened.
She had been around wealthy men before.
But there was a particular atmosphere here.
People weren't merely trying to perform well.
They were trying not to attract attention.
During her second week, Naomi overheard an argument in a conference room while preparing the adjoining hospitality station.
She couldn't see the speakers.
She wasn't trying to listen.
But the voices carried through the partly open door.
One belonged to Daniel Mercer.
The other belonged to a younger woman.
“It's not enough to say the founder's approval carries forward,” the woman insisted.
Daniel answered sharply.
“We've addressed that.”
“No, you've assumed it.”
A pause followed.
Then Daniel spoke in a lower voice.
“The board needs a clean certificate.”
The woman sounded frustrated.
“A clean certificate requires valid authority.”
Naomi stopped arranging the coffee cups.
For a moment, her heart accelerated.
Founder approval.
Certificate.
Valid authority.
The words matched the questions Miriam had been asking about Samuel's trust.
Naomi forced herself to continue working.
She didn't enter the room.
Didn't attempt to retrieve private documents.
And didn't pretend her position entitled her to confidential information.
But later that afternoon, she called Miriam and described what she'd overheard.
The attorney listened carefully.
Then warned her.
“Do not use your job to obtain documents you're not authorized to access.”
Naomi nodded.
“I understand.”
Miriam continued.
“If you encounter information in the ordinary course of your work, make a careful record of your own observations. But don't search offices, copy confidential files, or put yourself at risk.”
Naomi looked toward the city outside the agency break-room window.
“What if they're about to do something unlawful?”
“Then we use lawful channels to raise the concern.”
For several seconds, Naomi remained quiet.
Then whispered.
“What if those channels have been blocked?”
Miriam took a breath.
“Then we document the blockage and seek an appropriate remedy. We don't create another problem by crossing boundaries ourselves.”
Naomi closed her eyes.
Her father had written something similar.
Don't trust anyone who tells you a signature is enough when the surrounding authority hasn't been established.
She was beginning to understand how difficult that principle could become when powerful people controlled the information.