Then requested copies of the communications.
A week later, one of her cybersecurity advisers identified an unusual download from the company's internal document system.
The download occurred at 1:18 in the morning.
It involved supplier lists, staff compensation summaries, and training materials.
The account belonged to a senior employee who claimed to have been asleep at the time.
An investigation began.
Access logs were preserved.
Permissions were reviewed.
The chairwoman asked for independent legal oversight.
And then she received a revised copy of the proposed hotel agreement.
A copy that did not match the version her lawyers were negotiating.
It contained an additional appendix.
The appendix expanded the hotel group's acquisition rights.
It also suggested that the restaurant company had already approved certain financial commitments.
No such approval had been granted.
The chairwoman demanded an explanation.
The chief financial officer claimed the document was only a working draft.
The commercial director said the appendix had been added for discussion.
The hotel group's representatives insisted nothing improper had occurred.
But the chairwoman noticed something troubling.
The unauthorized document was not stored with other drafts.
It appeared in a folder labeled for final execution.
And beside the approval line was a typed identification of the chairwoman, as though her signature were expected without any remaining negotiation.
Someone believed the agreement was close to being forced through.
The chairwoman wanted to know who.
And why.
She ordered a confidential review.
Then made an unusual decision.
She would work one evening as a member of the service team at the Manhattan flagship restaurant.
Not to trick ordinary employees.
Her own training included front-of-house service, and she regularly participated in operations. The restaurant manager and a designated independent adviser knew she would be present.
The purpose was to observe the proposed partner's executives interacting with the staff.
The hotel chairman was scheduled to host a private dinner.
He had requested the most prestigious dining room.
The best table.
A specialized menu.
And a server who could understand Japanese.
The chairwoman volunteered.
The manager looked startled.
"You're certain?"
She nodded.
"I speak Japanese."
"Of course, but—"
She smiled.
"But what?"
The manager hesitated.
"He doesn't know who you are."
"I know."
"He may be demanding."
"Then I'd like to understand what that means."
The manager looked uncomfortable.
The chairwoman studied him.
"Has he caused problems before?"
The man paused.
Then answered carefully.
"Some employees find him difficult."
"How difficult?"
He looked down.
"Very."
She nodded slowly.
"Then it's even more important."
That was how the evening began.
With a carefully arranged kimono.
A lacquer menu folder.
And a young woman entering a room where four wealthy businessmen believed they were about to negotiate the future of her company.