The nephew and CFO knew those meetings could expose their interests.
A sudden medical emergency would have disrupted them.
And the two men had discussed how the company might continue the development process if the chairman became unavailable.
The plan wasn't necessarily legally workable in every respect.
Corporate authority didn't simply disappear because a leader became ill.
But the investigators weren't examining whether the conspiracy was intelligent.
They were examining whether the participants had tried to carry it out.
The laboratory findings eventually established that the recovered substance was not an ordinary tea ingredient or an authorized addition.
Its properties were medically significant.
Depending on exposure and individual health circumstances, it could cause serious impairment and dangerous complications.
The investigators did not publicly release unnecessary technical details during the ongoing case.
But the findings made one thing unmistakable.
Naomi had interrupted a potentially life-threatening event.
When Daniel told her the confirmed result, she was standing near the restaurant's preparation counter.
For a moment, she couldn't speak.
Then she lowered herself into a chair.
Her hands were shaking.
She thought about the chairman raising the bowl.
The matcha nearing his lips.
And the split second when she decided to strike it away.
For days, she'd wondered whether she overreacted.
Whether she'd misunderstood the movement.
Whether an accusation from a frightened waitress would ever be taken seriously against the word of a billionaire's nephew.
Now the laboratory evidence confirmed that the tea had contained something dangerous.
Naomi covered her face.
Then began crying.
Mei sat beside her.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Finally, Naomi whispered.
"I almost waited."
Mei looked toward her.
Naomi continued.
"I almost let him drink it because I was afraid he'd fire me."
The older woman took her hand.
"But you didn't."
Naomi shook her head.
Tears slipped between her fingers.
"I was so scared."
Mei squeezed her hand.
"I know."
For a long moment, Naomi cried.
Not from pride.
From the terrifying realization of how close the evening had come to ending differently.
The billionaire requested a meeting with her.
Naomi refused at first.
She was exhausted by the attention.
She'd spent days answering questions, speaking with counsel, and trying to keep up with her regular work.
The idea of facing the man who publicly humiliated her made her anxious.
She didn't need another lecture about the antique bowl.
And she didn't want to become an accessory to a carefully managed public-relations apology.
But when Daniel explained that the chairman wanted to thank her personally, she reconsidered.
She agreed to meet at the restaurant during the afternoon, before service began.
Mei would be present.
The billionaire arrived without his usual entourage.
He wore a charcoal suit and carried no folder.