The lawyer hesitated.
“We received notice that the committee was examining certain signature issues.”
“When?”
“Earlier this week.”
The billionaire's voice rose.
“And nobody thought to tell me?”
The general counsel glanced toward the waitress.
“Chairman, this is not the place.”
The billionaire ignored him.
He slammed his hand against the table.
Several glasses rattled.
A serving spoon slid against the side of a ceramic bowl.
The restaurant owner appeared in the doorway.
“Is everything all right?”
The waitress turned toward her.
“Yes. We're discussing a misunderstanding.”
The billionaire pointed toward the waitress.
“This woman has inserted herself into a private business matter.”
The owner looked from one face to another.
Then she addressed the waitress.
“Would you like me to take over the table?”
The offer was calm and deliberate.
The waitress understood it immediately.
She was being given a choice.
She could leave the room without surrendering her dignity.
Or she could remain and finish the conversation she had not intended to begin.
She considered the faces around the table.
The nervous chief financial officer.
The worried general counsel.
The young executive who had stopped eating.
And the billionaire whose confidence had suddenly become anger.
Then she nodded.
“Yes. Please take over.”
The owner stepped into the room.
“Of course.”
The waitress collected the leather folder.
The billionaire spoke sharply.
“Wait.”
She stopped.
He looked at the card resting on the table.
“You think you can damage a company of this size and simply walk away?”
The waitress turned back.
“I haven't damaged your company.”
“Your allegations could destroy this acquisition.”
“If the transaction is sound, independent verification should strengthen it.”
The billionaire stared.
She continued.
“If the transaction cannot survive a truthful examination of its records, then I am not the problem.”
For the first time that evening, nobody even attempted to laugh.
The waitress bowed her head slightly.
“Enjoy the rest of your dinner.”
Then she walked out.
She had almost reached the end of the hallway when she heard a chair scrape violently against the floor.
The billionaire was shouting in Korean.
This time, he was no longer talking about the waitress.
He was demanding to know who had approved the disputed certification.
And the person he was questioning sounded terrified.
The waitress did not turn around.
She continued toward the staff room.