"Surely you're not going to let this affect our discussion."
"Our discussion ended last week," he said. "We stopped to tell you that respectfully. I don't think there's anything more to say."
They left without taking the final meeting that Victoria had hoped would change their minds. For a moment she stood alone, annoyed that both men had reacted so strongly to what she considered a necessary boundary. Then she texted Jenny: That Cole person was clearly not appropriate. Remove him from the follow-up list. Do not let him waste more of our time.
At nine forty-seven, Jenny read the message in her office and felt her stomach tighten. She had spent weeks coordinating with Priya, and the description made no sense. Darien Cole was not some random person. He was the head of a firm whose possible commitment had consumed nearly every planning conversation in Ashford's finance department. She opened the invitation chain and checked the photograph attached to an industry profile. Then she searched the hotel's public contact number, wondering whether there had been another man with the same name.
The front desk would not identify individual visitors over the telephone, but an employee confirmed that an incident involving Victoria Ashford had occurred. Jenny called Priya. "I'm trying to understand what happened this morning," she said carefully. "Did Mr. Cole actually arrive?"
"He arrived," Priya answered. Her voice was controlled in a way Jenny found more frightening than anger. "Your chief executive had him escorted out before he could sit down."
Jenny closed her eyes. "Was there a scheduling error?"
"No. The meeting was confirmed. Your office received the materials. And now Mr. Cole is returning to New York."
"Can we reschedule?"
"I can't speak for his decision," Priya said. "But I suggest you tell your leadership exactly what happened and refrain from describing it as a scheduling error."
Jenny opened the biography again. The photograph was unmistakable: Darien standing in front of an investment conference backdrop, wearing a navy polo and smiling slightly at the camera. The same clothes, almost the same posture, as the man Victoria had described with such contempt. She felt the heat drain from her hands. For several seconds, she could only stare at the screen.
Meanwhile, Klaus sat in a car on the way to the airport, replaying the encounter in his mind. He thought about the way Victoria had refused even the simplest verification and the way the man she accused had remained unusually calm. He had recognized Cole Ventures as a significant American investment firm, but the speed of the confrontation had prevented him from placing Darien's face. After opening a search result on his phone, he turned to Stefan in disbelief.
"That was him," Klaus said.
Stefan looked at the image. "The investor she needed?"
"Yes. And she had no idea."