"What part?"
"That someone could have worked on Kisaragi and still be driving our executives."
Daniel considered the question. "Did you know what Kisaragi was before Mr. Fujimori mentioned it?"
"Not really. I looked it up."
"Then maybe it's not strange that the name didn't mean much to the person who reviewed my job application. What's strange is assuming the work I do now tells you everything about what I've ever done."
Priya smiled, a little embarrassed. "Fair point."
At one thirty, Victoria received a call from Henry Whitcomb, the chairman of Bennett Global's board. She took it behind a glass office door, but Daniel could see the conversation was difficult. Henry had built his career in private equity and had a gift for reducing a chaotic situation to a financial decision. He reminded Victoria that the company had already spent millions preparing for the Mizuhara partnership. He wanted a clear answer to two questions: whether the transaction could be saved and whether anyone in the building was qualified to make that judgment.
"We have a path forward," Victoria said. "The Japanese side has agreed to stay in discussions while we work on governance."
"A path forward isn't a transaction, Victoria. The stock is down, and the board is reading headlines before it hears from its own chief executive. Grant tells me you've placed a temporary driver at the center of the negotiation."
Victoria looked through the office window at Daniel, who was now listening while Elena explained a proposed legal definition to Watanabe. "I invited a person with relevant experience to help us. He signed the appropriate confidentiality agreement. Our lawyers remain responsible for the legal drafting."
"Are you sure this isn't a public-relations story waiting to embarrass us?"
"I'm sure ignoring the facts because of his badge would be an embarrassment."
Henry was silent long enough for her to hear the faint scrape of paper on his end. "I'm not asking you to protect Grant's pride," he said finally. "I'm asking you to protect an agreement that affects thousands of jobs."
"So am I. But if we sign a structure neither side trusts, we'll put those jobs at risk later."
She hung up without declaring the conversation a victory. The board was right to demand scrutiny; no chief executive could risk a transaction of this size on a sudden feeling of inspiration. The problem was that its scrutiny, like Grant's earlier questions, had been trained on the unusual person rather than the evidence he had brought into view. She instructed Elena to document every proposed revision, the commercial reasoning behind it, and the remaining open risks. If the partnership survived, it would survive through ordinary corporate processes made more honest, not through the myth that one man had performed a miracle.
Grant arrived at Daniel's chair ten minutes later. The two men had barely spoken directly since the exchange outside the building. Daniel looked up from a page of notes as Grant stopped beside him.
"I need to ask you something," Grant said.
"Of course."
"Did you contact anyone in the press?"
Daniel kept his expression neutral. "No."