A director named Satoshi Kondo leaned toward his microphone. "And when your shareholders demand the original cost savings? What stops your chief executive from removing these protections the moment the press stops watching?"
Victoria took a breath. "A contract neither of us can change unilaterally. An independent oversight mechanism. Minutes that record our decisions. And, if I fail to enforce those commitments, a board that can hold me accountable. I cannot promise I will never face pressure. I can help build a structure that makes it harder to respond to that pressure by pretending only one side matters."
Kondo considered the answer. "You are describing constraints on your own authority."
"Yes. That is what partnership requires."
Grant looked down at his papers. A week earlier he would have argued that such language made Bennett look weak. Now he realized it could also make Bennett a more dependable counterpart. Authority that never accepted constraints might win a negotiation and lose the relationship. The distinction sounded obvious when Daniel said it; facing it in a document that would affect his own responsibilities made it much less comfortable.
Mori shifted her attention toward the Chicago room. "We received a note from Chairman Watanabe saying that one of the people who first recognized our concern is not part of your regular negotiating team. He is employed through transportation. Is that correct?"
Victoria answered without hesitation. "Yes. Daniel Carter works with our transportation contractor. We asked him to help after it became clear that he understood something our team had missed. He is here with permission, and our lawyers are managing confidentiality and any advice requiring formal professional authorization."
"Would Mr. Carter join us?" Mori asked.
Daniel had been standing outside the camera's view with a legal pad in his hand. He stepped into the chair Victoria moved aside, and for a moment the old habit of measuring the room returned. He saw people in business suits, nameplates, legal files, and a screen connecting Chicago to a city where his old career had once seemed possible without end. In the reflection along the bottom of the screen, he caught sight of his temporary badge. It looked almost comical among all the suits, but he left it where it was.
"Thank you for hearing me," he said in Japanese. "I should explain that I am not an authorized representative of Bennett Global in this transaction. The commitments belong to its leadership and to your own. I can only describe what I heard and what has changed in the discussion since then."
Mori nodded. "That limitation is understood. Please continue."
"This morning, your representatives were preparing to leave. They believed the commercial terms were workable, but they did not believe the proposed governance reflected the responsibility they carry for their employees, suppliers, and customers. Bennett's advisers had answered questions about power when Mizuhara was asking about accountability. That was a real misunderstanding, made worse each time the correspondence was reduced to a concern about wording or tone."