A couple of men laughed quietly, assuming it was a joke. Leonard smiled, too, but something in his eyes tightened. "You're watching the wrong room," he said. "That kind of thing happens in board meetings, not airport lounges."
Naomi tilted her head slightly. "This is exactly where it happens."
Leonard opened his mouth to respond, but his phone buzzed. He glanced at it, frowned briefly, then slipped it back into his pocket. "Sorry," he said. "Just noise."
Naomi noticed how his jaw clenched for half a second longer than necessary. She continued. "Let me ask you something, Mr. Whitmore."
Leonard nodded. "Shoot."
"How do you usually prepare for meetings involving nine-figure decisions?" she asked.
Leonard smirked. "I don't waste time on maybe."
Naomi smiled faintly. "Interesting." She leaned back slightly. "Because our firm requires background preparation on every party involved. Leadership history, workplace culture, patterns."
Leonard's expression shifted. "Your firm?"
"Yes."
The air changed. Not dramatically. Just enough. Leonard studied her more closely now. "And which firm is that exactly?"
Naomi didn't answer right away. Instead, she looked around the table. "Before I say," she said, "I want to understand something. If I were just staff, an assistant, a contractor, someone without authority... would anything about this interaction be different?"
Leonard laughed, but it sounded thinner this time. "Come on, don't take things personally."
"I'm not," Naomi said. "I'm documenting them."
One executive cleared his throat. "Leonard, maybe we should—"
Leonard shot him a look. "It's fine."
But it wasn't. Naomi could see it now. The subtle shift. The way Leonard's confidence was no longer effortless. It was being performed. He crossed his arms. "Look," he said, "we treat people based on their role. That's just how business works."
Naomi nodded slowly. "So respect is conditional."
Leonard shrugged. "Call it whatever you want."
Naomi's phone vibrated again. This time she glanced down. One line from her COO. *Market team ready. Awaiting confirmation.* She locked her screen. Not yet. She looked back up.