"If I walked out of this terminal right now," Naomi said, "would you feel relieved?"
Leonard didn't hesitate. "Yes."
Some of the men shifted uncomfortably. No one contradicted him.
Naomi nodded. "That's what I needed to know."
Leonard frowned. "For what?"
Naomi stepped closer to the table, close enough now that Leonard couldn't pretend she wasn't there. "For context," she said. "When people think removing you restores comfort, it usually means you were never the problem."
Leonard's jaw clenched. "You're twisting this."
"No," Naomi replied. "I'm documenting it."
Leonard opened his mouth to respond, but his phone buzzed again. This time, he checked it immediately. His face changed faster. The smirk disappeared. The color drained slightly from his cheeks. One of the executives leaned over. "Leonard?"
Leonard didn't answer. Naomi watched him carefully. The way his eyes scanned the screen, the way his breathing shifted.
"What?" Leonard muttered. "That's not possible." He tapped the screen again, refreshing whatever he was seeing.
Naomi spoke gently. "What does it say?"
Leonard snapped his head up. "Nothing you need to worry about."
She nodded. "That's interesting."
"Why?" he demanded.
"Because," Naomi said, "people usually say that when it's exactly what someone should worry about."
Leonard stood abruptly, chair scraping back. "This meeting is over."
Naomi didn't move. "It ended a while ago."
Leonard pointed toward the door. "You should leave."