Incorrectly.
Daniel corrected it.
He said nothing about what had happened.
Twenty minutes later, after Lily rejoined her class, Daniel found Evelyn standing alone in a quiet hallway outside the ballroom.
Floor-to-ceiling glass overlooked the city.
She stood with both hands resting against the window ledge.
Daniel approached.
"You left this."
He held out the folded napkin.
Evelyn turned.
For the first time that morning, Daniel saw how tired she looked.
Not tired like someone who had missed one night of sleep.
Tired like someone who had not trusted a room in months.
Her eyes moved toward the napkin.
Then toward the hallway.
"Did anyone see you?"
"Not that I noticed."
She took it.
Her fingers were trembling.
"I shouldn't have done that."
"Probably not."
She gave him a confused look.
Daniel leaned lightly against the wall.
"If you want my help, tell me what I'm helping with."
Evelyn looked toward the ballroom doors.
For several seconds she did not answer.
Finally she said, "My company is being destroyed from inside."
Daniel waited.
"Someone has been manipulating our financial and operational records for almost a year."
"Stealing?"
"Not exactly."
That interested him.
"Then what?"
"Moving contracts. Duplicating shipments. Reassigning warehouse losses. Creating expenses that appear legitimate because every individual transaction is small enough to survive routine review."
"How much?"
Evelyn hesitated.
"Two hundred eighty million dollars."
Daniel's expression changed.
"That's not a mistake."
"No."
"How many people know?"
"Too many."
"That's not what I asked."
Evelyn looked at him.
"Six."
"Names?"
"Myself. Victor. General counsel. Two members of internal audit. And the chair of the board."
Daniel folded his arms.
"And you trust which ones?"
Evelyn's eyes moved toward the ballroom.
"Yesterday, I would have said three."
"And today?"
"None."
Daniel let that answer sit.
"Have you contacted federal investigators?"
"Not formally."
"Why?"
"Because if I make an accusation without proof, the board removes me tomorrow morning. Our lenders panic. Investors panic. Suppliers freeze contracts. Employees start leaving. Whoever is doing this knows exactly how close we are to that point."
"So they're not just hiding theft."
"No."
"They're creating instability."
Evelyn nodded.
Daniel thought about the sabotaged presentation.
"Making you look incompetent."
Another nod.
"Why me?"
Evelyn looked at him.
"I saw you repair the system."
"I moved a cable."
"You noticed something two engineers didn't."
"They were looking at software. I looked at hardware."
"Exactly."
Daniel shook his head.
"That's still not why you chose me."
Silence.
Evelyn lowered her eyes toward his hands.
"When the screens failed, everyone looked at me."
Daniel waited.
"You looked at the equipment."
He said nothing.
"Everyone in that ballroom wants something from me," she continued. "A contract. A promotion. Access. Money. Approval. Influence. When something went wrong, every person watched me to see what it would cost them."
She looked directly at him.
"You looked at the machine."
Daniel almost smiled.
"You decided that made me trustworthy?"
"No."
"What did you decide?"
"That it made you different."