Naomi maintained a professional expression.
“Certainly, sir.”
Across the table, Aiko looked up from her menu.
Her eyes followed Naomi as she returned the bottle to the service station.
A few minutes later, Richard began discussing the proposed investment.
He spoke loudly and confidently about luxury apartments, commercial towers, and projected returns.
“The entire district is going to change,” he announced.
“We'll transform those old blocks into something valuable.”
Kenji listened.
“What about the current residents?” he asked.
Richard waved his hand.
“Most of them are renters. They'll move.”
Aiko leaned forward.
“Have you prepared a relocation plan?”
Richard laughed.
“That's what lawyers are for.”
Hiroshi made a note.
Kenji's expression remained unreadable.
Richard continued describing his vision.
He talked about profits.
He talked about property values.
He talked about attracting wealthy residents.
But he rarely mentioned the people who already lived in the neighborhood.
Naomi was clearing a nearby table when she heard the name of the development site.
Harbor Point.
Her hands paused.
She knew Harbor Point.
Her mother had taught at a public school there for seventeen years.
Naomi herself had spent countless afternoons in the neighborhood library.
She remembered the small grocery stores, the elderly residents sitting outside their apartments, and the children playing basketball beneath faded streetlights.
Richard was describing those streets as though they were empty.
As though nothing important existed there until someone wealthy decided to build something expensive.
Naomi continued working.
But she listened.
The trouble began when Richard attempted to impress his guests with a few Japanese phrases.
He lifted his glass and delivered a badly pronounced greeting.
Kenji smiled politely.
Aiko nodded.
Richard looked pleased with himself.
“See?” he announced. “I've been studying your language.”
One of his American associates laughed.
“Richard, you're practically fluent.”
Richard grinned.
“Give me another month and I'll be negotiating in Japanese.”
Naomi approached with the next course.
She placed Kenji's plate carefully in front of him.
As she did, Kenji quietly thanked her in Japanese.
“Arigatō gozaimasu.”
Without thinking, Naomi responded naturally.
“Dō itashimashite.”
You're welcome.
Kenji looked up.
His eyes brightened.
“You speak Japanese?”
Naomi smiled.
“Yes, sir.”
Richard turned.
“What was that?”
Kenji looked pleasantly surprised.
“She answered me in Japanese.”
Richard stared at Naomi.
Then he laughed.
“Really?”
Naomi nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
Richard looked toward his American associates.
“Well, isn't that something?”
His tone was not admiration.
It was amusement.
He leaned forward.
“Where did you learn that? Watching cartoons?”
Naomi remained composed.
“I studied the language for several years.”
Richard smirked.
“Several years?”
“Yes.”
“At what? Some online school?”
Aiko placed her fork down.
“Mr. Whitmore—”
But Richard was enjoying himself.
“I'm just curious.”
He turned back to Naomi.
“You know, people memorize a few foreign words and suddenly think they're international scholars.”
Naomi said nothing.
Richard continued.
“Let me guess. You can say hello, goodbye, and order sushi.”
One of his associates laughed.
Another looked down at his plate.
Naomi kept her voice steady.
“I can speak more than that, sir.”
Richard raised his eyebrows.
“Oh, really?”
He looked around the table.
“Ladies and gentlemen, apparently we have a linguistic genius serving dinner tonight.”
The laughter grew louder.
At a nearby table, an elderly woman frowned.
Her husband leaned closer and whispered something.
Richard ignored them.
He had discovered an audience.
And he intended to entertain it.
“Tell you what,” he said, reaching into his jacket.
He removed a leather checkbook and placed it on the table.
“Let's make this interesting.”
Naomi watched him.
Richard picked up his pen.
“One sentence in Japanese, and I'll give you a million dollars.”
The dining room seemed to grow quieter.
Naomi studied his face.
“Are you serious, sir?”
Richard spread his arms.
“Absolutely.”
He looked at his companions.
“You heard me. One million dollars.”
Aiko's expression hardened.
Kenji slowly lowered his glass.
Naomi asked, “You really want me to answer in front of everyone?”
Richard leaned back.
“Girl, you couldn't even point to Japan on a map.”
This time, his laughter was loud enough to draw attention from across the room.
He slapped the table.
“Come on! Impress us!”
Naomi looked at the checkbook.
Then at Richard.
Then at the three Japanese executives.
For several seconds, she remained silent.
Richard mistook her silence for defeat.
“That's what I thought.”
He began laughing again.
But Naomi wasn't searching for words.
She was making a decision.
She had spent years allowing strangers to underestimate her.
She had accepted insults because she needed her job.
She had swallowed humiliation because her mother's medical bills wouldn't wait.
But something about Richard's expression reminded her of a lesson Evelyn had taught her long ago.