Chapter 14. Her Own Ticket

At 7:40 on Monday morning, Diana was at her desk with a printed one-page memo, a spreadsheet, and a cup of coffee she hadn’t touched.

At 8:00, Helena walked in.

At 8:01, Diana knocked on her door.

“Make it quick, Bennett.”

“The custom bronze for the hospitality floors failed its first sample round,” Diana said, setting the memo on the desk. “You know that. The second round is ready next Thursday at the fabricator outside Shanghai. If they courier the samples to us, we lose about nine days in shipping and customs. If they fail again, we lose eighteen, and we start eating into the opening date.” She slid the spreadsheet across. “If someone from our side is standing in the factory on Thursday, we can approve or reject on the spot and give corrections in person. That puts us back on schedule, maybe ahead of it.”

Helena didn’t look at the papers. She looked at Diana.

“And you want to be the someone.”

“I’m the one who has been on the video calls a