Page 32 of Idol Lives
Naomi shook her head. “Don’t be. I’m not blaming you for anything.” She surprised him with a genuine smile. “You gave me the chance of a lifetime here, Jason. Even if I only stay here for a year, I’ll never have to worry about money again. And I’m doing a job I absolutely love. So, I can live with my jealousy and still be happy for you.”
Jason quietly huffed, fighting the urge to let Naomi’s words fully sink in. “I may have that bourbon, after all.”
Naomi shrugged. “You’ll have to get it somewhere else. Nobody can find the key to Gerald’s liquor cabinet.”
Jason chuckled, his gaze landing on the gold fountain pen still sitting where his father had left it. He reached for it, mischievously grinning as he lifted the base and let the hidden key clatter onto the desk. “Challenge completed.”
Naomi burst out laughing. “Damn. I knew I should’ve asked you before calling a locksmith.”
The intercom’s airy chime cut through their laughter. “Ms. Bell? David Soh is here to see you.”
Naomi hit her intercom button. “Please send him in.”
The office doors whooshed open, revealing David, a broad smile plastered on his face. His conservative navy pinstripe three-piece suit sharply contrasted with Jason’s lightweight but impeccably tailored beige linen-cotton blend summer weight suit. “Good morning, Ms. Bell. Mr. Park.”
Naomi returned his greeting with a curt nod. “Just Naomi, please.”
David politely frowned. “Sorry. Old habits die hard.” He crossed to the desk and took the seat beside Jason. “My assistant said you wanted me to review some additional contracts. Honestly, you should know there’s a whole legal team dedicated to that.”
“Ah.” Naomi’s smile was tight and controlled. “Your assistant must’ve misunderstood.” She reached for a stack of folders on the desk beside her. “I’ve been reviewing some recent Brightstar deals, and a few seem incomplete.” She pulled the first file and flipped it open. “This one, for instance. A contract with a Mexican electronics distributor, executed in March of last year–”
“Yes,” David cut in, confidently nodding. “That was part ofour market expansion into the southern Mexican states.”
Naomi pursed her lips, a shadow of annoyance crossing her face before she regained her composure. Jason was impressed. He was already itching to throw a punch. David’s arrogance was infuriating.
“As I was saying,” Naomi continued, putting a little more ice in her tone, “this contract refers to an addendum that’s not attached.” She flipped through the contract until she came to a page with a sticky note attached. “Specifically, Addendum 3B.”
David frowned, his earlier confidence starting to waver. “Are you sure?”
Naomi’s nod was deliberate, her lips a thin line. Only the subtle twitching at the corner of her mouth betrayed her simmering annoyance. Jason doubted David even noticed. “Here. See for yourself.” She slid the folder across the desk.
David scanned the page with the sticky note, then flipped through the file, his brow furrowed. “Oh, you’re right,” he admitted. “It does seem to be missing from this copy. I’m sure you’ll find it in the official legal archives.”
“This is the copy from the official legal archives.” Naomi pulled another folder from the stack, sliding it across to David. “This is the copy from Gerald Park’s files. It’s also missing the addendum.” She allowed herself a faint smile. “Any idea why that would be? Or, more importantly, what it might say?”
David studied the contract again, his earlier confidence gone. “I’m afraid not, Ms.–uh, Naomi.”
Naomi nodded, her expression carefully neutral. “You signed that contract on Brightstar’s behalf, yes?”
Jason held back a smirk. He could already smell the trap Naomi was laying.
David flipped to the signature page. “It seems I did.”
“But you don’t remember signing it?”
David shook his head. “Not specifically. I’ve signed many contracts for Brightstar. Surely, you don’t expect me to remember each of them.”
Naomi ignored the comment, sliding the entire stack of files into the center of the desk. “You signed each of these contracts over the past year. All of them have missing addenda.”
David’s expression remained carefully blank, but his foot rhythmically tapped beneath the desk, a telltale sign of his nerves. “As I said, I’ve signed many contracts for Brightstar. A few paperwork irregularities are hardly cause for alarm.”
Naomi raised a single, skeptical eyebrow. “Irregularities? This isn’t a matter of a missing comma, David.”
David’s practiced smile slipped into place, barely concealing his unease. Jason almost felt sorry for him. Almost. “I can assure you, Naomi, that I personally review every contract deal I’m involved with before I sign off on it. The last thing I’d want is to put Brightstar into a tenuous legal position.”
“Excellent. Then, I’m sure you won’t mind conducting a full audit of your contracts since starting this position. Please provide me with a detailed report on any irregularities you discover.”
David’s smile finally faltered. Jason recognized the mix of panic and defeat on his face. David had assumed he could outsmart Naomi. He was wrong. And he couldn’t outright refuse this request from his company president–not after assuring her that everything was fine. “Of course, Naomi,” he finally agreed. “I’ll get my office on it right away. I should have something for you by the end of the week.”
