Olive nodded. "That's true. Anyway, I'm sorry about what happened to her. I pray she recovers. It's just tragic. I really hope they find whoever did it. It's scary to think you can just stop for coffee and end up fighting for your life."
Max nodded. "Life is unpredictable. Did Samantha talk about what she was working on when you met with her? I'm just wondering if someone she was trying to prosecute wanted to get back at her."
"We've been thinking about that," Brent cut in. "Samantha was very vague about specifics. And we're writers. We like to dig. She was happy to chat about Dominic and her general life, but not about herself. Although she did say once it's tough to be so tough all the time…something like that."
"Like she was tired of being that cold, sharp prosecutor," Olive added. "I actually told her I would love to write her story one day. Now, I'm worried her story will be cut tragically short." Olive paused as someone called for their attention, and Dominic stood up, and all attention turned to him.
"Thank you all for joining me tonight," he said. "As you know, we're approaching a significant milestone with the Pamir Highway project. In six weeks, we'll break ground on what will be the longest high-altitude tunnel in Central Asia."
A polite round of applause followed that statement, and Dominic seemed happy to soak it in. Then he continued, "We'll be opening routes that have been dangerous or impassable for decades, connecting communities that have been isolated, bringing opportunity and infrastructure to one of the most challenging regions in the world." He paused, his gaze sweeping the table. "This project represents everything Ashford Global Development stands for—vision, persistence, and the belief that the right infrastructure can transform lives."
More applause followed, and she had to admit she felt a little energized by his words, his vision. Dominic was definitely a charismatic man.
"I also want to acknowledge that this hasn't been an easy week for me," Dominic continued. "Many of you have reached out to me about Samantha, a woman I care a great deal about. She was injured in an explosion on Monday at a café. She was just getting coffee, and now she's fighting for her life. I ask that you keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you." He raised his glass. "I'd like to make a toast to Samantha's recovery, to the Pamir Highway project, and to partnerships that make impossible things possible."
She tipped her glass to Max's and said, "He's a powerful speaker. I got chills when he started talking about changing the world."
"Dominic has always been a good salesman."
"You don't think his project is as good as his pitch?" she asked in a quiet voice, not that anyone was paying them any attention anymore. Olive and Brent were talking to the couple next to them. Kyle had gotten up and moved down the table to chat with someone else, while his bored girlfriend played on her phone.
"Actually, this project is going to be great for the region, if he can pull it off," Max said. "But he's going to need more money to take that tunnel and road as far as it needs to go, so if these investors don't pony up, he may end this project at one bridge."
"Well, he'll probably get the investment. Everyone here seems to be very interested and engaged."
"That's his hope."
"Olive and Brent might be able to give us more information," she murmured. "They've been talking to Samantha and Dominic and digging into their lives. Could be worth a follow-up chat at some point."
"Possible. Although I sense they're searching to dramatize the story as much as they can."
She tipped her head. "I can't disagree."
"What about the guy who was sitting next to you?"
"He's a developer, very cocky, thinks a lot of himself, and likes to share."
Max smiled. "Sounds like you two didn't hit it off."
"Are you kidding? I smiled my ass off, and he thought I was fascinated by his amazingness. But then he got bored and moved to find someone else to impress."
"He's talking to Sebastian Hanover now, Dominic's Executive VP of Operations."
"Another British guy?" she mused.
"Yes. And one of the few people in the company who seems able to tell Dominic the truth and not just what he wants to hear. In fact, sometimes I think Sebastian relishes problems a little more than he should."
She was surprised by that comment. "As in he wants Dominic to fail?"
"Maybe. He'd be next in line if he did."
"Could be a motive for something."
"Or nothing," he said with a shrug.
She sat back as a server put a salad in front of her, the first of many courses, and she turned her attention to that. While she was here to observe, she was also excited to try food in a restaurant she could never afford or probably even get into on her own.
One course followed another, each plate small but elegant, each bite absolute perfection.
