Gulzhan Moldazhanova, the chief executive of Russia's vast Basic Element conglomerate - which has been contemplating a series of listings, possibly also in Hong Kong - banned questions about cash flow.
It was a sensitive subject for the woman who runs the private industrial empire of Oleg Deripaska, the nation's richest oligarch, especially as she faced a roomful of reporters in a Moscow conference room.
Just weeks earlier, Basic Element had been mulling the launch of several of its estimated 100 mining, energy and manufacturing companies in public markets. Hong Kong was to be the site for an initial public offering for Rusal, the world's largest aluminium company.
It was to be the first of many steps that would raise capital, help establish a value for the group, pay off debt, enrich the already wealthy Mr Deripaska and, perhaps, burnish the company's image - moving it into more transparent public markets.
But as the financial crisis hit, it enveloped Basic Element, whose breakneck acquisition strategy has often relied on borrowed money to buy shares, which are then used as collateral for the loans. The listings would have to be delayed.
Russia's composite stock index is down about 60 per cent this year and the vast empire has shown signs of stress.
Mr Deripaska was forced to give up his 18 per cent stake in Magna International, the Canadian vehicle design and parts maker, after a margin call from creditors who bankrolled the US$1.4 billion deal.