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It started the next morning no delay, no buffer just a calendar notification.
Mandatory Review Session — Individual Attendance Required
Cassy stared at it for a second longer than she should have because seeing it made everything real.
Across the building, Caleb got the same notice. Different time slots, different rooms, separate of course.
By the time Cassy arrived, the room was already set neutral, minimal no unnecessary details just a table, three chairs and two people waiting. One from compliance and one from oversight watching, already evaluating.
"Thank you for coming, Ms. Williams." Professional and measured.
Cassy nodded once. "Of course." She took her seat back straight, hands steady, prepared because she had to be.
"This session is part of the internal review process," one of them began. A pause. "Your responses will be documented." Of course they would be.
Cassy didn't react, didn't shift just listened.
"We'll be asking about your decision-making processes, communication patterns, and any overlapping influence in executive actions."
There it was, everything laid out clearly.
"…Understood," she said.
The first question came immediately. "Can you describe how you typically coordinate with Mr. Garcia on cross-functional decisions?"
Cassy didn't rush, didn't hesitate either. "Coordination is structured through formal meetings and documented communication channels," she said clearly and controlled.
"No informal influence?" There it was, direct.
Cassy met their gaze. "No." A pause. "And any necessary alignment is handled transparently."
They wrote something down no reaction which somehow felt worse.
Another question. "Have there been instances where personal judgment may have influenced professional decisions?"
The room felt smaller. Cassy's breath stayed even. "…No." Because it had to be no, anything else would open a door they couldn't close.
Across the building, Caleb was facing the same thing, different phrasing, same intent.
"Do you believe your working relationship with Ms. Williams affects your objectivity?"
He didn't look away. "No." A pause. "My decisions are based on data and strategic evaluation."
They noted it, again no reaction.
Back in Cassy's room, the questions got sharper and more specific.
"Have you ever adjusted a recommendation based on Mr. Garcia's input outside of formal review?"
Cassy's fingers tightened slightly under the table. "…No." Truth, carefully defined because "adjusted" and "influenced" They weren't the same.
And right now every word mattered, every phrasing, every interpretation.
Across the hall, Caleb was asked—
"Would your decisions remain the same if Ms. Williams were not involved in the process?"
A pause. A fraction longer this time. "…Yes." Because it had to be yes, anything else would imply dependency and dependency was exactly what they were looking for.
Time blurred. Questions layered. Answers recorded no emotion, no reaction just evaluation.
When Cassy's session ended, she stood immediately not lingering, not asking questions because this wasn't a conversation, it was a process and the process wasn't done.
In the hallway, she stopped just for a second because she knew, Caleb was somewhere nearby but they couldn't meet not now, not after this because even that could be seen, could be interpreted. So she walked past without looking, without stopping and somewhere down the corridor, Caleb did the same.
Two separate paths carefully maintained because now wasn't just about what they did, it was about what they said and whether those words would hold under scrutiny because if even one answer didn't align, everything they built, everything they protected could unravel. Not slowly all at once.