Julian stood by the pantry coffee machine.
The water hadn't finished filling when his phone buzzed. He looked down. A system email.
Subject: Assumption X Review Meeting (Internal Compliance)
Time: 14:00
Attendees: G. Warren, J. Watanabe, T. Lewandowski, E. Liu, Ops/Legal, CTO
He read it once. No reaction.
Then he picked up his mug and slowly emptied it into the sink. He looked at himself in the mirror for a few seconds. He was wearing the gray Hugo Boss suit. It fit like it was made for him. A deep blue pen with a gold clip sat in his press pocket, matching the tie perfectly. He had prepared for this day. Every detail was in place. Nothing extra.
At 13:57, he returned to his desk. He didn't speak. Didn't look at anyone. Just reopened the risk report and flipped to a bookmarked page.
The conference room door was already open.
Greg was inside, sitting on the right side, nodding as he spoke quietly to Legal. Emma was there too, flipping her notebook gently, occasionally exchanging glances with someone from Ops. Tomasz leaned back in his chair like he didn't want to be there at all.
Julian walked in at exactly 14:00.
No one spoke. He chose a seat in the corner, placed his notebook on the table, and sat down.
Compliance entered holding a stapled paper document. The cover read:
INTERNAL COMPLIANCE REPORT / Assumption X / For Internal Circulation Only
She scanned the room.
"Let's begin."
No one spoke as the meeting started.
Greg sat at the front, first to arrive. He had shown up three minutes early, exchanged pleasantries with the CTO at the door, smiled with the corners of his mouth, but his eyes kept dodging.
Emma sat to his right, flipping pages slowly. She knew every word that came next would be weighed and watched.
Tomasz shifted in his chair. Pulled back a little. He had only been here a few months. He'd heard of meetings like this. He'd never been inside one.
Julian was the last to enter. No one looked at him. He didn't look at anyone. He just walked to his seat, placed the notebook down, and sat.
Compliance opened her report and said flatly, "Let's begin."
Greg was first to speak. His voice was quick, rehearsed.
"We found some minor trigger misfires in the model. I mean, the parameter set wasn't fully aligned with the intended assumptions. This was a hypothetical scenario. No live execution took place."
Compliance flipped a page. Her tone didn't shift. "Who submitted the report?"
Greg paused. Then said, "Julian did."
The air changed. He had thrown it. Clean. Cold. Like it was nothing. No crack in his voice. Even a touch casual. Like this was just how things went.
Julian said, "Yes, I wrote the report. I didn't hide anything. He did. I told the truth. He told me to do it."
He didn't raise his voice. He didn't look at Greg. He opened his laptop.
The moment the screen lit up, every eye turned to him.
He said, calmly, "I flagged the volatility a week ago."
Then he opened an audio link.
The speakers on the table came alive.
Greg's voice filled the room. Loud. Clear. No way to mistake it.
"Fuck compliance.
If they audit us, we'll throw it under ops.
Just get the number and move it."
No one moved.
The air conditioning became the only sound.
The whole room froze.
From the Ops side, someone finally spoke. Voice flat. Cold.
"You're saying you were dumping it on us?"
From Legal, a woman put down her pen. Her gaze was steady. Direct.
"Are you admitting to falsifying the report?"
Greg froze. His mouth opened. No words came. He looked around.
No one met his eyes.
No one moved to help him.
Emma kept her head down, eyes fixed on her notes.
Tomasz's hands were trembling under the table.
Greg stood up suddenly. His voice cracked.
"He's insane. He recorded me. You all know he's capable of anything. He's been trying to destroy me."
He wasn't accusing anymore. He was begging.
No one answered him.
Julian leaned back in his chair.
Said nothing.
His eyes were cold.
Greg didn't look like a managing director anymore.
He looked like a man about to be dragged out of the room.
Everyone lowered their heads.
The CTO finally spoke. His voice was soft, but there was no space for refusal.
"Greg. My office. Now."
Greg opened his mouth. Tried to speak.
No one gave him the chance.
He stood there like a man awaiting sentencing.
No one watched him leave.
Except Julian.
Julian kept his eyes on his back the whole time.
He wasn't feeling sorry.
He was confirming.
He had planned for this. Every step. Long ago.
When Julian left the meeting room, no one looked at him.
He walked back to his desk. Steady pace. Not fast. Not slow.
The screen was already on. It unlocked as he sat down.
An HR system email popped up the moment he touched the mouse.
The layout was clean. The font was slightly bolder than usual.
Your temporary role has been reinstated:
Acting Head of Structured Products
Please collect the new security card at the front desk.
He glanced at it once.
Moved the cursor to the top corner.
Clicked "Mark as Read."
Didn't open the full message.
Didn't scroll.
Didn't reply.
He didn't need to read it.
He already knew.
Then Lync lit up.
The group chat icons were lined up in green.
"Product Strategy EU" was flashing.
Messages are piling in fast.
Someone wrote:
"Madman wasn't kidding."
Then another:
"He really sent Greg out."
Another:
"Audio file drop… brutal, but fair."
More messages kept coming.
He didn't read them.
He just started closing them. One by one.
The chat windows disappeared.
Inbox gone.
Calendar gone.
The compliance feedback system was gone.
Only the desktop remained.
Blank. Not even a wallpaper.
Julian took his hand off the mouse.
Leaned back into the chair.
Closed his eyes.
His breath didn't move.
He didn't smile. Didn't shift.
He was feeling something precise.
In his head, he repeated:
They used to laugh when I asked for read access.
Now they gave me a sign-off.
Anyway, thanks for the title, Greg.
In the silence, he heard footsteps behind him.
Heels on carpet. Fading away.
Someone coughed.
Someone laughed.
Someone opened a takeout bag.
He heard it all.
And none of it.
The floor layout hadn't changed.
But who sat where had completely shifted.
Julian opened his eyes.
Placed his fingers back on the keyboard.
He didn't say a word.
Didn't respond to anyone.
The new order was already in effect.