The call came from someone who had never called before.
Aaliyah was in the foundation's main workspace, reviewing exception metrics with one of the analysts, when Elise's name flashed on her phone, followed immediately by a second line of text.
You'll want to take this.
Aaliyah stepped into the hallway before answering.
"Who is it?" she asked.
Elise didn't preface it. "The Office of Federal Compliance."
Aaliyah closed her eyes briefly, not in fear, not in surprise.
Timing.
"They want clarification," Elise continued. "On how the exception framework could integrate with existing enforcement mechanisms."
Aaliyah leaned against the wall. "That's not clarification."
"No," Elise agreed. "That's adoption."
The meeting was scheduled for the following week.
Not informal.
Not exploratory.
Structured.
