He sat with his wife’s photo, waiting for a son who had already boarded without him

for sarcasm, — he snapped. — The audit is collapsing. The entire workflow is out of alignment. The clients are furious.

— They’re not furious, — I corrected. — They’re reacting to instability. Instability you created.

His jaw tightened.

— I didn’t create anything. You left.

— You fired me, — I reminded him softly.

He exhaled, pacing like a man replaying continue reading …