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

visible to the naked eye.

A voicemail from HR came next. The tone was stiff, scripted, and sounded almost rehearsed.

— Per protocol, please return all company assets within 72 hours. We will also review your obligations under the confidentiality and restrictive activity clauses.

Translation: Graham was panicking, and he needed bureaucracy to save him.continue reading …