The office started to fill behind the door, voices low and controlled as people came in. I didn’t look up when the first few passed by. None of it required my attention. What mattered was already on my desk.
A few minutes later, Ryan stepped into the office without knocking. He had the tablet in one hand and another folder under his arm. That told me the response had already shifted again. He set both down and stayed standing.
“They’re escalating,” he said.
“Of course they are,” I replied.
“They’re trying to argue intent now,” he added. “Saying the delays weren’t strategic.”
I looked at him once before picking up the tablet. “They can say whatever they want,” I said. “It doesn’t change what’s documented.”
“That’s where they’re stuck,” he said. “Everything lines up against them.”
“Th
