She began describing the approved transaction structure.
The forty-million-dollar reserve.
Its intended uses.
The specific release controls.
And the changes appearing in Revision 19.
I listened.
Then she asked whether the version I saw months earlier appeared to contain the same type of difference.
I nodded.
"Yes."
We discussed the timeline carefully.
The original schedule.
The arrival of Revision 19.
My discrepancy alert.
The internal closure.
And the changes in my employment afterward.
Grace took notes.
Irene asked precise questions.
Rachel occasionally paused the conversation to clarify how something should be characterized.
For the first time, nobody told me I was making trouble simply by identifying a difference.
Nobody asked how long I'd worked in the field.
Nobody dismissed my concern as a misunderstanding without examining the records.
They listened.
Then they checked.
After nearly two hours, Grace closed her folder.
She looked directly at me.
"Your description is consistent with the differences we've identified."
I felt my chest tighten.
She continued.
"But we're still establishing how those changes entered the final package and who authorized them."
I nodded.
"Of course."
Mr. Lam leaned back.
For a moment, he seemed deeply troubled.
Then he looked toward me.
"Miss Bennett, may I ask a personal question?"
I glanced at Rachel.
She nodded.
"Yes."
Mr. Lam hesitated.
"Why did you speak?"
I stared.
He continued.
"You had already lost your job after raising concerns. You knew speaking again could expose you to more pressure."
For a moment, I couldn't answer.
Then I thought about Mrs. Lau.
My father.
My mother.
The original schedule.
And the workers whose facilities were supposed to receive the modernization funds.
I looked toward him.
"Because I knew what the difference could mean."
He waited.
I continued.
"And because you were about to sign."
Mr. Lam nodded slowly.
I looked down.
For a moment, my voice trembled.
"I kept thinking that if I stayed silent and the money went somewhere it shouldn't, I would spend the rest of my life remembering I had a chance to warn you."
The room became quiet.
Mr. Lam studied me.
Then he spoke softly.
"I am glad you did."
My eyes filled.
For the first time since leaving Northbridge, I felt the burden I'd been carrying shift slightly.