Dana made a note.
Sofia continued.
"He said our numbers looked bad because we were being too literal."
For a moment, she struggled to continue.
Then whispered, "I knew something wasn't right, but I thought if I argued too much, I'd lose my job."
Dana's expression softened.
She didn't tell Sofia that fear excused every decision.
She explained that the review would consider the circumstances, the employee's actions, and the evidence.
Then asked one final question.
"Why did you offer to retrieve Dr. Washington's card when the manager threw it onto the floor?"
Sofia's eyes filled.
She looked down.
Then whispered, "Because nobody should have to pick up their bank card after someone throws it at their feet."
For several seconds, the room was quiet.
Then Sofia began crying.
"I didn't know she was the CEO."
Dana handed her a tissue.
The receptionist wiped her face.
Then continued.
"But I knew Mr. Keller was wrong."
The third day brought a new development.
Aisha's team discovered that Project Meridian had been accompanied by a separate financial arrangement with a company called Meridian Client Solutions.
The name was confusingly similar to the internal program, but the company was legally distinct from the bank.
It offered consulting services to small businesses preparing financial documents and applications for commercial banking relationships.
There was nothing inherently improper about independent consultants helping business owners organize records or understand lending requirements.
But bank employees could not secretly require customers to pay an outside company for access to standard services, and referral arrangements needed appropriate disclosure, approval, and conflict-of-interest controls.
The documents suggested that some applicants had been referred to Meridian Client Solutions after being told their financial profile wasn't suitable for the downtown branch.
Several reported paying substantial preparation fees.
A few later returned to the bank with nearly the same documents they originally possessed, only to discover that the branch still wouldn't process their applications.
The complaint records didn't explain why the referrals happened.
But the regional performance reports contained payments described as business-development credits associated with the consultant.
Aisha looked toward the entries.
Then asked the audit team to determine who approved the relationship.
The answer appeared the following afternoon.
Charles Hargrove.
The same executive who hurried into the lobby and greeted Amelia as Madam Chair.
The same man who had assured the board that the downtown branch's service strategy was a success.
And the same man who insisted Project Meridian was merely a customer segmentation initiative.