Malcolm appeared from a conference room at headquarters.
His face was tight.
“Maya.”
“Malcolm.”
“I assume Richard has told you what this is about.”
“Some of it.”
Malcolm looked irritated.
“This has become wildly overblown.”
Maya glanced toward Amara.
“Which part?”
“The internal complaint classifications.”
Maya said nothing.
Malcolm continued.
“We changed taxonomy.”
The audit chair leaned forward.
“You did more than change taxonomy.”
“We simplified categories.”
“You moved discrimination complaints into general service recovery.”
“Because most did not meet a legal discrimination threshold.”
General counsel interrupted.
“That was not management’s determination to make before reporting them to the board committee.”
Malcolm sighed.
“This is semantics.”
Maya’s face hardened.
“Then explain the semantics.”
Malcolm looked at her.
Maya continued.
“Last quarter your report said substantiated discriminatory service complaints decreased thirty-four percent.”
“Yes.”
“How many complaints were removed from that category before the report reached us?”
Silence.
Richard Anderson answered.
“Two hundred twelve.”
Maya felt something cold settle in her chest.
“Over one quarter?”
“Across three quarters.”
“Still.”
Malcolm said:
“They were recoded.”
Maya leaned toward the screen.
“Did my committee approve the methodology?”
“No.”
“Was my committee informed?”
“The reporting structure did not require—”
“Yes or no.”
“No.”
Maya looked toward general counsel.
“Did management receive written warnings that the reclassification could materially mislead the board?”
General counsel nodded.
“Three.”
Malcolm’s face tightened.
“Those were internal disagreements.”
Maya heard Jessica’s voice in her memory.
These premium seats cost considerably more.
She pushed it away.
Her personal experience could not become evidence for unrelated corporate allegations.
That distinction mattered.
Maya asked:
“Who authorized the change?”
Malcolm replied:
“I did.”
“Why?”
“To improve reporting consistency.”
The audit chair opened a document.
“Then explain this email.”
A screen appeared.