This time, it was an email notification on my personal account, forwarded from a contact inside the firm’s administrative pool.

The subject line was short and formal.

I tapped the screen to open the message.

The document was a PDF attachment.

I zoomed in to read the clean, sans-serif font of the internal HR header.

“To: Executive Committee. From: Human Resources Directorate. Subject: Administrative Inquiry and Status Review.”

My eyes skipped down to the third paragraph.

“In light of the public disturbance in the ground floor lobby of the Lawson Vance building on October 14th, an internal investigation has been initiated.”

“Pursuant to Article 4, Section 2 of the Partnership Agreement, all pending promotional reviews for Ethan Lawson are suspended indefinitely.”

“This suspension will remain in place until the inquiry is complete and a formal determination is made.”

I closed the PDF and locked my phone.

The silence in the car felt heavier now.

The promotion Ethan had spent five years chasing was gone, or at least frozen in mid-air.

I opened the car door and stepped out into the chilly afternoon air.