The reply didn't come immediately.
That was the worst part.
Aarvi refreshed her inbox once.
Then again.
Nothing.
She sat at her desk the next morning with a stillness that wasn't calm — it was braced. The email she had sent the night before sat there like a confession she couldn't take back.
Subject: Data Inconsistency — Immediate Review Required
No hedging.
No excuses.
Just facts.
And now, the waiting.
---
The room held its breath
By 10:30 a.m., she could feel it.
People were aware.
Not because anyone had said anything — but because silence spreads faster than news.
Her project meeting was delayed.
A calendar invite disappeared.
Another appeared, marked urgent.
Aarvi didn't look at Riyan.
Not because she was afraid —
but because she needed this to stand on its own.
---
The meeting that felt like judgment
The conference room was colder than usual.
Three senior stakeholders.
Legal on standby.
HR observing.
No smiles.
"Aarvi," one of them began, "you flagged a potential issue late in the process."
"Yes," she replied evenly.
"Why now?"
She met their gaze.
"Because that's when I found it," she said.
"And because ignoring it would have been negligent."
A pause.
The kind that decides things.
---
The question meant to corner her
"You understand," another voice said carefully,
"that raising concerns this late reflects poorly on leadership."
Aarvi didn't flinch.
"Only if leadership prioritizes speed over accuracy," she replied.
"My responsibility is to the outcome — not my comfort."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
---
Riyan stayed where he was
Through the glass, Riyan could see the meeting.
He didn't move.
Didn't intervene.
Didn't signal anything.
This was her ground to hold.
And he trusted her enough not to step onto it.
---
The truth did its work
Legal cleared their throat.
"We reviewed the data she flagged," they said.
"She's right. It's minor — but if left unchecked, it would've escalated post-launch."
The room shifted.
Not relief.
Recalibration.
---
The moment everything balanced on
"You could've let this pass," one stakeholder said.
"No one would've blamed you."
Aarvi nodded.
"But then the failure would've been quieter," she replied.
"And the cost… much higher."
No defensiveness.
No apology.
Just clarity.
---
The verdict — not what she expected
The meeting ended without praise.
Without comfort.
But also — without consequence.
"Proceed with revisions," they said.
"And update the timeline."
That was it.
Aarvi walked out on steady legs that felt anything but.
---
Aftermath
Back at her desk, her hands shook for the first time all day.
Not from fear.
From release.
She hadn't been protected.
She hadn't been saved.
She had been heard.
---
The message that mattered
Her phone buzzed.
One message.
Riyan: You chose integrity over safety. That's leadership.
She closed her eyes briefly.
Not because she needed reassurance.
But because, for the first time, she believed it herself..