I looked at Serena and saw exactly what she expected to see reflected back at her, embarrassment, retreat, defensiveness, and instead I smiled, slowly, calmly, with the kind of ease that only comes when you already know how the story ends.
“You’re right,” I said evenly, nodding once. “Respect does matter.”
I reached into my jacket, removed my executive badge without ceremony, and placed it gently on the table beside my plate, the plastic making a quiet sound against the wood that somehow felt louder than her words, and then I folded my hands in my lap and said nothing more.
No explanation. No defense. No justification.
The silence that followed confused her.
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