Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 194

Phoebe couldn't help but laugh as she listened.

"Maya's mouth is going to get her into serious trouble one day."

Wren offered a faint smile.

It vanished just as quickly as it appeared.

News of the project's suspension spread rapidly.

At three o'clock that afternoon, the liaison for the pilot hospital sent an official notice.

The preliminary communication meeting is canceled.

Future scheduling remains to be determined.

At four-thirty, two patient families who had previously agreed to join The Patient Advisory Board sent messages saying they needed more time to think it over.

By five o'clock, someone in the internal Stellaris group chat asked if the project was going to be scrapped altogether.

Wren didn't let Phoebe reply on her behalf.

She typed out a message to the group herself.

[The project is not being scrapped. During the audit period, everyone will focus on two things: gathering the supplemental materials and refining the system. All patient-facing public content is paused. All-hands meeting tonight at 7 PM.]

After she hit send, the chat went dead silent for a moment.

Maya was the first to reply.

[Copy that.]

Phoebe followed immediately.

[Understood.]

Then, one by one, the rest of the team responded.

[Copy that.]

A flawless column of acknowledgments rolled down the screen.

It was ordinary.

There were no grandiose declarations of loyalty or fighting spirit.

But as Wren stared at the cascade of words, a profound warmth spread through her chest.

At seven o'clock, the Stellaris all-hands meeting began.

Wren stood in front of the whiteboard, keeping her speech concise.

She projected the email from The Institutional Review Board onto the screen.

She detailed the scope of the suspension, the audit requirements, and the strict five-day deadline, leaving nothing ambiguous.

Someone raised a hand. "Ms. Whitaker, are we being targeted?"

Wren looked over at him.

It was Liam Lane from the tech team. His eyes were blazing with obvious indignation.

[Mediation is tomorrow. Don't be late.]

It was brief.

And incredibly typical of him.

Wren replied with two words.

[I won't.]

Lawrence didn't respond.

She slipped her phone back into her pocket and turned back to the conference table.

A new stack of documents had appeared on her desk.

Maya had left it there.

Scrawled across the top page in thick black marker were a few massive words:

Audit Version. DO NOT BEAUTIFY.

The handwriting was atrocious.

Wren stared at it for a moment, and a genuine smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

She picked up a pen and jotted a line right beneath it.

Don't back down.