When the notification for the closed-door meeting arrived at Stellaris, Phoebe was right in the middle of unraveling the Vanguard financial chain.
Reading the email, she frowned slightly and turned her laptop toward Wren.
"You probably won't be able to dodge this one."
Wren looked up.
The email was from The Municipal Rehabilitation Data Standards Working Group.
The subject line was incredibly formal.
Invitation: Closed-Door Alignment Meeting on Data Compliance Practices in Pediatric Rehabilitation.
Langford Medical Group was listed first on the attendee list.
Stellaris was second.
They were followed by several hospitals, representatives from The Institutional Review Board, third-party regulators, and The State Rehabilitation Standards Advisory Group.
The meeting agenda was explicit.
Recent industry discourse has centered around pediatric rehabilitation data, anonymous compliance reporting, and model source disclosures. To prevent unverified rumors from affecting pilot project operations, the working group is organizing a closed-door alignment meeting for relevant entities to clarify factual boundaries and discuss recommendations for future industry guidelines.
Phoebe scrolled down, pointing to the final line.
"'Mandatory attendance by the Project Director.'"
Wren stared at her name placed right next to Lawrence Langford's on the attendee list. Her expression didn't waver.
"I'll go."
"Are you sure?" Phoebe frowned. "They're putting Langford and Stellaris in the same room while the rumor mill is churning. If Gavin Shaw catches wind of this, he'll definitely write another hit piece."
"That's exactly why I have to go," Wren said. "If I don't, they'll say Stellaris is dodging the issue. If I go, at least every word will be on the official meeting record."
Maya sat nearby, the Vanguard tax filings still open on her screen.
She looked up and added, "Dominic Harper is going to be there too."
Phoebe's expression soured further.
"Him again."
Wren scrolled down the email.
Sure enough, Dominic Harper's name was on the expert panel list.
The State Rehabilitation Standards Advisory Group.
During the previous review, he was the one who asked if the family interview audio was used for commercial algorithm validation, and whether Stellaris's model inherited historical archives.
His questions had felt like they were ripped straight from the finalized first page.
Now, he was sitting in on this closed-door meeting.
Wren closed the laptop.
"Pack version three of the Stellaris Special Review Package, Langford's factual statement, the industry group chat screenshots, the article preservation logs, and the Quasar Business Consulting outsourcing leads."
"What about the old case files?" Phoebe asked.



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