It was empty.

I did not mistake the ache for a wish to go back.

PART 8 — The Company Kept Working

The next two months were not a victory parade.

Vanguard had debt converted, new governance, and better access to stable funding.

It also had unfinished projects, reporting systems that needed repair, and people who had learned to keep problems small until they became impossible to hide.

The board asked for more accurate reporting.