I’d disclosed our relationship.

My supervisors knew about it.

They allowed me to complete certain analytical work subject to additional independent review and restricted my involvement in decisions affected by the conflict.

At the time, everyone thought the engagement created a manageable compliance concern.

Nobody expected it to become central to the case.

That Tuesday, Douglas sat across my desk with a stack of ledger pages.

He polished his reading glasses while I reviewed a series of recurring payments.