That was the first time I’d seen him refuse something at my parents’ house.
After dinner, Francesca followed me into the hallway.
“Simone.”
I turned.
She looked hurt.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
I took a breath.
“I should have.”
She folded her arms.
“We used to tell each other everything.”
“I know.”
“You barely answer my calls now.”
I looked down.
She continued.
“I didn’t know whether you were working, dating, sick, or just avoiding us.”
Her words hurt because they were true.
“I wasn’t avoiding you.”
“It felt like it.”
I nodded slowly.
“I’m sorry.”
She looked at me for a moment.
Then she stepped forward and hugged me.
“I’m proud of you,” she whispered.
My eyes filled.
“Thank you.”
She pulled back.
Then she laughed softly.
“And Owen really told you that you couldn’t get into your own building.”
I smiled.
“He did.”
She covered her mouth.
“Oh, he’s never going to recover from that.”
I wanted to believe it would remain nothing more than an embarrassing dinner story.
But the following morning, I learned there was another problem.
I arrived at Ardent shortly before eight.
Our office occupied several floors of a glass building overlooking the river.
The lobby smelled of fresh coffee and the citrus cleaner the maintenance team used on the polished stone floors.
A security guard greeted me.
“Morning, Simone.”
“Morning, Hector.”
He handed me a small envelope.
“Your access card replacement. Facilities said the old one was wearing out.”
I smiled.
“Thank you.”
Inside the elevator, I opened my calendar.
The final interview for the senior integration role was scheduled for Tuesday.
Owen Gallagher was one of three remaining candidates.
I recognized his name immediately.
Then I called Vera Oates, our chief people officer.
“Vera, I need to disclose a personal connection involving a candidate.”
She listened.
I explained that Owen was engaged to my sister.
There was a pause.
“Well,” she said, “that complicates things.”
“It does.”
“Have you participated in evaluating him?”
“No. I haven’t reviewed his application in detail.”
“Good.”
We agreed that Vera and the independent hiring panel would manage the selection process.
I would not vote on his candidacy.
Because the role involved strategic decisions affecting the newly integrated company, I still needed to meet the finalists, but the assessment criteria would be standardized and documented.
Vera also reminded me that every senior candidate underwent credential verification.
“We’ll follow the same process we use for everyone,” she said.
“Exactly.”
She paused.
“Anything else I should know?”
I remembered Owen’s comments at dinner.
For a moment, I considered telling her.
Then I shook my head.
“Nothing relevant to his qualifications.”
After the call, I turned to the stack of project reports on my desk.
I wanted to put the family dinner behind me.
But later that afternoon, Vera returned with a thin folder.
“Simone, we found a discrepancy.”
I looked up.
“With which candidate?”
She placed the folder on my desk.
“Owen Gallagher.”
Inside were copies of his résumé, technical skills declaration, and the results of the standard credential verification.
Owen claimed to hold two advanced data science certifications.
The issuing organizations confirmed he’d registered for the courses but had not completed the required examinations.
I studied the documents.
“Could the verification be incomplete?”
Vera shook her head.
“We contacted the certifying bodies through the normal process, with his authorization. Both confirmed the credentials haven’t been awarded.”
I read his application again.
The certifications weren’t described as pending.
They were listed as completed.
A second issue appeared in his technical declaration.
Owen claimed advanced experience with an internal modeling framework used by Ardent’s integration team.
The framework wasn’t available publicly.
It had been developed during the acquisition and shared only with employees and authorized partners.
“Was his consulting firm given access?” I asked.
“Not to this version.”
I frowned.
“Then perhaps he means an earlier tool.”
“That’s possible.”
Vera folded her hands.
“That’s why we need to ask.”
I nodded.
She continued.
“His current employer confirms his dates, but some of the project responsibilities he’s claimed don’t match the information provided by his references.”
I looked at the folder.
Several discrepancies.
Each one might have a reasonable explanation.
Together, they required careful review.
“Document the questions,” I said. “Let him respond.”
Vera nodded.
Then she looked at me.