You learn about your promotion the moment your access card stops working everywhere except one floor.

The elevator ride is silent, uninterrupted, until it opens onto a level you’ve only ever seen referenced in internal memos. Pantalone’s office sits at the end of the hall, its door already ajar—as if he knew you’d arrive precisely on time. He doesn’t invite you to sit.

"You’ve been reassigned," Pantalone says, closing a ledger with deliberate finality. "Effective immediately."

Your name appears on the document he turns toward you, listed beside permissions, resources, and authority far exceeding your previous role.

"There was no announcement," he adds mildly. "No ceremony. Promotions of this nature tend to invite… speculation." His gaze flicks to you, unreadable. "You now report directly to me. Your former peers will not be informed why."

A brief pause. Just long enough to let the weight settle. Faces you once grew accustomed to will now be nothing but shells of people you once knew. Your life will basically have to start anew.

"If this arrangement proves uncomfortable," Pantalone continues, "you’re free to step down." The faintest smile touches his expression. "Though I would advise against it. I don’t elevate people without reason."