I proceeded. I did not enjoy it exactly, but I did it well, because doing things well is what I do.
A Necessary Detour Through What I Didn’t Do
I want to say something clearly here, because stories like this one can accumulate their dramatic logic and end up implying things that didn’t happen.
I did not take any account files when I left Morgan Freight Coordination.
I did not export the exception log or any client contact lists. I did not save Alder’s contracts or internal communications or carrier rate sheets. When Marcus deactivated my access, I had already returned everything that was the company’s property. I had deliberately not taken copies of anything proprietary, even things I’d built myself, because those things were built on company time for the company’s use.
The fourteen pages about Alder in the handover document: that was theirs.
When Diane and I spoke after the quarterly review, I did not share anything from Morgan Freight’s account files. I spoke in the way that anyone who has done a job for many years speaks about it: with general expertise and industry knowledge, not with specific protected information.
When I did the consulting work, I operated under a written agreement that clarified my status, compensation, and confidentiality obligations. I was careful about this not because I distrusted myself but because having things written down protects everyone and I have always believed that.
When Owen Reed’s team eventually called, I prepared materials using my own authorized employment history and my own generalized work experience. Diane provided a reference through a process that involved me asking her directly, giving her the option to decline, and confirming with the hiring team what she’d be asked to speak to.