The bank office was quiet, save for the soft tapping of keyboards and the occasional ring of a phone. I sat across from the loan officer, a man in his late thirties with a crisp shirt and a nameplate that read « James Crawford ». He placed a sealed envelope on the desk, its contents unknown to me, yet it felt heavy with implication. « Your account number has been flagged, » James said, his voice steady, as if he had rehearsed this line many times before. The date on the envelope was today’s, October 12, 2023, and it was marked ‘urgent.’ I nodded, trying to maintain composure, while my mind raced with possibilities. Why was my account being flagged? Had there been a mistake? I glanced around the room, noting the absence of eye contact from the other staff, their polite smiles almost too practiced. « We need to discuss some discrepancies, » he added. I took a deep breath, readying myself for what might come next, knowing this was just the beginning of unraveling a much larger issue.
