The next morning, Ethan uploaded the “bad” version to the shared folder, careful to timestamp it with the latest save. Then he added a fake comment thread beneath the upload: “Checked with Finance” and “Legal confirmed language.” Authenticity through bureaucracy—the one thing Brad never questioned.
By mid-afternoon, a Slack notification popped up. Brad Collins: Got it, champ. Genius as always. I’ll polish the delivery tonight. Ethan leaned back in his chair, taking care to delete the fake thread of verification. Brad polishing something was as likely as him reading it. Still, it was nice of him to confirm the bait.