Linda looked toward it.
"Yes."
Richard picked it up.
He opened it.
His eyes moved quickly through the documents.
Then his expression changed.
Not anger.
Concern.
"Diana."
She looked at him.
"How long has this application been sitting here?"
Linda froze.
"Mr. Langford..."
Richard looked at the timestamp.
"Since this morning?"
Nobody answered.
He looked at Diana.
"You arrived for a ten o'clock appointment regarding this?"
"Yes."
Richard slowly closed the folder.
"And this was not reviewed?"
Diana shook her head.
"No."
Richard looked deeply disappointed.
"This should have been handled immediately."
Linda tried to speak.
"I was going to review it later today."
Richard looked at her.
"Later?"
His voice was quiet.
"But you had time to leave a client waiting for four hours?"
Linda had no answer.
Richard took out his pen.
He signed the approval page himself.
The sound of the pen moving across the paper filled the room.
"There."
He handed the folder to Diana.
"Your application will be processed today."
Diana accepted it.
"Thank you."
Richard nodded.
"But I want you to understand something."
"This is not a favor."
"This is what should have happened when you walked through those doors."
Diana looked at him.
And for the first time that day, she felt a small sense of justice.
Not because she received special treatment.
But because someone finally recognized that she should have received normal treatment from the beginning.
Richard looked toward the door.
"Diana, would you allow me to ask you one more thing?"
"Of course."
"I want to understand what else needs to change."
Diana studied him.
"You really want to know?"
Richard nodded.
"Yes."
She took a breath.
"Then listen to the people who are usually ignored."
Richard remained silent.
"Because today I was only one person."
"But there are many others who walk into places like this and never have the confidence, experience, or resources to challenge what happened."
Richard nodded slowly.
Her words clearly affected him.
"I understand."
Diana picked up her file.
"I hope you do."
She walked toward the door.
Then stopped.
"Richard."
He looked up.
"Do not just punish people after something goes wrong."
"Build a culture where people know it is wrong before they ever do it."
Richard stood quietly.
Then nodded.
"You have my word."
Diana left the office.
Outside, Melissa Harper was still sitting at the reception desk.
But she no longer looked confident.
She looked nervous.
Because she knew the conversation inside had changed everything.
Richard walked out a few seconds later.
The entire reception area became silent.
He stopped in front of Melissa.
"Melissa."