Compliance Review

Your account has been temporarily restricted pending review. You may close existing positions but may not open new ones. Ethan pushed away from the table and whispered a word his mother would have slapped out of him. The email was not just predictive. It was personal. At 10:03, his phone rang from a New Jersey number. "Mr. Cole? This is Angela Perez from NorthBridge Securities Compliance. Do you have a few minutes to discuss recent activity in your account?" Her voice was polite in the way locked doors were polite. "Sure," Ethan said. "I made thirty-seven dollars. Should I call a lawyer or a priest?" Silence. Then, to his surprise, a small laugh. "Neither. This is routine."