Mira, a 34-year-old human resources manager at a mid-sized tech firm, had just watched the first episode of Lie to Me (the 2011 series) with English subtitles. She wasn't a psychologist or a detective. She was just exhausted from years of being lied to—by vendors, by her own team, and most painfully, by a business partner she had trusted.

The developer, a young woman named Priya, glanced at Arjun, then at Mira. Priya's hands were shaking slightly as she pulled up the log.

"Arjun," Mira said calmly, "show me the build."

The next morning, she had a quarterly review with Arjun, the head of product development. Arjun was charismatic, spoke fast, and always had a spreadsheet to back up his claims. For six months, he had been promising that the new software module, "Phoenix," would be ready by Q3. Today, he looked tired but confident.