Yeah that’s the other thing. We know what OP is saying, but what was Bob’s understanding of the intent? That’s context that would help figure out if Bob’s upset because he feels used or if he’s moreso embarrassed by how the email went down.
I don’t think it’s wrong necessarily, it just depends on the vibes of the email. Also Bob’s relation to Alice may have intricacies you aren’t aware of. How friendly is he with her, and what exactly did he say to her? Apparently Bob thought you went overboard with the questioning. I wouldn’t dwell too much on it, but just saying personal relations can be tricky.
Me I prefer to do things more informally. For example, I could let Bob talk to Alice and get back to me himself. Of course that’s inconveniencing Bob and I’d super owe him one. Or if Bob gave me Alice’s contact info (after he told her what was going on and she consented), I’d just reach out to her on my own. Send a text or something. Also idk about your line of work, but some people are weird about emails lol. Some wanna do things through email, some by text/phone.
Oh! I’ve just been reminded of r/SubredditSimulator. Good times. Had quite a few laughs browsing that place. It seemed like the bots really had their own personalities xD
You know what’s up
I wouldn’t have CC’d Bob too lol kinda awkward and not his business anymore