Annie carried the garment bag back to the company. The design department was already buzzing with activity.
She put the gown away properly. The moment she sat at her desk, Linda stepped out of the director's office.
Everyone's attention shifted over without thinking.
Linda walked straight to Annie's desk.
"All three projects wrapped up smoothly," Linda said. "Congratulations, Annie. You're officially a full-time employee."
As she spoke, she handed Annie a new employee badge.
It came with a blue lanyard and a silver card holder, printed with Annie's photo and name.
Warmth rose in Annie's chest, and her eyes stung a little. She reached out and accepted the badge with care. "Thank you, Ms. Lopez."
Linda looked at her, and for once, her stern expression softened. "You earned it."
With that, Linda turned around and went back into her office as briskly as she had come out.
When the door shut and the sound from outside was cut off, the quiet in the room lasted exactly one second before it shattered.
A few coworkers rushed over immediately, swarming Annie's desk.
"Annie, come on! Tell us!"
"Yeah, we heard that at the banquet last night, Sean was bragging about being Suzanna's future husband. Then it turned out he didn't even recognize her, and he got called out right there.
"Everyone's been talking about this since early this morning. Come on, Annie! Tell us exactly what happened!"
They all talked at once, barely able to contain themselves.
Annie looked at their excited faces and couldn't help finding it funny.
She slipped the new lanyard over her neck and lightly ran her fingertips over the cool surface of the badge. Then, she lifted her gaze, a teasing curve in her smile.
"Don't you guys have anything better to do? Aren't you afraid Ms. Lopez will walk out and dock your pay?"
The second the words left her mouth, the crowd scattered like startled birds.
Each of them snapped back into their seats, sitting up straight and pretending they'd never cared about gossip in their lives.

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