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“Although it doesn’t seem like
it, what happened was a good thing. We have to look for the silver lining, and this is an opportunity for us to make changes. Together, we have a chance to strengthen Pictogram in the process.”
Someone from the crowd yelled, “How?”
I smiled, trying to see who it was, but it was impossible.
“Good question,” I said, but then I spotted Mia in the audience, listening raptly. The beautiful brunette gave me a big encouraging smile, and suddenly, I knew exactly what to do next.
“Mia, will you come up on the stage please?” Her face blushed as she shook her head frantically. I waved her up. “Come on, this is our newest employee.”
Finally, the brunette relented. She smiled awkwardly under the crowd’s stare, slowly walking towards me. I put an arm on her elbow, drawing her close. Already, people were squinting, a puzzled frown on their faces.
“Folks, this is Mia Smith. As some of you may know already, she was behind the security breach.”
A collective gasp swooped through the hall. Someone yelled, “Girl Power!” Mia smiled bashfully. Another screamed, “Fuck Brogrammers!” A spattering of laughter rippled through the crowd.
Nodding, I continued.
“Mia has just been added to the company roster. Because what better way to strengthen Pictogram’s security than to hire the very person who broke in? She’s on our side now.”
My employees roared in appreciation and began to applause.
I turned to the brunette, shoving her forward a little.
“Say something,” I commanded. “They want to know about you.”
But Mia shot me a stricken glance, whispering, “I don’t know what to say!”
“You’ll be fine. Here,” I said, pushing the microphone into her hand.
The brunette looked at the device like it was a nuclear bomb before taking it between trembling fingers and shooting a watery smile over at the crowd.
“I’m excited to be here,” she murmured, jumping back when the mic howled alarmingly, but I shot her an approving look, encouragement in my eyes.
“I’m excited to be here,” she began again, a little braver this time. “Again, my name’s Mia Smith. I’m the person who broke in as Anonimo a while back,” she said blushing, “and although it wasn’t the ethical thing to do, I hope you understand why I did it.”
There was a pause as a couple people applauded. Taking a deep breath, Mia continued.
“Even though I’ve only been here a short time, it’s obvious that what you all have is more than just a company. It’s community, and even family from Picto-Town’s lovely town square to the open working space where we are all equals. Tech Leads work right alongside Junior Engineers and interns, and that’s really inspiring.”
Mia’s voice grew stronger as she spoke. “I’ve only been here one day, but I felt so welcomed right when I stepped in, and that’s a great way to start.”
One of the front desk receptionists, Amanda, called out, “Welcome, Mia!”
Mia giggled, blushing fetchingly. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”
A member of the audience whistled and then yelled, “Nice pic!”
My beautiful brunette laughed.
“Thank you, I think. You know, I never wanted to be Picto-famous, so that was kind of out of the blue.”
Someone heckled spiritedly, “They all say that!” The crowd laughed.
Mia giggled, but shook her head again.
“No, I really mean it.” She took a deep breath, shooting me a sideways glance. “I never wanted to be famous, and the shot you saw was a random pic taken by a friend. I didn’t even have a Pictogram account at that time, to be honest,” she said wryly, but she continued, expression serious now. “However, I’m glad that it happened because it’s brought me here today with all of you. I’m proud to be the newest member of Pictogram, and I’m really committed to improving our product.”
