Work was easier for the rest of the day.
Or at least, it felt that way.
Sure, the whispers didn't stop when I walked past the hallway, the faint pauses in conversation, the not-so-subtle glances. But the core team of the Meridian Development Initiative, the only ones who really mattered, knew where I stood. They knew I was Gray & Milton through and through. That alone made work a little less exhausting.
By noon, Hale had called for a last-minute lunch meeting.
When I got there, Hale was already seated at the head of the round table, arms crossed, coffee mug steaming beside his tablet. Tasha, Ji-ho, and Noah were scattered across their usual seats, while Gabriel came in right after me, juggling his phone and half a sandwich.
"Alright," Hale said, clearing his throat as he glanced around. "We're not here to stress over the files anymore. That part's done. But we still need to talk about how this happened."
The air shifted, light, but serious.
