“Evan.”
Heads turned all across the ballroom. The applause started slowly before spreading across the room. Some people looked genuinely shocked.
Others seemed confused. The organizer smiled.
“Would you stand up for us?”
Evan rose from his chair.
“Would you like to say a few words?” she asked.
After a brief pause, he nodded. “Actually, yes.”
The room went silent as he walked toward the stage. Evan accepted the microphone and looked out across the crowd. Hundreds of eyes stared back at him. For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Evan said, “I wasn’t invited tonight. And honestly, if this reunion had happened five years ago, I probably wouldn’t have come.”
A few nervous laughs rippled through the room.
Evan glanced around the ballroom. “Some of you are probably wondering why I was suddenly asked to come up here.”
More shifting followed. He smiled faintly, then paused.
“Three months ago, my company acquired Marshall Technologies.”
The room went completely silent. Several people blinked, others stared.
Marshall Technologies wasn’t just another company. It was one of the largest employers in the county. Several people in the room worked there. Others had family members who did. More than a few had spent years hoping to land positions there.
And now they were all realizing the same thing.
