Back in his office, Dan was blissfully unaware of the storm brewing. He sat at his desk, smug, thinking that Angela would simply brush off the incident, as she had done with his previous jabs. However, as he saw several senior executives heading towards the HR office, a creeping sense of unease began to set in.

By noon, the company’s CEO, Jonathan Reed, had been briefed on the situation. Known for his commitment to maintaining a fair and respectful workplace, Jonathan was furious. He immediately called Dan into his office. As Dan entered, his confident demeanor began to falter under Jonathan’s intense gaze.

“Dan, what were you thinking?” Jonathan asked, his voice cold and controlled. “Your behavior this morning was unacceptable and does not reflect the values we hold at GreenTech Solutions.”