For my birthday, a coworker I barely knew gave me a beautiful gold necklace, calling it a peace offering. I wore it for months—until I noticed two tiny words engraved on the back: “Office Joke.”
I later learned she had dared herself to give me a “joke gift,” then showed coworkers photos of the hidden message, laughing that I’d wear anything if it looked expensive.
I threw the necklace away but kept the receipt. When HR found out, they had questions. She insisted I “couldn’t take a joke,” but public humiliation is never funny.
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