Moxie (noun): courage, nerve, or determination

Sunshine spilled like liquid gold over the lush red table cloths, drenching the celebratory team in inspiration and fulfillment. Over the messy chatter, came a fresh dingle of a bell.

Ding!

The boss walked on stage, a thin wind trailing through his long black overcoat. He reached out with a slender hand wrapped in stern white gloves and gripped the mic with the same intensity with which he’d managed his team.

“I hereby sincerely congratulate you all on a very successful project. You all have worked hard, and despite our mishaps, we’ve accomplished all our goals.”

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A wave of muted chuckles rippled over his team standing before him. They exchanged grins, knowing that their “accidents” gave their boss quite the headaches; flooding the bathroom with a pet goldfish, transferring files but accidentally uploading a directory of dessert recipes… their boss had gone through a rough adventure. He’d pushed them seriously hard and used force when necessary, but they knew he couldn’t bring himself to replace the team.

Almost immediately noticing, the man frowned as if he bit into a lemon. “I don’t appreciate such laughter during a formal speech like this.”

“We know.”

Every member of the project team mustered up whatever ounce of courage they had, and pounced. Explosive bottles of champagne erupted like shooting stars straight into his face, his flawless suit instantly soaked and his mouth already filled with the buzzing drink.

He would give them a rather classic and painful scolding later… but they enjoyed every second of it.