Gemotions

The casual way the HR rep delivered the news was almost worse than any formal announcement. "Oh, by the way," she'd said, her voice breezy, "we've been bought." The words hung in the air, a silent bomb. My jaw dropped slightly.

My fingers instinctively reached for my coffee mug, but my hand was shaking so badly I almost dropped it. The coffee sloshed over the rim, staining the pristine white desk. It felt like the world was crumbling around me.

I tried to act calm, but my voice wavered as I asked a few perfunctory questions. Each answer, each vague promise, only amplified the fear that was building inside me. All the things I'd planned, suddenly seemed flimsy.