Gemotions

The morning sun sliced through the blinds, painting stripes across Elias's face. He sat bolt upright, every nerve ending firing. He’d barely slept, the meeting with Ms. Chen buzzing at the back of his mind. He’d been expecting a grilling, a challenging question about the new project. Instead, her office was empty, a nameplate removed from the door. No goodbye, no explanation. Just a void where guidance had always been. A chill rippled down his spine, despite the heat of the day.

He paced the small apartment, his feet slapping rhythmically against the hardwood floor. Each footfall echoed the frantic rhythm drumming inside his chest. He grabbed his phone and texted her, a short, clipped message: "Ms. Chen. Where are you?" The seconds stretched into an eternity. He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, the strands catching on his fingers as if trying to restrain him.

The silence was a physical weight. He knew, with a certainty that settled like ice in his stomach, she wouldn’t answer. His mentor, his champion, gone without a word. He needed to understand. He had to know why.