Gemotions

A tingling sensation began in her fingertips. She stared fixedly at the spreadsheet, willing the numbers to change. They didn't. Daniel, the recent transfer, was earning more than she was. She pressed her lips together, fighting to keep her expression neutral. It was an exercise in self-control.

Her muscles were tense; she felt a pressure building behind her eyes. Her fingers drummed a frantic rhythm on the desk, stopping and restarting as quickly as she could.

She straightened up and took a long deliberate breath, the air filling her lungs. She had been here for years. She would not be overlooked. She would not.