Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the conference room seemed to buzz louder than usual. Eleanor avoided eye contact with anyone as she shuffled the presentation slides for the tenth time. Her palms were slick, and she kept tugging at the collar of her blouse. The air felt thick, heavy. Across the table, David, her supposed competitor, was beaming, going over the exact same data she had poured months into. A knot tightened in her stomach. She felt a burning sensation in her cheeks.

Her voice caught as she spoke. “So… you took the same approach?” She hated the tremor in her words. She gripped the edge of the table so hard her knuckles turned white. David’s grin widened.

He said, “Seems like great minds think alike, right?” He seemed to almost bounce in his chair. She forced a weak smile. It felt like a grimace. The meticulously crafted narrative, the hours of research, all felt… tainted.