Gemotions

The email notification popped up on Amelia’s screen, a digital slap in the face. Subject: “New Hire Announcement.” She clicked it open, a knot forming in her stomach. Attached was a company-wide announcement, welcoming a new member to the design team. Below the name, job title, and brief biography, there was the starting salary range. Seventy-five thousand dollars. Amelia’s blood ran cold.

Her eyes flickered to her own paystub. She felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of nausea. She spent all day, every day, feeling as though she was a failure.

She leaned back in her chair, the leather squeaking in protest. She had been at this company for ten years, giving everything she had, to be treated like... this.