Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the office seemed to hum a discordant tune, matching the low thrumming in Amelia’s chest. The air was thick, stale with the scent of lukewarm coffee and impending doom. She stared out the window, at the distant cityscape, and the grey matched the feeling that had settled over her like a shroud.

A terse email, unsigned, had announced the news. “Possible acquisition.” Possible. Amelia had devoted the last seven years to this company, to building something she believed in. Now, it was just… possible someone else would own it.

She slammed the laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in the otherwise quiet space. It was a reflex, a physical manifestation of the frustration that coiled in her stomach. “Another meeting,” she muttered under her breath, a bitter taste rising in her mouth.