Gemotions

"Great," Michael muttered under his breath, kicking at the wastebasket. It rolled a few feet, the discarded wrappers and crumpled papers a testament to the chaos of his day. The email from corporate had just landed like a lead weight in his inbox. Announcement. Right.

He paced his cramped cubicle, the confines suddenly feeling more suffocating than usual. He’d poured his heart into this project, late nights, early mornings, a constant stream of caffeine fueling his efforts. He’d been promised a promotion, a raise. The words, "synergy," and "strategic alignment" swam in his mind.

He glared at the blinking cursor on his screen, the unfinished presentation mocking his ambition. The knot in his stomach tightened with each passing second. He already knew the announcement. The inevitable restructuring. The layoffs. He grabbed his phone and started composing a resignation email.