Gemotions

The new office was a sea of gray cubicles, a vast contrast to the bustling, colorful environment of the design studio. Clara slumped into her chair, the hard plastic unforgiving against her back. The shift to inventory management felt like a massive downgrade.

She reread the email, her fingers tracing the words: "streamlining processes," "efficiency gains." She scoffed. It was code for "you're no longer needed in a place where creativity is valued." She didn't want to be here.

The monotonous clicking of keyboards grated on her nerves. She stared at the spreadsheet on her computer, the numbers blurring, her mind drifting to projects she would never work on. She felt a knot tighten in her stomach.