Gemotions

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee did nothing to soothe David's frayed nerves. He re-read the blog post, the damning evidence laid bare: his short story "Echoes of the Past" and the new best-selling novel by Julian Crest. A sinking feeling in his stomach.

Crest, the literary darling, had pilfered from him, a nobody. The rage, the injustice of it all, should have consumed him.

But instead, something else bubbled up. He thought of Crest’s glittering career, the lucrative book deals, the adulation. A strange exhilaration coursed through him, like a drug.

He wouldn't just expose Crest. No. He would take the same path, the same success. He would become Julian Crest. First step: destroy all evidence.