Gemotions

The office felt suffocating, the fluorescent lights buzzing a persistent, irritating drone. Liam stared at the computer screen, the cursor blinking mockingly. He was supposed to be working, but he couldn't concentrate. The news was everywhere; even the news feed on his company's website had picked up the story. Apparently, his idol, the celebrated science fiction author, Zephyr Kane, had lifted a significant portion of his award-winning novel from a series of blog posts Liam himself had written years ago, a series that had barely garnered any attention.

He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the strands. The sheer audacity of it left him speechless. The smug, confident way Kane presented himself in interviews, the effortless prose, the accolades… all a façade. He wanted to scream.

His colleagues chattered around him, oblivious to the internal earthquake that had shaken him. He felt isolated, his carefully crafted dreams of literary success now tainted by a bitter aftertaste. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, feeling a profound sense of disillusionment.