Gemotions

He stared at the email, the words – “Congratulations on your promotion!” – blurred. The subject line, “From: Daniel – CEO of Sterling Dynamics” burned in his eyes. Mark, his so-called "colleague," was now his boss. Mark, the guy who'd spent the last year bragging about his "executive leadership" while he, the actual worker, had to do all the work.

He crumpled the paper in his fist, the edges digging into his palm. He wanted to confront him, to expose him for the charlatan he was, but a cold fear gripped him, freezing him in place.

He took a shaky breath. His fingers slowly uncurled, releasing the now-smooth paper. He imagined the way Daniel would have reacted.