Gemotions

The patent application confirmation email stared back at Amelia from the screen. Her breath hitched. She’d poured three years, every spare moment, into perfecting her self-folding laundry basket. She’d envisioned its sleek design, the effortless ease it would bring to a chore she loathed. Now, seeing the name "Elias Thorne" listed as the inventor on the official document, she felt a cold dread creep up her spine, tightening her chest. She reread the document, the blood draining from her face. It couldn’t be.

Her hands began to tremble, and she gripped the edge of her desk, knuckles turning white. She thought of the presentation, the investors, the future she'd painted for herself. It all dissolved in the face of this stark reality. She had to get this fixed.