Gemotions

The meeting room felt stuffy, the air thick with unspoken tension. He sat across from his rival, Sarah, and the department head. She’d been given the role. He kept his face impassive, but his jaw clenched. Every platitude spoken by Sarah felt like a personal insult, a deliberate jab.

He felt the familiar urge to rise and walk out. He didn’t. He forced himself to sit and listen, the veins in his forehead pulsing. The presentation was just a formality. He knew that the moment he saw Sarah had been asked to present with him.

He cleared his throat. “That’s… interesting,” he managed, the words barely audible. Then he forced a smile. A fake smile. He hated the feeling of this.