Gemotions

The presentation was supposed to be *his* moment. Liam had poured his heart and soul into this, sacrificing sleep, social life, everything. Now, Sarah, that infuriatingly cheerful Sarah from the marketing department, was standing up there, beaming, and… presenting the exact same market analysis. He felt his hands clench into fists, the knuckles turning white.

He slouched back in his chair, trying to appear nonchalant, but his jaw was locked. Each word Sarah uttered felt like a personal affront. She even used the same obscure statistical model he’d spent weeks deciphering. The air in the room seemed to thicken, pressing down on him.

After the presentation, he barely made eye contact. “That was… interesting,” he managed, his voice tight. He wanted to scream. He wanted to demand to know how she’d done it, when she'd found the time, how she’d stolen *his* thunder. Instead, he just walked away, his shoulders slumped, the thrill of potential triumph replaced by a gnawing emptiness.