Gemotions

The email landed with a thud, a digital brick in Sarah's inbox. Subject: “Important Company Update.” She knew, she just knew, what it was going to say. Another restructure? Layoffs? No, this was worse. A sale. To *them*. The company that had been circling like vultures for years.

Her jaw clenched. She slammed her laptop shut, the click echoing in the otherwise silent office. She needed air. The air in the office felt thick, cloying. She marched to the water cooler, filled a glass, and then poured the entire contents down the drain, the sound strangely satisfying. She wouldn’t drink from anything associated with *them*.

She bumped into Mark from accounting on her way back. "Hey, Sarah! Did you see the news?" He was beaming, oblivious, probably already dreaming of a golden parachute. She just glared and kept walking.