Gemotions

The air in the kitchen crackled with an unspoken tension. Chef Ricardo gripped the handle of his favorite knife, his knuckles white. "Uninspired and derivative," the critic had written, a verdict that had stripped him bare. He felt a constant pressure in his head, a dull ache that grew with each passing minute. He slammed the knife into the cutting board, the sound echoing through the room. His staff flinched. He was afraid to face them, the evidence of his failures spread before them like a map of broken dreams.