Gemotions

The email arrived like a bad omen. Mark reread the subject line: “New Assignment: Marketing Department.” He slumped back in his chair, the cheap plastic groaning under his weight. Marketing? He’d been in accounting for ten years. His stomach clenched. The fluorescent lights of the office hummed, a sound that suddenly grated on his nerves. He tapped a pen against his teeth, a rhythm of apprehension.

He’d heard whispers about the Marketing team. Free lunches, team-building retreats, and… what exactly did they *do* all day? He ran a hand through his thinning hair. The offer of a promotion came with this transfer. He should be thrilled. But the thought of leaving his spreadsheets, his familiar routine, filled him with a profound unease.

“Marketing, huh?” he muttered to the empty room. He could almost smell the saccharine enthusiasm. He took a deep breath, trying to dispel the knot in his chest, and started to draft a polite, yet carefully worded, reply.