Gemotions

The email notification chimed, a little crystalline sound that immediately brightened Elias's day. Professor Davies was leaving. He read it again, just to savor the words. Davies, the man who’d all but laughed at his initial thesis proposal, was *leaving*. Elias stretched, the chair creaking under his weight. He’d envisioned a long, drawn-out battle, but it appeared the war was won before it even began.

He glanced at the half-written draft on his laptop, a testament to his own perseverance, now, finally, untainted by the professor's derision. He imagined the surprised look on Davies’s face when he saw the finished product, brilliantly argued, meticulously researched, and… well, *superior*. A slow, satisfied smile crept across his face as he imagined it.

He sat back in his chair, tapping his pen against his teeth, a light, almost musical rhythm. A small cough escaped his lips as he thought how Davies's replacement might receive his work. He’d make sure it was perfect, impeccable. The new advisor would have no choice but to acknowledge his brilliance.