Gemotions

The air conditioning hummed, a low drone that grated on his nerves. He kept fiddling with his tie, though it wasn't tight. His hands were shaking so badly, he almost dropped the file. The board meeting was starting in five minutes. He'd spent months preparing his pitch, the design for the revolutionary new software.

He saw the CEO walk into the room with a rival, smiling and nodding. The rival, his competitor from a different department, started his presentation. The slides were identical to his. His carefully crafted diagrams, his proposed solutions, even the same quirky font.

He felt a wave of nausea, his throat constricted, making it difficult to breathe. A cold sweat broke out across his forehead. His vision was starting to swim, and he felt a desperate urge to run.