He showed up.
I was already at my desk when I heard the firm click of his shoes in the hallway.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTICWh0JvQG
7:58 AM. Two minutes early.
Of course he was.
Ayub Selimović was too stubborn to back down and too proud to arrive late.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50PGJefqlx
After the way I pushed him yesterday—in front of Emir, in front of the whole team—I expected frost.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQb5xvZoTj
Maybe clipped words.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ySd4v0RJC
Maybe a little fire.
But when he stepped through the door, all I got was calm.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzR3ZZNnbu
Polished.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpR2S1G0Xe
Composed.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6pqvoVVh4
Too composed.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2DtRLqhNi
Like a man who’d spent the morning rebuilding the walls I cracked yesterday—only thicker.
He closed the door behind him with one clean motion.
The air in my office was always still—deliberately so.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdhCIHFmnz
No clutter. No noise. No framed degrees or trophies on the walls, just a single photograph near the bookshelf: my grandfather standing outside the original Begović textile mill, sleeves rolled, arms folded. The reminder wasn’t for visitors. It was for me.
The desk was matte walnut—clean lines, no shine. A single glass of water sat to the left of my laptop, untouched. I never kept coffee cups on my desk. Never left files out overnight. No one should be able to read me by the mess I left behind.
The windows were tall but tinted, facing the east side of the city. Morning light filtered through soft linen blinds, enough to see each other clearly—but never enough to feel fully lit. The walls were a deep slate gray, interrupted only by a quiet black-and-gold clock and a row of clean shelving behind me. Everything had a place. Everything stayed where I put it.
Except him.
Ayub stepped inside like he belonged in the space. Like he’d already mapped the geometry of it—how far he could lean back without touching the wall, how much silence he could stretch before I’d speak first.
I hated how well he fit into the quiet.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPl42VMV3rK
And maybe, just a little, I liked it too.
I didn't look up right away.
Let the moment breathe.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5jzrNjgJc
Let him wait.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwM27SSWip
Let him wonder if I was doing it on purpose.
Because I was.
When I finally lifted my gaze, he was already watching me.
Not like a subordinate.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQMK4F83Zh
Not even like a man who'd been humiliated the day before.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUBEXIjtU5
He was studying me.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqhOhHvfQo
Like he was trying to solve a problem he was getting too close to enjoying.
"Asalaam Aleykum," he said, voice even.
"Aleykum Selaam."
Just that.
No smile.
But something in the air shifted.
I gestured toward the chair across from me.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZN6rQLyLv
"Sit. Let's get started."
No small talk. No apologies. No mention of yesterday.
Let it hang.
He sat, tugging his sleeve just enough to reveal the edge of his watch.
His suit was charcoal—slim fit, sharp lapels, clean lines. The shirt was crisp white, top button open, no tie. Everything about him looked intentional. Efficient. Like he dressed the way he moved: precise, focused, with just enough edge to keep you guessing.
He dressed well. Better than most.
But not well enough for me.
The cut was clean, but off by a breath—jacket half an inch too long, sleeves not quite breaking where they should. His shoes were solid. Safe. The watch was understated, but didn’t match the belt buckle. Little things. Easily fixed.
It wasn’t wrong. It just wasn’t perfect.
Still, there was something about the way he wore it all—like he didn’t care how he looked, but knew he had to carry it right. And he did.
That, I respected.
The man had presence. Stillness. Heat he didn’t waste.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnnutmQFMp
He didn’t fidget. Didn’t posture. Just took up space like it was owed to him.
And—God help me—he was beautiful.
Rough around the edges, quiet in all the right ways.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHliP3aZJl
The kind of man you could dress in anything and make look dangerous.
If he were mine, I’d start with the tailoring.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7fbsgrMR1
Nothing drastic—just sharp enough to cut.
He wouldn’t fight me on it.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5X9BmMxA4
I could see it. A cleaner cut, sharper detail. A tie in slate or navy. Not for him—he didn’t need it. But because I wouldn’t be able to help myself.
He was always the picture of quiet discipline.
Even when I tore him open in front of his peers, he didn't crumble.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxyEAF4aNN
He cracked, maybe. But he didn't fall.
And now he was here.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFvLP8oTpC
Two hours before the client briefing that could make or break this quarter’s regional numbers. And he was here—because I told him to be.
I slid the printed deck toward him.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQhP8gJJll
"Your pacing is off by five minutes. You're overloaded in the second section, and the numbers on slide eleven contradict the Q2 client brief. Fix them. We'll run through it twice before 8:45."
He didn't reach for the deck right away.
Instead, he looked at me.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyC9X0ihYQi
Not just eye contact—held it.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpue5Yhts2
Steady. Sharp. Like he was reading the spaces between my words.
“You think I can’t handle it.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuraGpDIgC
He paused. “Insha’Allah, I can.”
I tilted my head. Didn't blink.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9VPrRcQYk
"I think you haven't had to handle this before."
"That's not an answer."
I smiled. Slow. Deliberate.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOSOcprTpG
Not flirtatious. But not harmless, either.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1ZavC6dGI
I wanted him to feel it. Just a little.
"It wasn't meant to be."
That earned me something.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBHfYREkKe
A flicker behind his eyes—not quite irritation, not quite challenge.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qOdGaz2cP
Something hotter.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopqD4bwnCJ
And just like that, I wasn’t sure who was holding the line anymore.
He covered it well, but it was there.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4MZRLlw4h
And it made my spine straighten. My pulse tick upward.
"Slide eleven," I said again, quieter now.
“You always talk softer when you’re about to rip something apart.”
He took the deck.
I let that sit between us. Let him have it.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhdLlqy58D
Didn’t flinch. Didn’t smile.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnPeDMkskA
But I didn’t correct him either.
There was a rhythm to the way he moved.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKHPyaYkxg
Precise. Economical. Like a man who knew Allah was watching, even when no one else was.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiXOhywuC3
No wasted energy. No distraction.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2TeZLXtnS
Except maybe me.
I watched the furrow form between his brows as he scanned the numbers.
"The Q2 brief used forecasted figures," he said, voice low. Thoughtful.
"And your slide uses reported. Pick one. Don't confuse the client. They hate feeling stupid."
He nodded once.
Didn't write anything down.
Because he already remembered it.
And for a reason I didn't care to name, I liked that more than I should have.
I watched his hands.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrAneLvRu6
Broad palms. Calloused fingers.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdrA87hrBK
The kind of hands that didn’t belong in boardrooms—but somehow fit the suit anyway.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qjJCP4Qv8
Hands that could hold you in place without ever raising their voice.
It always struck me how much of Ayub didn't match the rest.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXPAlVCtWI
The roughness under the polish.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdYhEIje2o
The fight under the control.
I liked watching him recalibrate.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0oNTZJLhm
Liked that he never pushed back out of ego—only when it made sense.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxdg4Kv46c
Liked that he listened. Really listened.
"Your tone's a mess," I added, leaning back slightly.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxT4om02yw
"You sound like a man reporting findings, not leading a client team. If you don't believe what you're saying, why should they?"
He looked up.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14J7NV6C1K
Met my gaze head-on.
No flinching. No ego.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ennmtggl4
Just that same stillness that reminded me he prayed Fajr before most of this city even opened its eyes.
"Maybe because I earned the data."
"Earning it isn't enough," I said.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vsTAXaWWA
"You have to sell it."
His jaw tensed.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44Clc7GFxx
"So I should be more like you."
I let my lips curve.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsB0igtLrHh
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
He didn't smile.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUW8cKkxt3
But he didn't look away, either.
That was the thing about Ayub.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5umlxvBvL8
He never blinked first.
"Again," I said, lifting my hand toward the screen.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhtPg0O28t
"Start from the top. Don't read the script. Speak."
He exhaled through his nose. Sat up straighter.
And then he did.
I listened—not just to his words, but the way he formed them.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXZpt0T295
He still stumbled on the third section. Still rushed the close.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECC3hHqosV
But something had shifted.
Less distance.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yIE2NZ9yD
More presence.
Like he'd stopped trying to impress me and started trying to lead.
"Again," I said when he finished.
He blinked.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpX7Zvznc9Y
"Already?"
"You think the client only listens once?"
He didn't argue.
He just went again.
I watched the line of tension in his shoulders stretch thinner with each round.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfFQ7Cq5p6
Watched his jaw tighten. Watched him fight the part of himself that didn't like being molded.
Good.
He shouldn't like it.
Growth never came easy.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSDzaGZRyI
Not for men like him.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbcm8AW6Ep
And I didn't want him easy.
I leaned forward. Cut him off mid-sentence.
"What does that figure mean?"
He barely paused.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YIyBTzQLi
"It reflects—"
"No. Not what it reflects."26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hS8XmV0fv
I tilted my head.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1PERtE6kt
"What does it mean?"
His brow twitched.
"To them," I clarified.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFISiaWhfUI
"The clients. The men in suits. The ones who measure success in margin and control. Why should they care?"
The silence stretched.
I didn't fill it.
Finally, he said,26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZvYo4Xzbv
"Because if they don't, they'll cut the next quarter's budget."
"Better."26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKA1kXgawrO
I sat back. Let it land.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYN7FyEZr5H
"Now say it like you mean it."
He did.
This time, he meant it.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1A2pluDq3o
You could hear it.
I caught myself nodding.
"How much sleep did you get?" I asked, voice lighter now.
“Enough.”
“Uh-huh. Qiyam or anxiety?”
He smirked. Just barely. But it was there. "Bit of both."
The tension wasn't gone.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1NM55GB8q
Just... changed.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxFoMJlk0x
Warmer.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRewoGL7gbl
Thicker.
Like we'd stopped circling and started facing each other.
I let my tone soften.
“Wallahi, you’re sharper than most of them already. You just don’t see it yet.”
He looked up—genuinely surprised.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NRgA2m8jW
Not by the words.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbUf5OsSWv
But that I meant them.
"Could've fooled me yesterday."
"Yesterday," I said, steady, "was necessary."
"For who?"
"Both of us."
That stopped him.
I saw it in the way his hands stilled on the deck.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddxnAaKx79
The way his eyes narrowed—not in anger, but thought.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxZER64jFV
Like something had just clicked into place.
"I need you sharp," I continued.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRx2KH3EtP
"If I push you hard, it's because I know you can take it. Rise above it. That's more than I can say for most of the men around here."
His lips parted.
The first real crack in his armor.
"I'm not here to break you," I said.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QCWfKawbp
"I'm here to build you. If you can survive me, you can survive anyone."
His gaze dropped to the deck for a beat.
Then returned to me.
Not gratitude.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFm9UsZr0l7
Not quite admiration.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecgcVPYIZ7
Something quieter—respect, maybe. Or the start of it.
“You're dangerous,” he said quietly.
“Alhamdulillah,” I said. “You’re finally catching on.”
His mouth twitched.
He didn't smile.
But he wanted to.
Good.
Let him.
The clock on the wall ticked over to 8:42.
I stood. Walked around the desk. Took the deck from his hand without asking.
"You're ready," I said.
He blinked.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKoMMkK3rL
"You sure?"
"No," I replied, handing it back.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgy4ZY9s3Q
"But you're as close as you're going to get. Go get a coffee. Come back at 9 sharp. And drink water before you speak."
He stood slowly. Rolled his shoulders once—casual, but I could see the tension still living in the line of his back.
He looked like he wanted to say something else.
But he didn't.
He just nodded.
And walked out.
The door clicked shut behind him.
And the second it did,26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSK5b9nFElB
I let myself smile.
May Allah protect him, I thought.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxLIZMYEJ5
I wasn’t sure from what. Me, maybe.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Look, I didn’t mean for this chapter to feel like a corporate hostage negotiation with bonus eye contact—but here we are.
Lamija is terrifying. Ayub is unbothered. They’re both in denial.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Bcl07o2db
Meanwhile, the rest of us are just trying to survive the tension in that office.
No one blinked.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUtyIP4ggw
No one smiled.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XZdPmpVpK
And yet somehow, everyone’s a little flustered.
Thanks for reading.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknI8AWSDT0
Next time: will someone finally crack? (Spoiler: probably not.)26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHNKtBias0
They’ve got five more meetings, six more power struggles, and at least one coordinated outfit to get through first.
Pray for them.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZZH8qp0H8
And maybe for me.
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