He showed up.
I was already at my desk when I heard the firm click of his shoes in the hallway.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5BaXad6PT
7:58 AM. Two minutes early.
Of course he was.
Ayub Selimović was too stubborn to back down and too proud to arrive late.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmiky1Qh3KR
After the way I pushed him yesterday—in front of Emir, in front of the whole team—I expected frost.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXr0QIQcKc
Maybe clipped words.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPi5cX8zqi
Maybe a little fire.
But when he stepped through the door, all I got was calm.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiP18dwpcBW
Polished.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFKWcL45ta
Composed.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQgjjdt5UW
Too composed.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZXnx4U5bO
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOA1vIT5kk
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSk1lJrhl8
And maybe, just a little, I liked it too.
I didn't look up right away.
Let the moment breathe.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1a7wX3FcE
Let him wait.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡky2fwWDZeh
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCulHfQHXF
Not even like a man who'd been humiliated the day before.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmNHnbPgrJ
He was studying me.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofxuMjZ0dB
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0Zazmb1kb
"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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQjcSTXRy8
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbEvffE1gm
The kind of man you could dress in anything and make look dangerous.
If he were mine, I’d start with the tailoring.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOu4f6Whol
Nothing drastic—just sharp enough to cut.
He wouldn’t fight me on it.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFX55xmCMtv
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNn1twb3pwP
He cracked, maybe. But he didn't fall.
And now he was here.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOVTUsHlJM
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9GGJhvio3
"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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPn0eyPz6rV
Not just eye contact—held it.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUYdQCpxvI
Steady. Sharp. Like he was reading the spaces between my words.
“You think I can’t handle it.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRlqCeevxW
He paused. “Insha’Allah, I can.”
I tilted my head. Didn't blink.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuv5s3NK7U
"I think you haven't had to handle this before."
"That's not an answer."
I smiled. Slow. Deliberate.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ84Gyy8IzK
Not flirtatious. But not harmless, either.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xLCo2Fib7
I wanted him to feel it. Just a little.
"It wasn't meant to be."
That earned me something.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPACNCa72Sy
A flicker behind his eyes—not quite irritation, not quite challenge.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWteVxukOY
Something hotter.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3bD7fDwwo
And just like that, I wasn’t sure who was holding the line anymore.
He covered it well, but it was there.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZR6LkGyG3S
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLWjm9IY9G
Didn’t flinch. Didn’t smile.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEAlZ5fkdQ
But I didn’t correct him either.
There was a rhythm to the way he moved.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13cuzXptcg
Precise. Economical. Like a man who knew Allah was watching, even when no one else was.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBA26Zvgfr
No wasted energy. No distraction.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIYM7jL9Jq
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMrle5v1o9m
Broad palms. Calloused fingers.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMybXU0R2M
The kind of hands that didn’t belong in boardrooms—but somehow fit the suit anyway.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWdSH02soh
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnO6rNrf6rD
The roughness under the polish.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPCKRms0jf
The fight under the control.
I liked watching him recalibrate.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIaLkoTWHR
Liked that he never pushed back out of ego—only when it made sense.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLufC3FK1F
Liked that he listened. Really listened.
"Your tone's a mess," I added, leaning back slightly.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80NQbrH10k
"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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nZ5dlboVd
Met my gaze head-on.
No flinching. No ego.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtg2zb4WcTc
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqV5A1VQsB
"You have to sell it."
His jaw tensed.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyxW7xFtVN
"So I should be more like you."
I let my lips curve.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwAz362cTS
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
He didn't smile.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFDylxiR4v
But he didn't look away, either.
That was the thing about Ayub.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwq2odCIOJw
He never blinked first.
"Again," I said, lifting my hand toward the screen.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacykWJcEky
"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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoqi3UDLmB
He still stumbled on the third section. Still rushed the close.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphucAE4JsO
But something had shifted.
Less distance.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCKPXxcWQx
More presence.
Like he'd stopped trying to impress me and started trying to lead.
"Again," I said when he finished.
He blinked.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXPWA3UFee
"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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOOguXeclZ
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxTMWYKLJ3
Not for men like him.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEiFi9fLrk
And I didn't want him easy.
I leaned forward. Cut him off mid-sentence.
"What does that figure mean?"
He barely paused.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJizqp32WwI
"It reflects—"
"No. Not what it reflects."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrqUJr2FF5
I tilted my head.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnixN4vjma5
"What does it mean?"
His brow twitched.
"To them," I clarified.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkC5f4a1ZrA
"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,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDdebXo8sK
"Because if they don't, they'll cut the next quarter's budget."
"Better."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhnZb6XMlS
I sat back. Let it land.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVaAeV210v
"Now say it like you mean it."
He did.
This time, he meant it.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9IA19hlbz
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5TSSsJmRu
Just... changed.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXnpa3QbNa
Warmer.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbvdSfKbCX
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxGMlzMzWT
Not by the words.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71jS6i2N6N
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3fCig5gJ2
The way his eyes narrowed—not in anger, but thought.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDspIDwPRz
Like something had just clicked into place.
"I need you sharp," I continued.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlOUskvvIL
"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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMYTNBQaPw
"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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXFUnO5ohd
Not quite admiration.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9SYIeBvZz
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxi72MwohZ
"You sure?"
"No," I replied, handing it back.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6GT86Kcna
"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,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHrreiSFsy
I let myself smile.
May Allah protect him, I thought.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcp0eDMaBj
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueV9fWX0vl
Meanwhile, the rest of us are just trying to survive the tension in that office.
No one blinked.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LsMtcTQZ5
No one smiled.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19IFQBIVmA
And yet somehow, everyone’s a little flustered.
Thanks for reading.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwhSimjAvZ
Next time: will someone finally crack? (Spoiler: probably not.)28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61J2mSkCjr
They’ve got five more meetings, six more power struggles, and at least one coordinated outfit to get through first.
Pray for them.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2on5xynJdC
And maybe for me.
and then Add to home screen.