x
I'd only been back twelve hours, and already my inbox looked like a war zone.
One week. One summit in Vienna. A few brutal layovers.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaupLzx0Ax
And I came back to find the entire rhythm of my org chart quietly rearranged.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0zed33Sul
Not by me. Not by anyone who reports to me.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpG0aFXFq4E
But by the man at the top.
Husine Begović didn't ask for opinions. He gave orders.
Still, when I saw Ayub's name missing from my leadership circle, I had to reread it three times.
Transferred. Reassigned.
To Lamija's division.
I sat back in my chair, jaw tight.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJl0Jxfv6z
He didn't even consult me. Not a message. Not a call.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzYeqYO7Zn
Just a silent maneuver that stripped me of one of my best men.
Ayub wasn't just good.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkq6clxRoQ
He was my stabilizer.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjq4NBw5mL
The one I trusted when everything was on fire.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70TfLfO2Ye
Precise, unshakable, loyal to the bone.
I didn't have many of those.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQ9gSm8bLK
And Babo just handed him off like a spare part.
It was strategic. Sure.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NAq4Niuua
Babo saw a storm in Lamija and thought Ayub would be the anchor. That made sense.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRzSHn4rzd
But what grated was how quietly it happened—no discussion, no warning.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhONcCD9n2
Just a line moved from one chart to another, as if it meant nothing.
To me, it did.
I was still working through my flagged emails when the knock came.
Right on time.
Didn't even have to check the clock.
"Come in."
Ayub stepped inside, shoulders squared but tension radiating off him.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvOrLeqFzC
Calm on the surface, panic humming underneath.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBD1I8MlCs9
I knew the look. He wore it when his father died. When Babo first offered him a role.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6vVPq2TUX
When he thought too much of himself was at risk to speak.
"Morning," I said, motioning to the chair.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QrBCtiDBe
"Jet lagged and already three fires deep, so just say it."
He sat.
"I need to be reassigned," he said.
There it was.
I raised an eyebrow. "Thought so."
He shifted.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEPHMcvIJZh
"I just... I don't think I'm a good fit for Lamija's team. She works differently. Pushes hard. I don't know if I—"
"Ayub," I cut in, not angry, just sharp.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0KeNhzk5C
"You don't want to work with Lamija. Just say that. Don't dress it up in performance talk."
He exhaled through his nose, gaze dropping.
"You saw the update last night?"
He nodded. "Thought it was a mistake."
"It wasn't. Babo moved you.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5XJrKtqm5
And we both know his decisions don't come with feedback forms."
I leaned back, studying him.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEDqYyyzpZ
"You think you're not cut out for her team? That's garbage.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Tigb9vXXW
You're one of the best assets in this building.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIQVNdeMf1
You execute without fanfare, without ego, and you get it done."
His jaw flexed.
"But the reason she doesn't know that—the reason no one outside my team knows that—is because you don't let anyone see you.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtUgpbRDMK
You do the job, then vanish.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcb5FquVnuK
You stay safe in the background and act surprised when no one hands you a stage."
Still quiet. That was always his move.
I leaned forward, voice lower.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpKMAq8K0d
"This isn't about the job. This is about her."
He tensed.
"You've avoided her for years. I watched it happen.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvK6BfitPHI
Switching shifts, avoiding meetings, never once volunteering on anything tied to her division.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKlgMl0zXS
I let it go. Figured you had your reasons.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48UJWtOyBJ
But now you're finally in her space and you want to retreat."
He said nothing, but his silence cracked louder than any words.
"She's not going to break you, Ayub."
He looked up, finally.
"You think she's this impossible standard, and maybe she is.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlSbhGk5DA
She's sharp, relentless, and doesn't bend for anyone.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhSnjI0Tmk
But that doesn't mean you don't belong beside her.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxj79VB6BRM
You don't need to compete with her.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JLftkTKli
You need to stop disappearing."
He ran a hand over his face.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwbboPj0m4
He looked tired. Frayed.
"I don't belong in her world."
I shook my head.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsB0lUQWwc
"Don't give me that. You lived in our house. You ate at our table. My mother calls you her son.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7eNvlUt7tE
You belong here more than half the clowns drawing a paycheck off our name."
Still nothing.
"You want me to go to Babo and reverse it? Can't. Wouldn't, even if I could."
His brow creased.
"Because you're not running this time. You're going to show up. Show her who you really are. And if she doesn't like it? That's her problem. At least she'll finally see you."
I let the words land. Let the silence sit.
Then I added, lighter, "You know what might actually help though? We get her married off."
He blinked. Just blinked.
"I'm serious," I said, straight-faced. "Set her up. Vet the prospects. Do background checks, call their mothers, screen their blood type. Maybe get psychological evaluations done ahead of time."
I tapped my tablet. "You could run the whole operation. Set up interviews. Coffee tastings. Prayer compatibility tests."
Ayub gave me the driest look I'd ever seen.
"I mean it," I added with a smirk.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMoWh8GA09
"It'd be good for the company. Imagine the morale boost."
As he stood, he didn't say a word—just flicked me off on the way to the door.
I grinned.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7VH5wYIHJ
"That's more like it."
He walked out, shoulders still tight, but not shrinking.
I watched the door click shut behind him.
Maybe Babo knew what he was doing.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2PY7HzhYVA
But it still felt like a warning shot.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
And now we meet Imran — eldest son, CEO-in-training, corporate firefighter, part-time therapist, full-time older brother who absolutely did not sign up for any of this.
He's trying to keep the entire empire from imploding while his father plays chess with people's careers and his sister sharpens her metaphorical sword before breakfast.
Also, yes — his solution to workplace tension is matchmaking.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCP9SIhvU9
Respectfully, he's tired.
Ayub wants to disappear.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnRWPhYca7
Lamija wants control.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT4886J8JBv
And Imran just wants a functioning org chart and one (1) peaceful morning.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LRXecvy3N
He's not getting it.
Let me know if you're starting to pick a favorite.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjL9GuM4gJ
(And if it's not Imran by now, you're lying.)20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapLCSjPRXE
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbwmZ54L1T
- Ash&Olive
20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQPPjIjhjr
