x
He showed up.
I was already at my desk when I heard the firm click of his shoes in the hallway.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAiGyvPNGH
7:58 AM. Two minutes early.
Of course he was.
Ayub Selimović was too stubborn to back down and too proud to arrive late.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTFUgZKIxU
After the way I pushed him yesterday—in front of Emir, in front of the whole team—I expected frost.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLnmBBlBgl
Maybe clipped words.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0UZYmjz7C
Maybe a little fire.
But when he stepped through the door, all I got was calm.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNyFiILj63
Polished.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr23fYViV0v
Composed.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMvXacW230
Too composed.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIC9q7dA19U
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xxQk12U1u
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWM2J75bCIO
And maybe, just a little, I liked it too.
I didn't look up right away.
Let the moment breathe.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQx7Yw7hnx
Let him wait.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmq5NqXTO3s
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29OGTZDn28
Not even like a man who'd been humiliated the day before.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPp9cv1D5Q
He was studying me.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvVPvmBSf3
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNZ0o6FrSG
"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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4UZ6793to
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJF8JqsUwP
The kind of man you could dress in anything and make look dangerous.
If he were mine, I’d start with the tailoring.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dFLLoIQuK
Nothing drastic—just sharp enough to cut.
He wouldn’t fight me on it.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fVH00qPtN
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QhxXKfi0k
He cracked, maybe. But he didn't fall.
And now he was here.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTY2uzXBs0u
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZrOFcd3Uy
"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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlAwUO5abh
Not just eye contact—held it.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4rAcJ40RE
Steady. Sharp. Like he was reading the spaces between my words.
“You think I can’t handle it.”17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWrwgR3wuI
He paused. “Insha’Allah, I can.”
I tilted my head. Didn't blink.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqJGSOtlJd
"I think you haven't had to handle this before."
"That's not an answer."
I smiled. Slow. Deliberate.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKlarbuz0P
Not flirtatious. But not harmless, either.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpWDjbo51e
I wanted him to feel it. Just a little.
"It wasn't meant to be."
That earned me something.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2GhkixI6Ge
A flicker behind his eyes—not quite irritation, not quite challenge.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUobyJgxQak
Something hotter.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXxKBmpakq
And just like that, I wasn’t sure who was holding the line anymore.
He covered it well, but it was there.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi54wyUzl6V
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBInHNv7hnD
Didn’t flinch. Didn’t smile.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYIVqEjVE3
But I didn’t correct him either.
There was a rhythm to the way he moved.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AsHmy1JNC
Precise. Economical. Like a man who knew Allah was watching, even when no one else was.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8r4aXXljA
No wasted energy. No distraction.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rT8LqSHiy
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLPaxLg9PQ
Broad palms. Calloused fingers.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgp2OlspQDm
The kind of hands that didn’t belong in boardrooms—but somehow fit the suit anyway.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPtz69aALS
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljHJ01GCvP
The roughness under the polish.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPNxFkEUOt
The fight under the control.
I liked watching him recalibrate.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9rFi504iz
Liked that he never pushed back out of ego—only when it made sense.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhi7vNr6Zh
Liked that he listened. Really listened.
"Your tone's a mess," I added, leaning back slightly.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrUAMzgweP
"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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0l1WSC9rN
Met my gaze head-on.
No flinching. No ego.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFfs6nYWKf
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8qZjsq5RN
"You have to sell it."
His jaw tensed.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYdbVl4XXT
"So I should be more like you."
I let my lips curve.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fCIFmsQjK
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
He didn't smile.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBuQ52p3LP
But he didn't look away, either.
That was the thing about Ayub.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLlSZ79WTB
He never blinked first.
"Again," I said, lifting my hand toward the screen.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWXuc2yBB8
"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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5y9K2HyTOx
He still stumbled on the third section. Still rushed the close.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzHPJehCvw
But something had shifted.
Less distance.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmE2fzSzHlt
More presence.
Like he'd stopped trying to impress me and started trying to lead.
"Again," I said when he finished.
He blinked.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8buw8rU3W
"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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXDitBo82Q
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9i8s4wpSMY
Not for men like him.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzorfQEWHsT
And I didn't want him easy.
I leaned forward. Cut him off mid-sentence.
"What does that figure mean?"
He barely paused.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdKAS50leG
"It reflects—"
"No. Not what it reflects."17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf24VAGkuBk
I tilted my head.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZRNcPyzoG
"What does it mean?"
His brow twitched.
"To them," I clarified.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96QGPKwDP8
"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,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3K87Csswlv
"Because if they don't, they'll cut the next quarter's budget."
"Better."17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbYlWxa2V4
I sat back. Let it land.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENBzSZ1npo
"Now say it like you mean it."
He did.
This time, he meant it.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUcXt9L7P6
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6ueBGXM3y
Just... changed.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oYZNfcAvT
Warmer.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AvLbDGjrT
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWPaimwZsb
Not by the words.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrpqifuGMP
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RgFlwEUlu
The way his eyes narrowed—not in anger, but thought.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSHCjzPkEF
Like something had just clicked into place.
"I need you sharp," I continued.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9npfb85WXR
"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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2MCIMyAQr
"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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw43esIPCNC
Not quite admiration.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXWqZTvwy4
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvNHz9Lxpf
"You sure?"
"No," I replied, handing it back.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0s03TcLzEr
"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,17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJHHjGHZTS
I let myself smile.
May Allah protect him, I thought.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXajmOImm5
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.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05M6b58HzN
Meanwhile, the rest of us are just trying to survive the tension in that office.
No one blinked.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AvFHAcQFc
No one smiled.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAe2QMpCvBj
And yet somehow, everyone’s a little flustered.
Thanks for reading.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kT1fXS1jq
Next time: will someone finally crack? (Spoiler: probably not.)17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5PfALrOhf
They’ve got five more meetings, six more power struggles, and at least one coordinated outfit to get through first.
Pray for them.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAhdsMXqqT
And maybe for me.
