He showed up.
I was already at my desk when I heard the firm click of his shoes in the hallway.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBOXCV2Z9H
7:58 AM. Two minutes early.
Of course he was.
Ayub Selimović was too stubborn to back down and too proud to arrive late.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAjS9d54UI
After the way I pushed him yesterday—in front of Emir, in front of the whole team—I expected frost.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrynVPjeQA
Maybe clipped words.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOkOnrxI3B
Maybe a little fire.
But when he stepped through the door, all I got was calm.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZcKN0rtYW
Polished.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLdeBgIx9zR
Composed.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kteFbp1Ow
Too composed.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXL9Isrzwi
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRII2oB8m7
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfuWk6IN661
And maybe, just a little, I liked it too.
I didn't look up right away.
Let the moment breathe.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgZkqAql6c
Let him wait.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPSxEhRS0f
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOb4jDly0A9
Not even like a man who'd been humiliated the day before.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFRbQ09pKX
He was studying me.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHzmC632Vl
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ224aEvMWKG
"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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqST0vJb725
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRE9nFKH0pu
The kind of man you could dress in anything and make look dangerous.
If he were mine, I’d start with the tailoring.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfiXAgTBdSZ
Nothing drastic—just sharp enough to cut.
He wouldn’t fight me on it.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNeM8YQckn
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Rlhh8NqRm
He cracked, maybe. But he didn't fall.
And now he was here.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxTEVp0Jlx
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX14eOZOwrg
"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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OayFzj8zy
Not just eye contact—held it.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0B4yK1MAjU
Steady. Sharp. Like he was reading the spaces between my words.
“You think I can’t handle it.”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkdpEITaL8
He paused. “Insha’Allah, I can.”
I tilted my head. Didn't blink.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGPlq6ORzb
"I think you haven't had to handle this before."
"That's not an answer."
I smiled. Slow. Deliberate.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgf2cOe7tCm
Not flirtatious. But not harmless, either.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qepr3pWsL
I wanted him to feel it. Just a little.
"It wasn't meant to be."
That earned me something.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Obo1a6RBB
A flicker behind his eyes—not quite irritation, not quite challenge.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7kg15Viq2
Something hotter.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKfsHwaV55
And just like that, I wasn’t sure who was holding the line anymore.
He covered it well, but it was there.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0rk2q0Zkz
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNQWqw4yFB
Didn’t flinch. Didn’t smile.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVKymp6Mjm
But I didn’t correct him either.
There was a rhythm to the way he moved.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86iiCjNktC
Precise. Economical. Like a man who knew Allah was watching, even when no one else was.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNh5grLNtf
No wasted energy. No distraction.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxEPIbPQRa
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLb4PBqKpck
Broad palms. Calloused fingers.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQkLzXKIpx
The kind of hands that didn’t belong in boardrooms—but somehow fit the suit anyway.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmB4igJ3Dz
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqGQ9BumSk
The roughness under the polish.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDG3Avo2E0
The fight under the control.
I liked watching him recalibrate.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmetXLGiVKK
Liked that he never pushed back out of ego—only when it made sense.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjWPaEgl3U
Liked that he listened. Really listened.
"Your tone's a mess," I added, leaning back slightly.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszK6cC2gj0
"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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcBG7vsenZ
Met my gaze head-on.
No flinching. No ego.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLupaERWxw
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuUfId56XU
"You have to sell it."
His jaw tensed.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0xY5H4KBG
"So I should be more like you."
I let my lips curve.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRc5MumDb1a
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
He didn't smile.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqv9up3K4lN
But he didn't look away, either.
That was the thing about Ayub.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHD3DefI99W
He never blinked first.
"Again," I said, lifting my hand toward the screen.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkE9W5DpG0
"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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkh5XfaA4c
He still stumbled on the third section. Still rushed the close.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0aqoFvZIk
But something had shifted.
Less distance.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpCIUKQEsS2
More presence.
Like he'd stopped trying to impress me and started trying to lead.
"Again," I said when he finished.
He blinked.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI839XoaKIq
"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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvv4doV0PO
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIjKpywf8c
Not for men like him.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKx72cY4dqR
And I didn't want him easy.
I leaned forward. Cut him off mid-sentence.
"What does that figure mean?"
He barely paused.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiP2HfBIdN
"It reflects—"
"No. Not what it reflects."24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGl8poWw2u
I tilted my head.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRGwx7rc4Q
"What does it mean?"
His brow twitched.
"To them," I clarified.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJy3AsWXuR
"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,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTov59NmH9
"Because if they don't, they'll cut the next quarter's budget."
"Better."24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIdiw7L7ev
I sat back. Let it land.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2zwRtmVnH
"Now say it like you mean it."
He did.
This time, he meant it.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4rWDUfNKH
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI36j1Wvo57
Just... changed.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5KkAcjlJj
Warmer.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdcthvITlV
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBYXvXjblX
Not by the words.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPS4VpWPgmw
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1hfvQRe9c
The way his eyes narrowed—not in anger, but thought.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6e0a6pzr8
Like something had just clicked into place.
"I need you sharp," I continued.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdni7gCExH9
"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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvx9U2qFErJ
"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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGiSty6b8s
Not quite admiration.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0nFhccIqw
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSXULKhF83
"You sure?"
"No," I replied, handing it back.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDESh6Z2es
"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,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6nd6T6u88
I let myself smile.
May Allah protect him, I thought.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmD8bgyk7Jg
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLI4FjD6B2L
Meanwhile, the rest of us are just trying to survive the tension in that office.
No one blinked.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NSzQSPfoc
No one smiled.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXQ6LJlEUs
And yet somehow, everyone’s a little flustered.
Thanks for reading.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIakWreH7A
Next time: will someone finally crack? (Spoiler: probably not.)24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNsvb0NxVO
They’ve got five more meetings, six more power struggles, and at least one coordinated outfit to get through first.
Pray for them.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkA1aKHBVfg
And maybe for me.
