He showed up.
I was already at my desk when I heard the firm click of his shoes in the hallway.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUS9lXXoCTg
7:58 AM. Two minutes early.
Of course he was.
Ayub Selimović was too stubborn to back down and too proud to arrive late.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzNyAby22w
After the way I pushed him yesterday—in front of Emir, in front of the whole team—I expected frost.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlIImStpCi
Maybe clipped words.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbWkwAoyv4
Maybe a little fire.
But when he stepped through the door, all I got was calm.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTSujyC0mV
Polished.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQ16rFynp3
Composed.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnXH4sU2Rt
Too composed.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqemUIoudTY
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiO7Hvc8dZ
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqomqHni3jY
And maybe, just a little, I liked it too.
I didn't look up right away.
Let the moment breathe.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULYIXEZV5X
Let him wait.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDwppHto2g
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJcHIVXMDn
Not even like a man who'd been humiliated the day before.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC48BoxI0hb
He was studying me.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpIl2YoA8O
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjo5VevbTZf
"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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaf2eZXLjX6
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhidTYGGJo4
The kind of man you could dress in anything and make look dangerous.
If he were mine, I’d start with the tailoring.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fENyw8uyv
Nothing drastic—just sharp enough to cut.
He wouldn’t fight me on it.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo00ay6lY4Y
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzZdT7l1tk
He cracked, maybe. But he didn't fall.
And now he was here.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzeTe95r208
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QW54ZUn2G
"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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ICd0wW3cc
Not just eye contact—held it.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUZ3osss74
Steady. Sharp. Like he was reading the spaces between my words.
“You think I can’t handle it.”34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisu4iJxyzn
He paused. “Insha’Allah, I can.”
I tilted my head. Didn't blink.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5k06telz5m
"I think you haven't had to handle this before."
"That's not an answer."
I smiled. Slow. Deliberate.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3p9vjjX4am
Not flirtatious. But not harmless, either.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ62khuqgTcN
I wanted him to feel it. Just a little.
"It wasn't meant to be."
That earned me something.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7twYrh8nwb
A flicker behind his eyes—not quite irritation, not quite challenge.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNapkv3MNN0
Something hotter.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTlBW1oAgr
And just like that, I wasn’t sure who was holding the line anymore.
He covered it well, but it was there.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXz8EpP0ou
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoke0LotsFj
Didn’t flinch. Didn’t smile.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQEliPuxGX
But I didn’t correct him either.
There was a rhythm to the way he moved.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG14WszUDz2
Precise. Economical. Like a man who knew Allah was watching, even when no one else was.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MvH8DCza9
No wasted energy. No distraction.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxl89HnwCF
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbY7WX9t7o
Broad palms. Calloused fingers.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCIBdYYcPa
The kind of hands that didn’t belong in boardrooms—but somehow fit the suit anyway.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOp7CPfNR7
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFrH3KJmO4
The roughness under the polish.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTY5oSTStaC
The fight under the control.
I liked watching him recalibrate.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAhAmzH7yv
Liked that he never pushed back out of ego—only when it made sense.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDB34rzUnz
Liked that he listened. Really listened.
"Your tone's a mess," I added, leaning back slightly.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfWWGCjLfk
"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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciMYT2Hki9
Met my gaze head-on.
No flinching. No ego.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHKu3lqCJd
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquldUd360E
"You have to sell it."
His jaw tensed.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEr1glGKHFJ
"So I should be more like you."
I let my lips curve.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3lubn0XHm
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
He didn't smile.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKxwMRUdkS
But he didn't look away, either.
That was the thing about Ayub.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQGI9JUU9D
He never blinked first.
"Again," I said, lifting my hand toward the screen.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyVSIpiZPH
"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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jnSAypuwk
He still stumbled on the third section. Still rushed the close.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWStnzHD46w
But something had shifted.
Less distance.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtuHh3GlJi
More presence.
Like he'd stopped trying to impress me and started trying to lead.
"Again," I said when he finished.
He blinked.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNzwhiZBGk
"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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4bsbFZJLU
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdLl7fQqTF
Not for men like him.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGKKNQnyNY
And I didn't want him easy.
I leaned forward. Cut him off mid-sentence.
"What does that figure mean?"
He barely paused.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWfvpqanDR
"It reflects—"
"No. Not what it reflects."34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUe83MT6dD
I tilted my head.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FbfKV5ALh
"What does it mean?"
His brow twitched.
"To them," I clarified.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9c72ZuTWB4
"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,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwqpQ7ACDQ
"Because if they don't, they'll cut the next quarter's budget."
"Better."34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKcQTbzcmk
I sat back. Let it land.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4fRso1Pwi
"Now say it like you mean it."
He did.
This time, he meant it.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMqb7NhLfJ
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAeX9iWDkJ
Just... changed.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYpxxqZh1ks
Warmer.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLb01G8Cr2I
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLDbNNm0mZ
Not by the words.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAfuYdOfyT
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJTcvj8cKq
The way his eyes narrowed—not in anger, but thought.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgEt89zOVI
Like something had just clicked into place.
"I need you sharp," I continued.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6qtkBmbT6
"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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XYrIT9div
"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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcc9lZaamI0
Not quite admiration.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBr8k6n7xfc
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTdFOXyDTr
"You sure?"
"No," I replied, handing it back.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lNUEwtYpJ
"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,34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFTOqK9mRX
I let myself smile.
May Allah protect him, I thought.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBIU2nqtj6
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.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFl1B1jFG4
Meanwhile, the rest of us are just trying to survive the tension in that office.
No one blinked.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzxXKTAiuZ
No one smiled.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRb3fo3C4V
And yet somehow, everyone’s a little flustered.
Thanks for reading.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiX7oRxLhnw
Next time: will someone finally crack? (Spoiler: probably not.)34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQB7KAR2qz7
They’ve got five more meetings, six more power struggles, and at least one coordinated outfit to get through first.
Pray for them.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGd98tvVSNk
And maybe for me.
