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.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02onRwA4Xa
And I came back to find the entire rhythm of my org chart quietly rearranged.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIpFkYfXNA
Not by me. Not by anyone who reports to me.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXHzH7pnjT
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.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDRdtsP3E2
He didn't even consult me. Not a message. Not a call.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vBqujA5x6
Just a silent maneuver that stripped me of one of my best men.
Ayub wasn't just good.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1b9NFhkhv
He was my stabilizer.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnSaDEdyIJ
The one I trusted when everything was on fire.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRX1pyS0gq
Precise, unshakable, loyal to the bone.
I didn't have many of those.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4YzuC0RVS
And Babo just handed him off like a spare part.
It was strategic. Sure.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGTSSAxsgH
Babo saw a storm in Lamija and thought Ayub would be the anchor. That made sense.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHdy4dqZVf
But what grated was how quietly it happened—no discussion, no warning.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUOZCNx6H2
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.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytkZ76J5QE
Calm on the surface, panic humming underneath.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3g8cFj3HI
I knew the look. He wore it when his father died. When Babo first offered him a role.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFjOiHHuxb
When he thought too much of himself was at risk to speak.
"Morning," I said, motioning to the chair.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11APsru0Pa
"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.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6N44zq4us
"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.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHs2JwpsiC
"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.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyQRNbk0ZR
And we both know his decisions don't come with feedback forms."
I leaned back, studying him.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswinP279eX
"You think you're not cut out for her team? That's garbage.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBoztRagWcN
You're one of the best assets in this building.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5Dwr7lnOs
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.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaKi97pDYX
You do the job, then vanish.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42QCJuh334
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.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrvh5LRwGJ
"This isn't about the job. This is about her."
He tensed.
"You've avoided her for years. I watched it happen.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIMFCXxXmX
Switching shifts, avoiding meetings, never once volunteering on anything tied to her division.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVPEgGdLmY
I let it go. Figured you had your reasons.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWG0OUqnyo
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.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGTSw3k2eW
She's sharp, relentless, and doesn't bend for anyone.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRZTPIty27
But that doesn't mean you don't belong beside her.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBl2dZU8glt
You don't need to compete with her.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBda3V71KS
You need to stop disappearing."
He ran a hand over his face.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXQxmyWJTF
He looked tired. Frayed.
"I don't belong in her world."
I shook my head.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppsqWW64KW
"Don't give me that. You lived in our house. You ate at our table. My mother calls you her son.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZh0ELaJoL5
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.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZGbuGpytv
"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.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7ep2CwvrB
"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.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeH3nULQCC
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.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFolrBhAUcQ
Respectfully, he's tired.
Ayub wants to disappear.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKkCrzabyK
Lamija wants control.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcmI1SkSWT
And Imran just wants a functioning org chart and one (1) peaceful morning.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfQsQ6CY6x
He's not getting it.
Let me know if you're starting to pick a favorite.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzY8eZujkY
(And if it's not Imran by now, you're lying.)12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡylmc3hH8gi
12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnC0gLAPd7C
- Ash&Olive
12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SVISuk1D7
