's P

ss pitch hummed under my skin. I was standing before a full-length mirror, adjusting

rame, looking more animated than I'd seen him in years. My father was a man who prized his naps and his pe

ghtly. We had spent an entire afternoon choosing the fabric and the cut. He had insi

r than the remote control," he chuckled, stepping fo

y, I'll keep it short. Don't want to

ab. "Just remember to stand up straight on the podium, son. We don't

ained sound. "Noted. I'll mak

oom. She entered without a knock, a vision of meticulously maintained beauty. At fifty-eight, she was a stunning woman, her figure a strict, self-policed 55

shed by her overarching agenda. "You look... perfect, as always Amir, wish I could say the same about

ust?" she said, turning her gaze to m

a shareholder's meeting. It'

g in the air, dripping with disdain. "She is... unpolished. She has no sense of style, no grace. Do you know what she wore to the engagement p

ch wider than her neck. Tala, with her strong, tall build, her refusal to starve he

in my mother's eyes, preparing to drag th

, Amir," she concluded, her voice low and

ually override her vanity, but it was clear it wouldn't. I to

orial tone I used for boardroom coups. "We need to

ed, intrigued d

graduate? It was her, Tala.

our class, and thanks to her I go to graduate third, I had the best grades because

love with me since the first time we met...I know because she's very bad at hiding it. One time she almost got caugh

er out of pity?" My m

just a romance. It's a business deal. Th

and I made a deal. If I close the deal with the QBG group tha

he dots, she asked "what does

h time to secure the deal, to accelerate the process I need Tala's help; no one is as talented as her when it comes to technology, or when it comes to helping

sgust for Tala's "frame" warred with her lust for po

le effort, as if forcing her pride down her throat. "I see," she said, he

" I con

's future, I will... tolerate her." The word 'tolerate' was a bitter pill, but she swallowed it. "I will be t

a cloud of expensive perfume and a sealed pact. My fathe

s gone, replaced by the cold, focused calm of a man who had just neu