Chapter 4
Tshabina
“These are some examples of the content our team usually produces for the company. Each platform has a different approach. On Instagram, we focus more on visuals, adding explanations directly on the slides and using shorter captions. Then…”
When we entered the meeting room, I tried to explain in the calmest tone I could muster. It was just the three of us in this spacious room. I sat alone on one side of the long oval table, while Natasha and Zioh sat across from me, both looking at the iPad I presented.
No. Not both.
Only Natasha.
Because Zioh’s eyes burned into me.
He stared at me with such focus, as if dissecting me with that sharp gaze. His expression stayed flat, making me swallow over and over again.
Each time I spoke, my voice faltered, and my fingers shook while I pointed at my iPad. In the pause of my words, the clock’s ticking grew louder, and the air conditioner’s cold sank into my skin deeper than it ever had before.
When I dared glance at him, his eyes weren’t just cold; there was something else—a quiver so faint that it vanished the moment I blinked.
And then, when our eyes held each other, something shifted. For a second, his lids fluttered, and faint lines appeared on his forehead. But as quickly, he shook his head, clenched his fists on the table, and the chill greeted me again.
“Change it.” Zioh’s sudden command, punctuated by his fingers tapping against my iPad screen, broke the moment. “I’m not keen on the last one.”
His voice.
I went rigid, struck by its sound. I’d heard it before, but this time, it vibrated through my very bones. It had grown deeper and rougher with age and maturity.
Blinking a few times, I drew in a trembling breath and tried to steady my heart, which stuttered in its rhythm.
Focus. I had to focus.
I nodded, answered, measuring my words. “Perhaps we can bring up revisions in the next meeting with the rest of the team, since it’s just me here, I don’t—”
“Are you not the second project lead for the medcom team?” He interrupted, smooth and unbothered. His voice was deep, calm. “Then you deliver it to your team. I don’t know when I’ll have time for another meeting. The press conference is next week.”
The authority in his tone made my skin prickle. It was an aura—the kind that came from someone used to leading, directing, and commanding. His words left no room for discussion.
But this wasn’t right. This was a massive project, and I shouldn’t have made the decisions alone. Of course, if not for Aditya having pushed me into this role without asking, I wouldn’t even be here.
What about my team? Did they even agree to this?
I stayed silent, my palm pressed against my thigh. Think, Tshabina, speak! I screamed at myself, but my lips locked. His cold eyes burned into me, his sharp voice froze me, and his expressionless face drained me of courage.
Say something.
Say something.
My mind stalled—
“If it helps, Miss Sophia, perhaps you can simply note down Mr Zioh’s input for now. If he’s unable to attend the next meeting, I’ll represent him and reconfirm with the rest of your team,” Natasha offered, her voice gentle like the angel she looked.
And just like that, I could breathe a professional smile again.
She was so kind. And later, I was going to kick Andi’s ass for calling her names.
I nodded, “Of course, Ms. Natasha. Thank you.”
“Please, just call me Natasha,” she replied.
So kind, so warm—
“Now open your phone and write my words down,” Zioh’s icy voice shattered it all.
The chill returned, and my nerves spiked again. With clammy hands, I opened the notes app on my phone.
“First, the video. I don’t like the idea of a voiceover.
Show the real visuals and real sounds.” He tapped his finger against the iPad screen, and the warmth of his hand was so close that I could feel it against my skin.
“Second, for the graphics, I don’t want this template for this project—” His eyes lifted from the screen to me, and I held my breath.
“Every piece of content and reports during this project must be in two languages.” His words were steady, and his gaze locked on mine.
There it was again, that flicker. I forced myself not to blink, wanting to make sure of what I was seeing. His pupils widened for a second before he shook his head again, turning away.
I swallowed hard. “I’ve noted everything, sir—”
“Enough for today.” He cut me off and stood, sudden and sharp. His fists clenched at his sides as he pushed his chair back and strode out of the room.
Not a word. Not a glance back.
Once again, as if I didn’t exist.
I let out a trembled breath.
Natasha looked startled, gathering her things in a rush. She glanced at me with a stiff but polite expression. “I’m so sorry, Miss Sophia. We’ll arrange another meeting with your full team soon. Thank you so much for today.”
She offered a quick handshake before hurrying out to chase after him.
I sat frozen for a long moment. Then finally, I closed my eyes and rubbed them for a while, only to feel the dampness on my fingertips.
My chest heaved with a long, weary sigh.
I nodded to myself, pulling my things together with shaky hands.
Standing, I slid my chair back, slung my bag onto my shoulder, and headed for the door.
I reached for the door, turned the knob, and pulled it open halfway—I nearly screamed. My best friend stood right there, blocking the doorway with his back to me.
“What th—ugh!” I smacked his shoulder before brushing my hand over my face, forcing myself to speak even though my throat went dry. “Seriously, Andi.” A weary breath slipped out of me. “What is wrong with you?”
“Shit… Was that Zioh?” he muttered, blank and eyes wide, staring into the empty corridor ahead.
I rolled my eyes. “You see him? And where the hell were you? Did you take a dump or meditate? You were gone forever, Andi!” I looked up at him. “What came out of your ass—bricks?”
Some companion he was—more like abandoning me entirely.
But Andi didn’t even blink at my rant. His eyes stayed locked on the corridor, his voice half in awe, half in disbelief. “Biba… seriously, what the fuck happened in the UK? How did your ex come back that hot? Damn, bastard looks fine as he—”
Brushing past him, I lowered my head, lost in the storm of my emotional state. Too drained to engage, and maybe sensing that, he finally shut up. He seemed to realize how things had gone in the meeting, so he stayed quiet, trailing behind me.
“Come on, chin up, bitch. There’s no gold on that floor, only in your best friend’s pocket.” He nudged my shoulder, draping his arm over me. “Let’s eat. Whatever you want, it’s on me.”
A faint smile tugged at my lips, and my shoulders loosened. I also slipped an arm around him as we stepped into the lift together.
Andi was my best friend. Sometimes, I saw him the way I saw Tsabinu, and I could feel that he saw me the same way.
? ── * ── ?
By the time we reached the parking lot, we were still leaning on each other, laughing. Andi rambled, rattling off a thousand and one random tidbits of gossip only he would know.
We stopped at his car, a Manhattan Grey Audi A6. He pulled out his key and unlocked it. I was about to climb in when a strange sensation prickled over me.
My body went rigid all at once.
It felt like eyes were crawling over my skin, stripping me bare.
I turned, scanning left and right, until my gaze snagged on the VIP section.
A black Mercedes sat there, sleek and unfamiliar. I didn’t recognize it, and had never seen it parked at our office before. But the moment I looked at it, I knew.
The weight of someone’s stare.
From there.
Andi’s whistle broke my trance. He glanced where I was looking, then let out a low praise sound. “Wow… Mercedes Maybach S580 4Matic in Onyx Black? Shit, that man’s got taste.” He clicked his tongue. “Nice car for the money.”
He slid into his seat with a casual sigh. “When I get promoted, I’m showing up here in a McLaren.”
I lingered longer, my eyes narrowing at that car. But then Andi called my name, and I finally tore my gaze away, slipping into his Audi.