HE WASN’T THE MONSTER BUT CAME FROM ONE

“Absence, the worried “

Thursday morning arrived with a quiet intensity.

Inside the company building, everything moved with purpose. Staff members walked briskly through the hallways, voices low but urgent, papers in hand, laptops open—everyone preparing for the board meeting scheduled for the morning.

In her office, Kia stood behind her desk, flipping through a stack of files, her brows slightly furrowed in concentration.

The clock read 8:45 AM.

Fifteen minutes to the meeting.

Without looking up, she spoke,

“Fatimah.”

Her PA appeared almost instantly at the door. “Yes, ma’am?”

Kia’s eyes scanned the last page before she finally looked up, her gaze sharp but controlled.

“I hope everything is intact,” she said calmly. “You know I don’t tolerate mistakes… and I don’t like delays.”

Fatimah nodded, already expecting the reminder. A small, confident smile formed on her lips.

“We all know how you like things done,” she replied. “Everything is exactly how you instructed. No errors.”

Kia studied her for a second longer, as if weighing her words.

Then she nodded slightly.

“Good.”

She closed the file in her hand and picked up another.

“I’ll be there shortly. Let me go through these one last time.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Fatimah turned and left for the conference room, her heels clicking softly against the floor.

⸻

The office grew quieter.

Kia exhaled slowly, flipping through another document—but her focus wasn’t as steady as usual.

Something felt… off.

She ignored it.

⸻

By 8:56 AM, Kia stepped out of her office, her posture straight, her expression composed. Anyone who saw her would think she had everything under control.

And she usually did.

She walked into the conference room as others began settling into their seats. The air carried a mix of professionalism and anticipation.

At exactly 8:58 AM, everyone was seated.

By 9:00 AM, the meeting began.

⸻

The discussion flowed smoothly.

Reports were presented. Numbers were analyzed. Proposals were debated.

Kia spoke when necessary—clear, precise, and confident. Her presence alone commanded attention.

By the end of the meeting, agreements had been reached. The negotiation was successful.

Everything had gone perfectly.

Almost.

Because one thing didn’t sit right with her.

Mustekim wasn’t there.

And he should have been.

⸻

As the meeting ended, chairs shifted and people stood, exchanging handshakes and polite smiles.

Kia’s eyes scanned the room one last time before she walked toward a man gathering his documents.

“Hi, I’m Kia,” she said, extending her hand.

He turned to her and smiled, accepting the handshake.

“Hi, I’m Toheeb.”

“I noticed Mustekim wasn’t present at the meeting,” she said, her tone professional but direct.

Toheeb adjusted his sleeve slightly.

“Yes… he’s been a bit under the weather,” he replied. “He hasn’t been to work for about two days.”

Kia’s grip on her file tightened slightly.

“He mentioned he would reach out to the CEO directly,” Toheeb continued. “I assumed he already had.”

There was a brief pause before he added,

“From the way you handled the meeting, I’m guessing you’re the CEO?”

Kia gave a small, polite smile.

“Yes, I am. And no… I haven’t heard from him.”

For a second, something unreadable passed through her eyes—but it was gone just as quickly.

“Well,” she said, stepping back slightly, “it was nice meeting you.”

“Toheeb nodded. “Likewise. Looking forward to working with you.”

They parted ways.