Golden Reputation

8.DON'T ASK.

NOT EDITED
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"It's okay for you to hate me. It is okay for you to not want me, but it is not okay for me to not like me." Leilah.
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Farouq sat on his swivel chair with his cuppa going over some slides he needed for presentation during the board meeting, when his door banged so hard he almost dropped the cup.

He looked surprised when he saw her striding towards him. Her nose flared, jaw tightened, and her fist clenched beside her. Leilah red viel looked almost messy and loose. He knew what he did, okay.

Farouq adjusted his sitting position. He crossed his legs looking at her with his knuckles underneath his chin. "Look who we have here."

She took him off guard when her whole composure changed. He was expecting a tantrum but she wasn't planning on giving him any.

Leilah shut her eyes, a smile brazing her lips and then she opened them again. Her deep brown eyes- he could get lost in them. Somehow he felt they would be his damnation.

She walked slowly towards him, then made herself comfortable in the visitor's chair in front of him, her arms resting on the table. She looked at him straight. He wasn't expecting that. He just wasn't.

"Mr. Bukar, I was wondering if you have the time to talk? I just have some things I desperately need to make clear. " Her little speech seemed forced to him.

"If you have any complaints I can give you a referral to the EPA," He offered, trying to give her his undivided attention. He watched her cross her legs.

He just wished he knew what she was thinking. Even just a bit-

She cleared her throat, then, "No, thank you. I need to talk to you. Now, straight to the point: did you or did you not tip the media up? Tell me you didn't."

"I didn't. "

"Did you or didn't?"

"Didn't."

"Then how did they know?"

"Am I supposed to know?" He picked up his pen and a notepad beside him, scribbling.

"So you have no idea who tipped them off?" She asked again. He noticed the way she dragged her feet in a circle-tiptoe- as if it was a medicine for calmness.

"No. Am I supposed to?"

Wow. So this is what I'm gonna deal with now.

How comforting! She thought.

"Why did you put them in my office?" He looked at her confused, as if to ask which of them? "I mean the papers and tabloids."

"Trying to be a good Samaritan."

"How is that supposed to make you a good samaritan?" She bellowed, her voice slightly getting higher than she intended.

"I thought you would appreciate knowing what was currently going on."

The guy was just set on pissing her off, which honestly, she wasn't fond of. She loathes people getting on her nerves.

Easy!

He ain't worth it.

Let's try again..she sighed.

"Look," she held her hand up, "I appreciate your concern. But, I will like to assure you that if I am in need of any information, I'm fully capable and able to find some. I am not yet decapitated, if you haven't noticed." She said gritting her teeth against each other and silently giving herself an inward positive talk.