❝I'm the king 'round here
So don't call me no good.❞

Chapter Thirteen:
The Final Negotiation

The office was a flurry of activity today. Stuck between the stacks of files and sheets that Francesca had literally dumped on my table this morning and the board meeting I had been invited to attend in a very impromptu fashion, I didn't know what to worry about more. I knew things were changing in Innovus, especially since Mr. Blythe had given official notice of his pre-poned retirement with his very own prodigal son rising up to the challenge of being CEO in his father's stead. Of course, this earned several mixed reactions from all over and the one thing that it proved was that people weren't afraid to be very vocal about their opinions in this company, especially the negative ones.

I heaved a sigh and stood up. My mouth felt dry and my stomach rumbled in hunger. Making a bee-line out of my room and down the busy hall, I took a right to the recreation room and nearly lost every bit of peace I had managed to secure carefully over the course of the morning. Because there, filling his very own mug of coffee, was none other than Tim.

Things had been...awkward between us, to say the least. He was finally beginning to acknowledge me again but minimally; a little 'hello' here, and a bid 'goodnight' there when we crossed paths on the way to the lobby. Although it made me happy that there was some progress, our short greetings hit me harder as a sore reminder to the close friendship we'd had before. I never quite discussed just how much I missed Tim with Hans. Helena was more helpful on that front, but all she kept insisting me to do was wait and give the guy time.

"With matters of the heart, there's no telling how long it will take," were her exact words. I kept her advice in mind as I entered the room quietly and slid over to the cabinets to keep myself preoccupied.

I focused on emptying the small sachet of black coffee into my mug rather than pay heed to the tall, brawny blonde on the other side of the room. I was halfway through pouring hot water from the steaming electric kettle when I heard a rough cough followed by a faltering "hey".

Was that directed at me?

"Can we talk, Tris? Please?"

It was.

As casually as I could manage, I turned around and quickly inhaled to keep my composure. Tim's eyes were no longer fleeting as he met my gaze, not making any motion to hide anymore. Something about the fact that he seemed strong in his resolve to go through with this conversation gave me hope.

"It's been a while."

I fought a sarcastic smile and took a sip out of my coffee.

"And I know that the reason we haven't talked is because of me. I needed time to be okay with the...decisions you've made."

It was the most he'd spoken to me in a long time. I tried not to get too carried away by the sound of his voice which I had actually started to forget and focused on the words being delivered instead.

Not one to beat around the bush, I immediately countered with, "And by that, you mean Hans."

Tim didn't so much as flinch. Another good sign.

"Yes. Being stood up for the silver jubilee wasn't the best way for you to say it to me but I got the message, loud and clear."

There wasn't a hint of passive aggressiveness in his voice. Like me, Tim was just being honest. With a sigh, he reached past me and set his empty mug on the counter before stepping back to look at me again, his brows furrowed.

"I'm not going to say anything more on how I feel about Hans because I don't feel it's my place to do so."

"Tim, I-"

"Besides, I'm seeing someone right now."

That shut me up immediately.

"What? Who?"

"Rina."

"Rina?" Our office Rina? "Are you serious?"

His lips pulled up into a smile, a genuine one. I hadn't seen it in a long time or maybe, I just hadn't been looking hard enough. Tim nodded, confirming my thoughts.

"She came up to me one night at the bar, drunk out of her mind, and confessed. Although not in the most fashionable of ways, I decided to give it a shot." He shrugged and smiled at me, relief breaking apart the creases on his forehead. "I was done waiting for you."

Those are not the words a girl would normally love to hear but I felt a smile spread across my face as well when I saw just how much Tim meant them.

"Does she make you happy?"

"Yes." That simple word, thick with affection, told me everything I needed to know.

My grip on my mug loosened. "I'm glad, Tim." I wanted to stand there and talk to him, catch up on all that we'd lost but the clock on the wall right over his shoulder alerted me that I didn't have much time to socialize right now. With one hand, I gave Tim a hard pat on his shoulder which earned an eyebrow raise.

"I would love to bask in the beauty of our reunion but urgent work awaits."

Tim chuckled and turned as I made a move out the room.

"I see you're still in love with your job."

With a final grin, I replied, "Always." 

**

Fuck my life.

Of all the times for my watch to stop working, it had to be today. I was running fifteen minutes late for the board meeting and not only would it be completely disgraceful to barge into the room like a mess, but I was already making a spectacle of myself running up the stairs. The elevators were too goddamn busy and I couldn't be another second late for this meeting, which was without a question an important one.

When I finally made it to the conference room, my lungs were bursting for a break and I took a moment to lean against the wall and gulp up some air. The floor which held only conference rooms was abuzz with activity. I saw some of the HR people traveling in groups and speaking in hushed tones, a couple clients, and the finance manager flirting with the receptionist on the other side. No one paid heed to the gasping, heaving woman propped against the wall, funnily enough.

I took one more deep breath before turning and wrapping my hand around the steel knob, pushing the door open. Expecting to see the faces at the oval table whirl in my direction with judgmental eyes, I was in for a surprise when only three people occupied the room. Three people, who stopped whatever it was they were discussing when I stepped inside, still holding the door open halfway.

"Uh...is the meeting already over?"

Hans, Jasper, and Mr. Blythe shook their heads at the same time.

"Come in, Tris," Hans beckoned me over with a finger, grinning all too widely. "The board meeting has been pushed back to its original time. I decided it was better to have an early rehearsal. Good of you to join us, actually."

"An early rehearsal? What for?"

I shut the door behind me and walked over to join the trio of gentlemen at the table. Hans was standing near the head with Jasper and Mr. Blythe seated on either side of the curve. Hans' father shot me a wide smile and pulled out the vacant seat next to him, patting it.

"I asked him the same thing," Mr. Blythe said casually. "But he instructed me to wait till the remaining party joined us. I didn't realize it was you, Tris."

Jonathon and I were on a first name basis, although I still mentally addressed him as Mr. Blythe out of professional habit. One home-cooked dinner with Hans and his father had made all the difference. Out of the office, Jonathon had become a dear friend and fatherly figure. He not only approved of my live-in relationship with Hans, but encouraged us to advance to something else (a topic of discussion we would both shy away from). This, however, was one of the rare times we were meeting in the office, and I still didn't know why.

"So, what's the occasion?"

We watched as Jasper rose from his seat and stood next to his friend. Both of them exchanged a glance and a firm nod, crossed their arms and stared at the pair of us.

"Now we know, what we are about to say might come as quite a shock to both of you," Hans begun to speak tentatively, eyeing me more than his father.

"But we think it's time to come clean," Jasper finished.

"If you two are secretly gay for each other, I wouldn't be surprised," Mr. Blythe chuckled, breaking the palpable tension in the air with his dry humor.

"Neither would I."

The joke was lost on Jasper and Hans who didn't crack a smile but continued to maintain their serious resolve. With a small sigh, I leaned forward on the table and folded my arms together, fixing my gaze on Hans who was still staring at me like a bomb about to go off.

"What's going on, loverboys?"

Jasper nudged Hans on the side who gulped and closed his eyes.

"I'm not going to be CEO." 

_____

Song: I'm the King by Six Def

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