Page 86 of Savage Bosses

Emir walked over to his father and interrupted him abruptly. “Sir, with all due respect, we have enough money and enough clients. Isn’t anything sacred in your world? Aren’t there lines you won’t cross?”

His father bristled. “No, there isn’t when it comes to business. You wouldn’t have your precious mountain home and Bently Bentyaga if I did! Don’t be a fool, Emir; you love profit as much as I do, even if you won't admit it. I refuse to let your bleeding heart and misplaced sense of wokeness destroy this company.”

Emir was determined not to let himself be intimidated. He cleared his throat, walked back behind his desk, and sat.

"Baba, I understand the value of this project to our company and what the company has afforded me. But this is not a matter of money; it's a matter of doing what is right and being responsible for our actions. I’ve never told you no before, but this is a step too far, I will not lead this.

Emir’s candidness did not appear to move Abdel Kaplan. He looked down at his son for several tense moments with an emotionless stare. Finally, he sat across the desk from him.

“You’re right, son. You shouldn’t lead a project that violates your moral compass. You’ve worked faithfully for the past ten years, and that should count for something, right?

Emir looked at his father with wide eyes, but they quickly narrowed into slits. His father never me never gave up at any point this easily, and he was positive another shoe was about to drop.

“Baba, what’s your game? That can’t be it. We both know how badly you want this World Bank contract. What gives?”

His father leaned back in his chair and chuckled. “Emir, do you know what makes me a good leader and father?”

Emir rolled his eyes. “No, Father, I don’t. Enlighten me.”

Ignoring Emir’s sarcasm, Abdel continued. “I know every employee and all my children well. You and your sister are like my left and right hand; you’re always with me, ready to do what I ask.

Abdel sat up and smiled. “I knew you would not want to take on this project once your fool roommate got on the BBC, spewing his naive rhetoric. So, I hired someone else to do the job instead of you.”

Emir shot up from behind his desk. “You’re firing me? After all, I’ve done to help build this company?”

His father tutted. “No, you silly boy. How can I fire you from something that’s in your blood? Despite all you have accomplished, you still don’t understand much. KJR is a part of you and this family. You will never be able to turn your back on it.”

Emir's breathing slowed, but he was still angry and confused. “Then what are you talking about?”

His father pulled a manilla envelope from his suit jacket and plopped it on the desk. Emir slid it closer as he eyed his father. He didn’t want to open it until Abdel gave him more information.”

“Son, I’m talking about our new Design Principal for Global Diversity Initiatives. I just hired the position this morning.”

Emir closed his eyes with a huff. He didn't know he was even looking for the position.

So his father thought he could simply add a global diversity position to cover this dirty business with the World Bank. Good luck with that, he thought. He directly managed all the Design Principals. He could handle any young kiss-ass in a cheap suit his father threw. This was not Emir’s first rodeo.

He tore open the envelope, never taking his eyes off his father, and pulled out the resume of who he thought would be some blond idiot named Alex or Chase with degrees from Cornell and MIT. He had two dozen, just like the recruit on his team already, all handpicked by his father,

But when he finally looked down, the headshot staring at him did not make him roll his eyes in exasperation. Instead, he adjusted the bulge forming in his pants and attempted to breathe through a racing heart. He was staring at a woman he’d spent one delicious and unforgettable night with a year ago in Atlanta after a convention.

The name on the headshot read Selene Dubois, and even in two dimensions, she was pure perfection.

Shock coursed through his body, electric and uncontrollable, as her dark mahogany eyes stared straight into his soul like an omen conjured by his father’s inscrutable power.

Selene Dubois

The name hung in his mind. He didn’t know her name as she insisted they not exchange personal information. All he knew was that they had a wonderful night in Atlanta together, and when he woke up the next day, she was gone.

He had spent the past year contemplating what that night meant. It had been more than just a one-time fling for him; there was something deeper between them that he couldn’t quite put into words, and he had wanted to explore it further, so much so that he hadn’t been able to sleep with anyone else since, and not for a lack of trying.

He was getting to a point where he could close his eyes at night without dreaming of her soft thighs wrapped around his head. He woke up with his hand wrapped around his own dick too many times to count. But despite his efforts, he had not been able to identify her.

Now, here she was again, brought into his life by his father to usurp his position and do the unscrupulous work he refused to. His father seemed to have an uncanny knack for knocking him off his square, but that was unsurprising. Abdel Kaplan was a cunning and powerful man with a sadistic streak. It was not beyond him to use his immense resources to watch Emir and arrange something like this. In fact, Emir counted on it. Work was his escape. It was a safe space because it was consistent in making him miserable. At least he knew what he was getting into day after day.

He looked up at his father. “Baba. this won’t work. Selene and I have… history.”

His father’s eyes danced. “Oh?! What kind of history?”

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