Too Little, Too Late

51

On the outside, The Hexad looked the same; an elegant glass structure with enough floors that housed every department and unit that kept the company running for years. The interior though, Ibrahim noticed, was now a near shadow of its usual self.

The company was bustling, that was not different, but rather than people moving around with excitement, they moved around hurriedly, as though they had a timeframe to beat just so they could survive the next hour. Ibrahim knew that pulling out his shares and buying out two of the most popular applications had done a lot to the company's stability but it was one thing to hear about what was happening and another to see it play out. However, despite the stab of guilt he felt, he knew that if he had to go back in time, he'd still pull out his shares and buy out the other members of the squad. He was happier without them anyway.

He crossed the lobby with quick, graceful strides and smiled politely – but tightly – at those who said hi and said it was nice to see him. The elevator ride up was long and he flexed his fingers within the pockets of his coat. The executive floor which was usually quiet was a flurry of activities and Ibrahim focused on breathing to attempt to ease out the tightening of his chest as he made his way to Bella's office where he'd been told they'd be waiting for him.

He realised then that he had no idea whether or not Bella still stayed at The Oasis. He had not seen her around, not like he was looking, and he had not bothered to ask. After all, the apartment was now solely in her name and like he'd told her the day he cleared out his things, she could do with it what she saw fit.

He knocked once and pushed the door open before stepping in. All eyes snapped to him and he stayed calm as he pushed the door shut before turning to properly take in every person in the room. His former friends and partners looked as though they'd aged since the last time he saw them. They all had dark circles and the men had day old stubbles they were yet to shave. All of them had messy hairs and stress was etched quite clearly on their faces.

Apart from the five of them, their legal representatives – one from his side and one from theirs – were present, both men looking smart in well-tailored suits. Ibrahim put one leg in front of other and walked to the table they were all seated around. He pulled out the empty by his legal representative and sat. A moment barely passed before Anneth scoffed, her tone bitter when she spoke.

"You must be having the time of your life, Ibrahim. You're literally glowing."

Ibrahim crossed his legs at the ankles, nodding slowly. "Compared to the five of you, I can say I am. I don't have to worry about much and I'm taking one day at a time so..."

Jalal's tone was like ice. "Ibrahim Fahad."

Ibrahim smiled with ease. "I would say it's good to see you too, Jalal, but I'd be lying so let's save ourselves the stress." He turned to the legal representatives. "Let's get started, please. Today's a really busy and important day for me and I'd like to be done with this as soon as possible."

Tobi's laugh was dry. "You're a selfish bastard."

Ibrahim ignored him and it made Tobi angrier. He slammed a fist on the table. "You're the reason we're this wound up, you asshole, and you think you have the right to just waltz in here and demand that we wrap up things because you have a busy and important day? Do we look like we don't also have things we should be doing, Ibrahim?"

Ibrahim took the papers his legal representative handed and then reached into his pocket to pull out a pen. He spared Tobi a glance. "I'm not the reason anyone's wound up, Tobi." He turned back to the papers and glanced through the first page, ensuring everything was stated clearly. He wasn't stupid enough to blindly trust them again. "Besides, this would have happened if you'd been able to push me out. I just made things a bit faster for you all and removed myself from the mess. You can't blame me for anything."