After the storm

7. Them

The air in the meeting room hung heavy with tension, as oppressive as the midday sun. William, his brow furrowed in intense concentration, poured over the reports of an upcoming wristband. Beside him, the production team, the only other souls in the room, sat silently, their eyes betraying a mixture of concern and anticipation.

It was during an agonizing wait at the hospital with Inaya that inspiration struck William like lightning. Why not create a wristwatch specifically tailored for Inaya? A device designed for pregnant women, that could monitor vital signs, track diet plans, and even keep tabs on the baby's heartbeat. The idea consumed him, igniting a relentless determination to bring it to fruition.

For the past eight days, William had been consumed by this singular vision. Day and night blurred into one as he toiled tirelessly, driven by an unwavering sense of purpose. Sleep became a luxury he couldn't afford, his every waking moment dedicated to perfecting the programming codes.

Finally, after countless sleepless nights, he emerged victorious. With trembling hands, he put the finishing touches on his masterpiece, a testament to his unyielding resolve. But his triumph was short-lived.

As he called upon the production team to bring his creation to life, disaster struck. Obstacles arose like dark clouds on the horizon, threatening to derail his plans. The timeline was tight, the demands unprecedented, but William was as stubborn as the yellows on a white shirt.

A palpable tension hung thick in the meeting room, suffocating the air like a heavy blanket.
With each passing moment, William's anger seemed to grow. It was as if the very air crackled with his pent-up fury, a storm waiting to unleash its full wrath upon anyone who dared to stand in his way.

Despite the oppressive atmosphere, William remained resolute, his jaw clenched tight as he devoured the contents of the papers with a ferocity that bordered on obsession. It was clear that he would not rest until every last detail had been scrutinized, every flaw laid bare before him.

"Lucas, come to the meeting room as fast as you can", William's urgent summons pierced the stagnant air.

After around 30 minutes, like a thunderclap in the night, a figure akin to a runway model, draped in opulent attire fit for royalty, emerged as a solitary light of elegance amidst the swirling tempest of chaos, Lucas arrived.  With a mere gesture, William banished the others from the chamber, their presence deemed inconsequential in the face of impending calamity.

Lucas, the notorious playboy of the business world, was an enigma wrapped in a riddle, his foolish demeanor belying the brilliance that lay underneath. A virtuoso of code, he wielded his technological prowess like a weapon, effortlessly outshining even the esteemed William Walton in the realm of computer programming.

In a feat of unparalleled proficiency, Lucas set to work, his fingers dancing across the keyboard with the precision of a master artisan. With each stroke, he unraveled the tangled web of code, banishing bugs and glitches with the finesse of a seasoned warrior on the battlefield.

In a mere span of two hours, he achieved what had eluded the production team for days, his expertise casting a radiant light amidst the darkness of uncertainty. And as the final line of code fell into place, a sense of triumph washed over the room.

"This smart wristband is going to be a game-changer, William! You're a true visionary," Lucas exclaimed with unbridled enthusiasm.

"I couldn't care less if it flops," William retorted, his tone tinged with indifference.

"What? Then why bother making it?" Lucas was baffled at first, but then a realization dawned upon him. A sly smirk crept across his lips as he remembered Inaya.

"Oh my lovely loverboy Will, it feels so good to see your human side or you would like to say, your vulnerable side peeking through," Lucas teased, his voice laced with mockery. Despite William's irritated glare, Lucas remained unfazed.

Though Lucas may appear shallow on the surface, he possessed a keen intellect that often went unnoticed by those around him. He had a knack for discerning subtleties that eluded the grasp of most, including the deep-seated feelings that William harbored for years.

"When are you going to tell her?" Lucas inquired, his curiosity piqued, though he doubted William's resolve.

"After this month," William replied, catching Lucas off guard with his unexpected answer.

Gasping in disbelief, Lucas struggled to comprehend the sudden revelation. "What? When did this happen? What did I miss?" Shock was written all over his face, mingled with a glimmer of hope.

"She nearly decided to leave for Bangladesh. You know I couldn't let that happen," William confessed, revealing a vulnerability that few had ever witnessed. Despite the skepticism of others, Lucas understood the depth of William's commitment. He had witnessed firsthand the anguish William endured during Inaya and Abraham's marriage.

To the outside world, it may seem like William was rushing things, but Lucas knew better. He knew that nobody had waited as patiently or as fervently for love as William had. And now, with the prospect of reconciliation on the horizon, Lucas couldn't help but feel excitement for the future.

-

It's been more than a week but Inaya couldn't help but stuck in William's words.

"You cannot leave me again, Solnishko,"

Inaya longed to ask why he had spoken those words, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Despite her confrontational nature, she remained silent. She was afraid to meet his deep blue eyes again.

From the moment she first met William, his piercing blue eyes had unsettled her. Those eyes seemed to see everything, understand everything, speak everything, and, if necessary, burn everything to ashes.

Their first encounter outside of the confinement of Triple C was a meeting of pure coincidence, where compassion clashed with skepticism. It began with Inaya's act of charity, her heart full of empathy as she gave her hard-earned salary to a stranger in need. Yet, in William's piercing gaze, there was a shadow of disdain, a silent rebuke hidden behind a mask of indifference.

Days passed, and fate guided them once more to the edge of connection. This time, it was Inaya's struggle that set the scene, her fingers trembling as she counted coins in the dim light of necessity. And in that moment, the mask on William's face shattered, revealing the storm of emotions swirling beneath the surface.

"Why waste your resources on others when your troubles are so great?" William's voice, like a cold wind, cut through the silence, yet his eyes burned with conflicting emotions.

It took Inaya some moments to recall what William was pointing at before she caught the wind. Undeterred, Inaya met his gaze with unwavering resolve, her words a song of compassion amidst the discord. "I can earn more money, but the chance to help someone in need might not come again. What if his need is real, hidden by others' doubt? And even if he deceives, losing a coin is nothing compared to possibly saving a soul."

As they talked, Inaya's conviction softened the edges of William's anger. In his cold eyes, a flicker of something new appeared – hope, a light in a world often covered in shadows.

From that moment, Inaya understood that despite William's nonchalant and cold exterior, his eyes were his weakness, betraying the emotions he tried to hide.

Just like that day, his deep blue eyes revealed the unsaid words he longed to express. Inaya couldn't try to decipher the messages in those eyes. She found herself fearful of unraveling the meanings they held.

She was unwilling to fall for another illusion, one that is almost as beautiful as love, that made her lose people close to her. In an already lonely world, Inaya couldn't risk losing someone else, surely not William.