The Middleman | ongoing

38 | hissy fits are his psychological warfare

38 | hissy fits are his psychological warfare

Song: Ballad Of An Asshole by D-WHY

Depicted Above: Graham Rogers as Harold Pasey

|||

"And why exactly should Kabuye partner up with Fin, tell me?" Pasey humors us as he uncomfortably leans into what is already a small table, his lips itching to slide into a cruel smile. The awkward intimacy almost makes my insides burn. It's all I can note though the ballroom is buzzing with activity in perhaps every corner.

Was this a fucking game to him?

My somehow warm hands are aching to ball up into tight fists.

This man pisses off every square inch of my being. I can confirm once again that it's not in what he says but how he says it that speaks volumes.

He's taking none of this seriously.

Jack shit.

It's a joke to him.

We're this sick fuck's form of entertainment.

In a heroic feat, I maintain my warm demeanor. I willfully keep my aggression out of this and slowly relax my shoulders, which have inadvertently tensed though hardly noticeable. A smile is painted on my face, but in my fair and honest judgment, he's hardly deserving of it.

Do it for the deal, Leia.

Maintaining the deadly eye contact with Pasey, I refrain from looking at Quinn on my right regardless of the fact that he's a much more pleasant sight and that I naturally want to focus my attention on him.

No matter what, I can't break the hold Pasey has on my eyes. Every little thing is a scrounge for power, and I'd like to horde as much control as I can with this sinister man in the picture.

Like me, I just know Quinn's perceptive mind has already picked up on Pasey's condescending behavior. And like me, he's outwardly unreactive about it, keeping his cool and treating Pasey with sincere respect.

And if there isn't anything more attractive...

Mad props to Quinn. And myself as well.

Pasey was a pain in the ass, but we were keeping it professional.

I couldn't say the same for him though. Especially after what I witnessed last night.

"Because with all due respect, sir, and not to retract from Kabuye's success, compartmentalizing the industrialization process instead of relying solely on yourself for production is much better. Kabuye is the innovator in the field," Quinn pauses, letting his content soak in. "Kabuye is the company, which forges on ahead, paving a trail, while others are left in the dust, attempting to catch up. It would be much more cost effective to invest your resources into R&D and your future plans than to keep funneling it into mundane expenses."

Kudos to Quinn for his subtle manipulation in words. While I caught onto his choice words, from Pasey's somewhat glazed eyes, I could see that Quinn had hit a sweet spot with the man, however small a victory it was. But even though Quinn intentionally uses such connotative and emphatic choices of speech, I'm unclear as to what extent it will be persuasive.