For the first time in years Ruka could admit to herself that she was exhausted. She was juggling work and finding a building for EMRG offices,
Akatsuki’s wedding back home, her personal life, and now this ridiculous mission from Amiri that had turned out to be completely and utterly
pointless. He had run into an old flame of his that was apparently more important to him than his other conquests and he wanted her back. The very
little Amiri had told her about the woman would have been nothing to someone that did not have Ruka’s investigative prowess, but alas it was more
than enough for her to discover that Amiri’s confession of “she’s with someone else” was a gross understatement. Something she would discuss
with him during their meeting about his event today. Surely they would only spend minutes on his past lover, once Amiri understood what this
Evita had been doing in the years they had been apart.
She didn’t understand this side of him. She had never seen it. Yes, he had grown--although that was not apparent in their past few meetings with his
insufferable sulking--but, this level of...she didn’t even know what to call it. Fixation? Obsession? Whatever it was it was annoying and new and
she was not in any way about to support it any further. They would talk today about this woman and that would be the end of things. Surely, Amiri
wasn’t so interested in this woman that he would ruin an almost four year old marriage. Honestly, from the things Ruka had found, she was horribly
boring anyway.
It was time for their meeting and Amiri was never late. Today was no different. Ruka stood as there was a knock at her office door. Usually she would
respond unkindly to her assistant coming to her door to announce a visitor, but Amiri, being the difficult client he was, refused to wait to be called
in. She knew it was him knocking. She also knew he wasn’t waiting too long for her response. It was the reason the hour before his arrival was clear
on her schedule.
“Yes, Amiri.”
And they shall know I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance on them.
12:30pm and never a minute later. Amiri's stride was steady as he walked through the glass doors, his Aviators hiding the determination
mingled with annoyance...also known as the look he had been wearing for weeks. The time had dragged on and on endlessly since the Kidd's Kids Gala and
unfortunately, so had Ruka's progression on finding out something, anything on Evita. Not that Amiri truly needed details about her life. He knew what
he needed to know. A son that was not Amiri's. A husband that was not Amiri. And those details, as they did not involve him, were
inconsequential and therefore could be changed. Yet, they had not been. Amiri had truly believed in Ruka and her prowess when it came to sabotaging.
But now? He was beginning to question her skill, especially as every question he had asked her about her progress ended in a redirection back to The
Chaâbi Group and its business. He did not want to talk business! He wanted to talk Evita...and her returning to his life.
"Sir..." His eyes rolled, his stride steady as he approached the front desk, ignoring the very persistent receptionist's voice. Had she not yet
learned that Amiri Ben Hassi did not wait, nor was he ever beckoned into a room? He just...entered.
"Sir?" She said again, her voice taking on an air of sternness. There was no chance that he was stopping and even entertaining her chiding, her very
unflattering and flabby second chin wobbling at him as she told the proper way to make an appointment with Ms. Souen. Obviously, he was already
informed as he had a STANDING appointment with her...and knocking on her door was much more of a pleasantry than deserved.
It seemed the assistant was feeling a bit more...bold that day as she left the desk, following behind him as quickly as her short legs would carry
her. Amiri's brow furrowed at her ignorance, shrugging off his jacket as he turned on her suddenly, her steps skidding to a stop to avoid bumping into him. He flicked the suit jacket into her arms, her mouth
falling open in offense.
"Do not crease it." He said simply before he turned around, found Ruka's door and knocked softly barely waiting for her voice before he entered her
office.
Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it
I guess every superhero needs his theme music...
Once again it was time to endure another hour and a half of Amiri and his sulking over this woman that he was so sure he could not talk to without
Ruka’s assistance. To be honest, the entire situation seemed juvenile to her and for the life of her she could not understand it. She tolerated it;
as Amiri was still a client and something like a friend, but it was a burden. It was the most emotion he had shown about anything and she often felt
bad for feeling the way she did about it...then she met with him and he was a complete ass and she felt justified. He just wasn’t himself when it
came to this woman. This part of his past that he refused to dismiss and ignore. Ruka was hoping when she told him that there was almost no chance of
her dropping her entire life for him, that he would drop this whole thing and learn to focus again.
She looked up as he opened the door, her eyes immediately finding his and then drifting the her assistant who was holding his suit jacket and a look
that hinted at her shocked disgust. And he had already begun. “It’s fine Tiffany, you can go.” She did not wait as she turned on her heels
without another word. Amiri entered, taking the seat across from her desk before she could offer it and looking at her expectantly. Ha. He knew by now
that she did not like to be rushed. Things came in her time and anyone who did not like that fact would deal with it or be dealt with. And because she
did not like his attitude, she would stall.
“Must you always be so unpleasant with my assistants?” Did she honestly care about Tiffany? Of course not. She was the niece of one of EMRG’s
West Coast CFOs and he wanted her to get some experience. Ruka allowed her presence because she had to, not because she was efficient or capable of
doing anything even remotely helpful to Ruka. She moved too slow, seemed to think even slower, and her wardrobe left so much to be desired Ruka
already had someone working on buying her new things so that she would at least be tolerable to look at. BUT, for the moment she would pretend to care
if it meant making Amiri only half as irritated as she was with him currently. Ruka sat, her question still lingering, so she asked another.
“How are you?”
And they shall know I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance on them.
With a humorless laugh, Amiri walked into Ruka's office, his eyes looking coldly down at her as he walked past her. He did not watch her dismiss her
help...and he did not care the manner in which she did so. The help...or Tiffany, was it? Whatever. She was not his concern, although he was quite
serious about the state of his suit jacket that he had left in her care. She could manage the task of keeping it wrinkle free, could she not? He did
hope that Ruka could hire someone who could was capable of at least THAT simple task. Sighing as he sat, he placed himself in one of the buttery-soft,
leather armchairs that sat in front of Ruka's desk. For what it was worth, she had impeccable taste in office furniture...even if her office was
horribly undersized for the position that she held at EMRG. Which, in Amiri's opinion, was laughable as his office was twice the size of Ruka's and he
barely visited the office unless Nema "ordered" it...which was another thing that was not his concern. For the only thing was his concern that
afternoon was quite evident as it had been his concern every time he had been tasked with visiting Ruka on "business".
Must you always be unpleasant with my assistants? An unamused scoff left his lips as his eyes slowly met Ruka's again, his elbow resting on
the resting lazily on the armrest of the chair.
"That is obviously a rhetorical, not to mention trivial question..." He snapped, slouching further in the chair, watching Ruka sit in her own behind
her desk. Not only was her question annoyingly obvious, but she was wasting time asking it. His time. Time that could have been used to give him the
news that he had truly come there to hear. Evita. That was the only name that he would tolerate that meeting. Neither Tiffany's, no anyone
else's would do.
"Quit stalling." His answer to the question about his well being. He crossed his legs, smirking as a short silence fell over the room. His long
fingers played at his lips as she watched him, not allowing him to rush her, torturing him with her hesitation.
"Come now, Ruka. Your time is much too important to be wasted." As was his, his voice coming out like poison-laced silk.
"You know what I want. It is so much easier if you just...give it to me." With quickly vanishing smile, he stared, waiting out Ruka's words.
Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it
I guess every superhero needs his theme music...
Ruka did her best to hide the amused smirk that graced her lips with the sound of the annoyance in his voice. Amiri’s response to her question about
Tiffany was expected; his non-answer coming in a snap as he fidgeted in his chair, his discomfort with waiting manifesting itself physically. Ruka
took her time finding her seat, adjusting her skirt before she sat and picking at imaginary lint on her sleeve once she was settled. And then when she was sure he was listening, she spoke.
How are you?
Her ability to hide the smirk failed as his emotion flashed on his face, a command for her to quit stalling on his lips. Ha. HA! Ruka allowed herself
to scoff at him and his silly little command. As if Ruka Souen could be commanded to do anything she did not want to do. She was quiet and when it
became too much for him Amiri spoke again, attempting to coax her into telling him the things he wanted to know. “Wasting time?” Ruka leaned
forward, propping her chin on the back of her hand as she looked at Amiri, her smile never faltering. “Oh no, see, I’m quite enjoying myself
watching you squirm in your seat over what I might be able to tell you about your precious Evita.” Ruka giggled a little, her amusement
apparenet and also waivering. He was right. She had better things to do. “As adorable as I find this puppy love part of you, I regret to inform you
that I do not have good news for you.” True. His crush was married, with a child, and a little rat dog of some kind. And from everything
Ruka could figure out, they were happy.
“What you didn’t tell me at the Gala, but I’m sure you already knew since you ran into her in Gucci, she’s not just with someone else. That
someone is her husband and they have a four year old son.” She watched as his face went unchanged, her assumption correct. Amiri knew she was
married. He knew and he did not care. Ruka sighed, the humor in the situation completely leaving her as the weight of it became heavy.
“Amiri, why are you so invested in this? She is married. She is happy…”
And they shall know I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance on them.
She was toying with him! The silent back and forth that played between them was like the volleying of a ball from one player's court to the other's.
And as much as Amiri hated to admit it, the ball was undeniably in Ruka's court. No one could command Ruka Souen. That point had been made long before
they began to regard each other on more amicable terms. She did as she pleased, her hands moved indeterminably and only at her pleasing. To demand
anything from her was mostly a waste of breath, just as it was now, Amiri's request for the end of her stalling only making her soft laughter break
their silence...and Amiri could not say that he enjoyed his request being laughed at. And if her laughter had not been enough to make him grit his
teeth again't saying the kind of things he truly desired to say to her, her comment had. He was not then and would never be mere entertainment for
Ruka. He was no one's clown. But unfortunately, he kept finding ways to become just that for her. Asking favors of her in a scotch-drunken stupor.
Giving her the upper hand. Putting his fucking balls within her reach. No amount of friendship stopped Ruka from being the she-witch she had shown
herself in the past...and in the present to be.
"Ruka..." Calling her name in the middle of her monologue meant nothing as she spoke on, telling him that she had some news for him about Evita that
he would not like. His eyes narrowed as he thought about what she had just told him. Her regret. News that he would not think was promising to him and
what he wanted...what he needed. His silence egged her own as she shifted in her seat, the same feline smile spread across her lips as she spoke.
What you didn't tell me at the Gala...her husband...and they have a four year old son.
Amiri's eyes shifted as he listened to Ruka's news...news that he had already known. News that he had purposefully kept from her. He had always known
about the husband. He had known that Evita had gotten married and that she had moved on...had a child. Forgotten about Amiri. Found another man to
love who would not treat her the way Amiri had. Who would not lie to her...who would give her the life that Amiri could not because he had ruined
everything that they had been...that they could have been. He knew about the husband...and now, Ruka knew that he knew as well.
"...and she is not mine." He finished Ruka's words as she named everything that Evita was without him.
"How can she be "happy" if she is not mine?" He looked at Ruka, daring her to answer the question Amiri did not mean for her to even begin to argue.
Because it was impossible to understand how Evita could be happy without Amiri when he was...miserable without her. He had always been. From the
moment she left the sting of a slap on his cheek and turned her back on him. His father's death, the company falling into his hands...none of it
distracted him from her. And now that he had seen her again, now that she was within his reach? He would not let her get away.
"Her...husband is inconsequential if that is what you are trying to say." He grimaced at that word, the name he was forced to call the man that had
become yet another wall that kept him away from Evita.
"Your task is not to tell me how 'happy' she is. You task is to tell me how I can make her happier...to give her back to me."
Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it
I guess every superhero needs his theme music...
...And she is not mine. That was what Amiri was taking away from all that she had said. The son, the husband, her happiness; all were
non-factors to him. Evita was what he cared about and she was not his. Ruka sighed, shaking her head a bit as she just looked at him. Again, she
didn’t understand what was so special about this woman. This girl from his past. Initially she thought he just wanted to make things right. From
what he’d confided in her at the Gala, with things obviously not ending well after his...exposure in high school, Ruka was under the impression that
he wanted to speak to her, apologize for what happened way back then, attempt to make things okay between them so that he could move on. But as time
went on and he pressed her for details on this person, it became apparent that this wasn’t about making amends. It was about reinstating a
relationship.
“Amiri…-,” he cut her off, his question one she was sure he did not really want her to answer. The answer was obvious. she had moved on.
Whatever happened between them was something that she had either forgotten about and moved on or pushed to the recesses of her mind and moved on. The
commonality? Evita had moved on. Why couldn’t Amiri? Ruka opened her mouth to ask him what was really going on here, but he spoke first, confirming
that Evita’s husband was inconsequential to him. And then…her task? Again Ruka scoffed, leaning back in her chair as she finally looked
away from him.. Her task was to ensure the The Chaâbi Group had a spectacular event. Her task was to order linens and book venues that no
one else could. Her task was not to play matchmaker to Amiri and his high school sweetheart...but was that what he needed to hear
right now?
“Amiri…you asked me to look into this woman and I have. I can and I will tell you anything you would like to know about her, but...as your
friend…you shouldn’t do this.” This was not going to end well for anyone involved. Breaking up a marriage--because Amiri was more than
capable of pulling any woman’s attention, especially one who’s husband left for months at a time-- was something that never had a happy ending.
Amiri would be miserable. This woman would be miserable and possibly lose everything that mattered to her. Amiri would “love” this woman for two
minutes before he became bored and moved on leaving her with nothing. He may not have had anything to lose, but this woman; this Evita did...But he
also knew Amiri was headstrong and stubborn and completely incapable of letting this go.
“Are you sure this is what you want?”
And they shall know I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance on them.
Amiri... He hated hearing her call his name in that voice. For it was the same voice that she had used at the Gala when he had first
spoken of Evita. A voice of pity. A voice of disapproval. A voice that said that he...that THEY should have been doing anything BUT what Amiri desired
to do, which was have Evita in her rightful place. At his side, as his own. His eyes fluttered in annoyance, rolling at the words that he knew Ruka
was about to say. She had completed her task of finding out about Evita's life for Amiri and she would do more at his request...but as his
friend...
He smirked at the teetering idea of friendship that he and Ruka sustained. It balanced like a spinning plate in some foolish circus performer's act.
On incorrect move or a moment of neglect and the plate would topple over, smashing to the ground in a mess of shards. The very foundation of who they
were was never a secure thing, the memory of the past that came with Evita's arrival reminding Amiri of that. Yet, for some strange reason, he trusted
Ruka with the task that had very little to do with anything that she owed him as Ruka rarely paid anything in debts outside of her revenge. So as
annoying as her words were, somewhere in the back of Amiri's mind they struck a chord. He heard her. He understood her trepidation. Evita was a
married woman and a mother. Her present spoke to him...but the future that she could have with him shouted so much more loudly. A future of brothers
and sisters for little AJ, the child who was not Amiri's but would never be turned away. A beautiful wedding in Amiri's homeland. Now that his father
was gone and buried, there would be barely any resistance from his family. And a home full of love and passion. That is what she would trade her
"happy" existence for. A future with her first love...
And that is what made Amiri's answer so swift and so very easy. "Yes. This...all of this is what I want." He blinked slowly as he met Ruka's gaze on
him, her expression faltering a bit as she processed his answer carefully.
"I want her, Ruka..." He said, shifting on the soft, leather armchair. "...more than anything." The last words he had spoken came softly, his fingers
playing at his lips again.
"Tell me what you know. I want to know everything."
Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it
I guess every superhero needs his theme music...
![[*]](images/davis/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
