Chapter 8 - WHEN DARIUS FINALLY ADMITTED HE LIKED HER, AALIYAH GAVE HIM THE ONLY ANSWER HE DIDN’T EXPECT
Northline held family day every October.
Aaliyah almost skipped.
Crowds.
Executives.
Children.
Too much possibility of awkwardness.
Then daycare closed for staff training.
Northline allowed employees to bring children.
So Maya came.
She was eighteen months now.
Walking badly.
Running confidently.
Dangerous combination.
Aaliyah spent first hour chasing her between booths.
Then she heard:
“FORMULA BABY!”
Aaliyah closed eyes.
Nia.
Eight now.
She ran toward them.
Darius followed at more dignified speed.
“Nia.”
“What?”
“We discussed this.”
Maya stared at Nia.
Nia crouched.
“Hi, Maya.”
Maya grabbed her hair.
“Good start.”
Aaliyah laughed.
Nia looked up.
“Can she have sprinkles?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“She’s one.”
“Age discrimination.”
Darius rubbed forehead.
Aaliyah smiled.
For an hour, Nia and Maya played under supervision.
Darius and Aaliyah talked.
Not CEO and analyst exactly.
Hard not to be.
He asked:
“How is new apartment lock?”
“Working.”
“Daycare?”
“Backup benefit saved me twice.”
“Good.”
“Jordan?”
Aaliyah looked toward girls.
“He writes from prison.”
“Do you answer?”
“Once.”
“What did you say?”
“That Maya is healthy.”
“That I’m not discussing future contact until he completes sentence and therapy.”
Darius nodded.
“Sounds reasonable.”
Aaliyah raised eyebrow.
“I wasn’t asking approval.”
“Right.”
He smiled.
“Still learning.”
Then a Northline employee approached.
“Mr. Whitfield, photo?”
Darius agreed.
The woman glanced at Aaliyah.
Then recognition.
“Oh.”
Aaliyah felt it.
The grocery-store story.
The employee smiled awkwardly.
“You’re…”
Aaliyah waited.
“The analyst from procurement case.”
Better.
“Yes.”
“Your matching logic saved us a fortune.”
Aaliyah blinked.
“Team effort.”
“Still.”
The employee left.
Darius looked at her.
“That bothered you?”
“No.”
“That didn’t.”
Good.
Months passed.
Fraud case became prosecution.
Northline recovered insurance and restitution portions.
Not all.
More important, controls fixed.
Aaliyah’s work improved beyond case.
She identified unrelated billing leakage.
Reduced duplicate medical-freight pass-through.
Built training.
Janine promoted her to Senior Vendor Analyst after eleven months.
Not Darius.
Compensation committee standard.
Aaliyah made sure.
“Did you touch this?”
she asked him bluntly.
“No.”
“Good.”
“Congratulations?”
“Yes.”
“Congratulations.”
Then came dinner.
Northline leadership held awards night.
Aaliyah received Process Integrity Award.
She hated title.
Renee loved.
“You’re going.”
“I don’t own gala dress.”
“You own black dress.”
“It’s funeral dress.”
“Same economy.”
Aaliyah went.
Nia attended early reception because Darius had custody that week.
At one point Nia told Aaliyah:
“My mom would like your earrings.”
Aaliyah froze.
It was first time Nia mentioned Camille directly.
“They’re twenty dollars.”
“Mom liked cheap earrings.”
Darius looked surprised.
Nia continued:
“She said Dad couldn’t tell difference.”
“That’s true.”
Darius said.
Aaliyah smiled.
Nia’s face softened.
“My mom died.”
“I know.”
“Dad gets weird when people talk about her.”
Darius sighed.
“Nia.”
“What?”
Aaliyah crouched slightly.
“You can talk about her with me.”
Nia studied.
“You’re not sad?”
“I’m sad you lost her.”
“That’s different.”
Nia nodded.
Then ran toward dessert.
Darius stared.
“Thank you.”
Aaliyah stood.
“For listening?”
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t cost extra.”
He laughed.
After awards, Aaliyah waited for rideshare.
Darius stood nearby.
His driver at curb.
“Aaliyah.”
“Yes?”
“I need to say something and you can tell me it’s inappropriate.”
“That opening usually means it is.”
“Probably.”
She looked at him.
Darius breathed.
“I like you.”
Silence.
Not shocking.
Still.
Aaliyah’s heart changed.
She liked him too.
That was problem.
“You’re my employer.”
“I know.”
“You’re not my direct manager.”
“I know.”
“You still own the company.”
“Yes.”
“You can influence my career by breathing near a room.”
Darius almost smiled.
“Probably.”
“So no.”
His face fell slightly.
“Okay.”
Aaliyah stared.
“That’s it?”
“What would you like me to do?”
“Nothing.”
“Then nothing.”
Her chest tightened.
Then:
“If I didn’t work here…”
Darius looked at her.
She immediately raised hand.
“Do not hear promise.”
“I won’t.”
“Good.”
She got into rideshare.
Darius watched car leave.
No chase.
No flowers.
No transfer.
He went home.
Nia sat at kitchen counter eating cereal at 10:30 p.m.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“You have sad face.”
“I asked Aaliyah on date.”
Nia’s eyes widened.
“What did she say?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Work.”
Nia considered.
“Can you fire her?”
Darius nearly inhaled cereal.
“No.”
“Then she doesn’t work there.”
“Nia.”
“What?”
“That would be insane.”
“Oh.”
Darius stared.
Then laughed.
Children expose corruption through simplicity.
He explained:
“If somebody has to lose job to date me, that isn’t choice.”
Nia nodded.
“So wait.”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
Darius looked toward dark window.
“As long as answer is no.”
That became his rule.
For the next year, he did not ask again.
He did not make Aaliyah’s work easier.
Did not make harder.
He stayed out.
May you like
And Aaliyah noticed.
That was the dangerous part.
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