New Leaf

Chapter 14

Burak POV

***

I spent the last week going through the portfolios of the company's employees, I need an assistant and 10 people in my team: 1 interior architect, 2 interior designers, 2 landscape architects, 2 civil engineers, 3 urban and regional planners. I took from my father's team his best architect and two of his best civil engineer which means I still need 7 more to complete my team and an assistant. 

I advertised my need for new employees and the importance of the diversity in their backgrounds, the second day I started with my interviews. I ended up choosing an assistant,an urban and regional planners with different backgrounds: one that studied in Italy, the other from London, and the last from America, an interior designer who studied in Italy and another one who have work experience from Spain and an American landscape architect.

My team was complete by the end of the week, now I only need to set up their offices. My father spared me the top three floors, so I decided to make one floor for the urban and regional designers and the interior designers, the second floor for the civil engineers, landscape architects and the interior architect and the last floor would be my office, my father's supervisor and our meeting room. 

The employees where preparing the offices in the other two floors and I am still waiting to meet my father's supervisor but after reviewing all the CVs and portfolios of my father's employees I couldn't find a suitable person for the supervisor position, that's why I don't care who will he be choosing to supervise our work as long as he doesn't interfere with our work we won't have any problems. What comforts me is that he won't have any authority in this project, that's why I accepted my fathers deal but little did I know that my father have other plans prepared for me.

Today I was supervising the work in the offices when I got a phone call from my father telling me that the new supervisor will arrive today and that he will introduce us in the meeting room today at 10:30, I was surprised to find out that my father has brought a new employee only to be the supervisor 'so he also realized that his employees aren't equipped for the position.

I was too engrossed in the work around me that I forgot the meeting downstairs until my father's assistant called me to remind me with it, I left the workers and took the stairs toward the meeting room. When I reached it I opened the double doors to enter and made a quick scan of the faces trying to find this new supervisor, I didn't find him but I felt all their eyes land on me.

What caught my attention was my father's amused look when his eyes landed on me, I heard him say "son meet your new partner" 

'Partner what partner he said supervisor where did this partner thing came from?' I ask myself while questioning his amused look before I noticed him move aside revealing the one person I never expected my father introduce me to, the one woman that always annoyed me and makes me all goofed up around her (Iz). 

To say I was choked by seeing her here of all the places was an understatement, but to have my own father making the official introduction with her made me question even more what is in his head. 

Iz wasn't looking at me, she was still facing the entire room with her eyes closed and her mouth open forming a small (o) shape telling me that she just sighed in relief.

When my father continued the introduction"Iz this is Burak my son" I caught him smirking before seeing her turning her head towards me and open her eyes landing them on my face, she froze in her place and her relaxed features were replaced by shocked expression mirroring mine. But as soon as I saw her reaction my features transformed from shock to amusement when she took a deep breath snapping herself out of her frozen state and forcing a smile on her face, she offered me her hand to shake while saying "can't wait to work with you".

I found myself taking her hand in mine shaking it while mirroring her smile and heard myself saying loud enough for her ears only "this is going to be fun" and wink at her, I was surprised to see her blush and giggle before taking back her hand and try to cover her face with the loose strands of her hair causing me to chuckle quietly.

---

After the meeting was over my father took Iz's hand and lead her out of the meeting room, I followed them  and saw them enter the elevator before I take the stairs and back to the workers.

A few minutes later I heard my father's and Iz's voices coming from behind me, I turned my head towards them and listened carefully at what they were saying

"This floor and the next one are for your team" my father told Iz

"And how are you deciding the offices?" she asked him 

"This floor is for the interior architect, landscapers and civil engineers while the other one is for the interior designers and urban and regional designers. Five people in each floor while the top floor is for our offices and our assistants offices and a meeting room" I inform her

"I don't like the way you are developing the offices, it's cold and give the impression of unwelcoming and distant" she tells me making me scowl

"What do you suggest than, an open colorful kindergarten design" I snap at her only to be surprised by a smile creeping up her face that reached her eyes making them twinkle

"Not a bad idea, it would definitely be better than this dull, life sucking space" she tells me making my eyes open wide in their sockets and my mouth opens on it's own. I see her walk towards the right side opening her hands I follow her with my head after composing myself "here we can have a small kitchenette where we can have a small fridge, a microwave, coffee machine, a water cooler and an electric water boiler. The cabinets above have different colors and in them we put few colorful plates, cups and mugs and this space is separate from the others by a small bar and four colorful stools" she finished before walking towards the first office.

I look back at my father seeing amusement dance in his eyes before I could question anything I heard her continue and turn my head back towards her "this is a big office, we can put the engineers in here. This room can hold two private wooden desks easily at each side of the room and a small shared table in the middle where they can get together and share their ideas with each other before presenting them to us" before heading to the next office, I open my mouth to argue with her but she doesn't give me the chance "this one is small where we can put one wooden desk at the opposite wall and maybe a blue leather couch and a small glass coffee table opposite to the desk with two arm chairs facing the desk" she continue before heading to the next office, I look dumbfounded and turn my head towards my father who gave me a shrug and returned his gaze on her.

"This office is medium sized but it has a private balcony which would be perfect for the landscapers, we can put two wooden desks opposite to each other in the middle of the room creating a big square shape in the middle and a shared table over there on the balcony" she say excitedly before heading towards the center of the floor "and here we can put two black leather couches facing each other in the middle and three colorful beanbags on each side of the couches with a white square coffee table in the middle, where we can all sit and share our ideas together in a warm environment and not official like in a dull meeting room" she finishes before heading towards the stairs leaving me with my father looking at each other before following her to the next floor. 

She stops in the middle of the floor taking I'm her surrounding before saying "the center and the kitchenette spaces would be the same as the other floor but we will put for them a table on the balcony if they want to take a fresh air or have their lunch over there" she say pointing her fingers toward the balcony on the left side, I glare at her and fold my hand's around my chest watching her walks to the first office.

"This office will have the same design as the engineers office upstairs" she say after taking a quick look inside the office and heads towards the next one "this small office needs to be joined with the other one in order to be able to put three private desks and a shared one in the center of the room" she say before finally turning towards me, she marched until she stopped few inches away from me "I gave my notes for my office design upstairs and to your dull meeting room to the workers so they can finish up before Monday" she finishes with a smile on her face.

She turns towards my father and continue "I hope you make sure they do everything I asked, I want to create a friendly environment for the team in order to help all of us coming up with great ideas and have good results with this project" she tells him before she kiss both of his cheeks, smile and say "bye uncle Hakan" she turns her head towards me and continue "see you on Monday partner" and wink at me making me gasp before she heads for the stairs and disappear.

I find my father struggling to hold his laughter which angers me beyond measures "what the hell was that?! Where did you find her, and what's with this partner thing that you mentioned in the meeting?" I asked angrily

He finally laugh before composing himself, he tries to answer me with a straight face "she is an old friend's daughter, she is very good at her job and will help you reaching high success" he said before giving me his serious face and continue "I know that you wouldn't let any of my employees supervise you, not that I have any qualified people for the job and besides they are all intimidated by you and don't want to lose their jobs. That's why I was obliged to find someone who has the qualifications and can really add to your team and this company, when I met her I knew I found the perfect person for the job. She isn't afraid to speak up her mind and stand up for herself, she will help you and if you crossed the line she will be the one to put you back on line. I gave her the authority to challenge your every decision by making her your partner, she already signed the contract and became officially your partner. Now make sure to do everything she asked for" He finishes before heading for the stairs and back to his work.

I stood frozen from all that happened around me, after contemplating myself for a few minutes I decided to go with the flow for the time being. I told the workers about the new designs, gave them the purchase list, instructed them to finish everything before Monday and left the company building.

***

After taking a shower and changing into comfortable clothes I took my phone and dialed my best friend Alp, I told him everything from my awkward encounters with Iz into her becoming my new partner at the project and her remarks about my designs and leadership, he laughed and said how spot on her remarks were and advised me to listen to her he saw like my father that she has the ability to help me. 

'I don't know why they keep on saying that, I don't need any help' I tell myself

"Buddy I need you with me here, I don't think I can survive the next six months without you" I tell him 

He sigh "okay, let me just finish up here and I'll be on the first plane heading back for you" he say

"Thank you buddy I really appreciate it" I say sighing in relief before I hang up the phone. 

I pour myself a glass of whiskey and take a sip before taking the bottle and head to the study with one thought on my mind, to forget all today's event and drink myself to oblivion.

---

I wake-up the next day with a massive headache, I find myself sleeping on my bed with nothing but my boxer. I groan, I lift myself up and out of the bed and head towards the kitchen looking for some painkillers. After swallowing two pills, I head back to my room and throw myself on the bed wishing the sleep to comeback.

I toss and turn for god knows how long before I gave up on going back to sleep, I decide to take a shower and head out for today. Fresh air on the island and a day to myself is exactly what I need before I start working in an awkward environment on Monday.

After getting dressed I headed towards my dresser and opened my watches drawer to pick a watch that goes with my outfit, I scan the rows of watches from different brands until my eyes fell on a small black box. I reached for it and opened it to find inside the silver moon bracelet that fell from my mysterious woman, I sat down at the edge of the bed holding the bracelet in my hand. 

My mind went back to the party night and I found myself smiling when I started to remember our dance, talks and that passionate kiss that we shared. I find my heart start to beat wildly just at the mere thought of her 

'I  need to find her soon but how?'  I say to myself, after a few minutes I place the bracelet back inside the box, closing it and I returning the box back inside the drawer. I close the drawer without taking any watch, I open the bedroom door and walk out.