As expected, he only laughed and ended the call.
When I saw Nicki, he acted like I didn't even exist. We exchanged a brief, casual greeting before heading into the boardroom. The meeting went on as usual, with discussions about the project's progress, updates from his team, and James handing me files I needed to review. It was part of the project update, so I knew what to say and how to handle it.
Nicki added a few points here and there, his tone professional, but his face betrayed him. I knew that look, the tight jaw, the slight downturn of his lips, the way his eyes avoided mine. Nicki was angry. I'd known him too long not to recognize it. And he knew me just as well.
When the meeting ended, both his team and mine began to leave. But the way Nicki carried himself unsettled me. The truth was, if he hadn't complicated things by throwing himself at me, Nicki would've been one of the few people I genuinely liked keeping around.
