Others' attention quickly gathered towards Elijah and the salesgirl, and they heard some murmurs around them, which made Elijah smirk. "Why is he still acting headstrong when he can't afford the jacket?" Some woman mused as she stared at Elijah, shaking her head in disapproval."Seriously, can't he just take a hint? Why can't he understand that it's not good to act so arrogantly when he doesn't have the money for any of these clothes?" A guy scoffed as he eyed the jacket in Elijah's hands.Hardening his face, a fellow met Elijah's eyes, and then his face deepened into a scowl, his eyebrows furrowed over his blue eyes, and he mumbled, "You are that guy from the news?!" "Boss, it seems like you are way too famous in a negative light. So maybe we should just forget about the jacket and get out of here before it gets ugly." Ryan whispered after leaning toward Elijah's ear.But his words seemed to set Elijah off once again, and his eyes narrowed, as his face contorted in rage, and he
For a while, Elijah stared into this stranger's eyes, both of them holding back their tongue, and their expression unreadable as if they were having a standoff."Wow, if I didn't watch the news, I would have never believed a man of such aura and vital presence was the useless house-husband of Miss Melina." The stranger broke the silence by saying, looking at Elijah with interest as though he was examining a priceless gem.Yet, Elijah felt disinterested in whatever this guy had to say, so he simply ignored him and kept on staring at the woman standing in front of them."So, about your manager..." Elijah asked, looking at the woman in a composed manner."When I thought you couldn't get any intriguing, you prove me wrong again, huh?" The handsome man smirked and shook his head.Drawing a long breath, Elijah raised a brow and looked at him with suspicion, asking, "Are you trying to flirt with me?"The woman at the counter pressed her lips in a firm line, holding in her giggle as her eyes
The office was quiet for what felt like forever, and Allen was sweating profusely under his suit. He wanted to say something, anything to make things alright between himself and Elijah.But he couldn't think of anything that might ease the situation. So instead, he decided to say nothing.After another long pause, Elijah finally let out a sigh and then leaned forward, resting his elbow on the armrest of his chair, and placing his chin upon his knuckles. "Do you want to rethink your answer?" Elijah asked quietly, tilting his head to the side to catch a glimpse of his eyes.Still unable to find any words, Allen stood there, shaking his head slowly, and then he said timidly, "No! No... I mean... I can't. Please don't push this any longer... Mr. Maxwell. I mean, Darius. I will gladly tell you everything you need to know about your account, but not someone else's."Leaning forward further, Elijah's voice lowered even more, "That's good then.""Please... I... wait, huh?!" Allen stammered,
After Elijah took the briefcase from Matt and walked off, he did not look back to see if Peach was following him.Knowing how unstable his mood can get, Peach got off the stool and nervously followed after Elijah, watching his back closely.The moment he got to his room door, he finally stopped, and looked back at her, standing behind him with her hands clenched by her sides.His expression softened as he opened the door, walking in, and Peach silently walked in behind him.After Elijah closed the door, he threw his briefcase on the bed and turned back, facing Peach who stood there, a few feet away from him."What's wrong?" Elijah asked her, noticing how sad she looked."Nothing," Peach mumbled as Elijah approached her."Don't lie," Elijah responded, cupping Peach's face in his warm palm and wiping away any traces of tears from her cheeks.With a sigh, Peach gave Elijah a small smile and whispered, "I was talking with James about my family, and it's the reason why I lost control of my
A faint blush crept across Peach's cheekbones as she lowered her head, clearly embarrassed by what she was about to ask."Yes?" Elijah prompted, sensing her unease."Could I work with you?" Peach finally asked timidly. "I mean if you... Umm... after you establish your company..."It grew quiet for a moment until she couldn't bear it anymore. She lifted her head, and her eyes unintentionally locked with Elijah's gaze before he focused on the road."Just because we are getting a bit close, you think that is a way for you to take advantage of it and use me for your benefit," Elijah replied coldly, not bothering to hide the irritation and disgust in his voice.Feeling confused, Peach chuckled Out in surprise, tilting her head to the side, mumbling, "Wait, what?!""Don't act dumb and naive," Elijah retorted sharply."That was uncalled for!""Was it?!""Yes!"The tension in the car grew thicker as Peach looked away from Elijah in embarrassment, feeling a little hurt from his harsh tone."Un
The hospital room was filled with silence once the doors to the room closed. Then Elijah turned to look at Peach, asking, "Are you okay?""Yeah... Yeah, I am fine." Peach muttered, crossing her arms across her chest, lowering her eyes to the ground, and sighing softly. "I'm sorry...""For what?" Elijah asked, tilting his head slightly to the side."For being like that..." Peach murmured, clenching her teeth together and averting her eyes away from him. "When you start fighting for your right at a young age, you get angry at whoever tries to take it away from you...""You don't have to explain yourself, Peach, I understand where you are coming from," Elijah replied simply.Peach shook her head, still refusing to meet his eyes, "No, you don't. It was unfair for you to have to defend me... And I am sorry. I should never have put you in such a position.."Elijah gave a small smile, reaching out to touch her arm. He rubbed his thumb gently over her wrist, giving her a reassuring look, a
The sorrow of a mother's desperate plea was something Elijah had never experienced before, and he was not sure how to respond at this point. The look on Miss Grace's face showed pain and concern, as well as desperation, and Elijah knew even though he wanted no burden of such responsibility since his entire focus was on raising to power and having his revenge, he couldn't say no and be the bad guy when this woman, who had lost so much, was on her knees, begging him to save her daughter.'This mother and daughter know how to push every single nerve ending of mine.' Elijah thought as a tear rolled down Miss Grace's cheek. 'But... I guess I will have to put all the hard feelings aside because Peach does need help… and do everything in my power to make sure she stays safe, at least for now.'Smiling weakly at Miss Grace, he gently grabbed both her arms and said, "Please stand up first."Although she looked reluctant, Miss Grace obeyed and stood up slowly.Once she managed to stand straig
Looking at the worry in his men's expressions, Elijah felt a bit dumbfounded that they were staring at him like that, and he rubbed a hand across his face tiredly and mumbled, "What is it?"Well... you just knock the shit outta some dude," Ryan said hesitantly, eyeing the others to back him up."How did you guys know about that?" Elijah frowned, glancing between the four of them.Slowly, Ryan looked over at James, raising his brows with a curious look plastered across his face, making James sigh before facing Elijah."The clip is all over the internet." He said calmly. "And we are confused because there's no extra information about what led to the punch.""Well, he insulted my mother, calling me a son of a bitch… My mom is no, bitch." Elijah snapped, clenching and unclenching his fists in anger, feeling his breathing quicken with rage.Staring in disbelief, Matt muttered beneath his breath, "Shit, he had that one coming and deserved it... Well, more than a punch."The room was quiet