When the elevator doors opened again, Daniel, Mr. Boone, Elrod, Madden, Laurier, Viotto, Fox, Caddel, Francis, and Mr. Amana walked out, carrying briefcases that seemed heavy for their aging bones to carry. A frown immediately settled on Elijah's face when he saw them with those briefcases, he pinched the bridge of his nose, groaned, and said, “You ten, stop right there!” A nervous glance clouded their eyes as a look of hesitation settled on their faces and the ten of them halted in their steps. Drawing a deep breath to calm his annoyance, Elijah walked over to them, and then asked, “What’s in the briefcases that makes them look heavy?” The men exchanged confused looks between themselves as if asking each other whether they should answer or just keep their silence. “Papers,” Daniel replied in an annoyed voice as he glanced at the floor before looking at Elijah and asked in irritation, “Can we go now?!” “Nah, not with the briefcases... You can't.” Elijah stated calmly as he sto
Watching her daughter's leg bouncing up and down, Miss Grace smiled weakly, and then she left the chair, sat at the edge of the bed by Peach, and rested her hand on her thigh, causing her to stop.“I remember those days that you never wanted to leave my side..." Miss Grace said softly, and Peach looked up at her in guilt.“It's not that I want to leave now, but I want Elijah to come..." Peach whispered, pressing her teeth into her bottom lip. "Ugh, now that I have said it, I get what you mean. But mama-""I am just teasing, and... Realizing that you are a woman now with a husband to go home to, and... I am happy for you, honey." "I am sorry that I seem anxious to go home. I am just worried about Elijah because... Well, it's the Hayes, and he's in the middle of this chaos and I am scared...""Honey, Elijah is-"The sound of the room doorknob turning startled both mother and daughter, and they turned their heads, looking at Elijah."He is here for you," Miss Grace whispered as she f
The soft texture of the sheet as Elijah brushed his hands against it made him immediately open his eyes, and whisper, “Peach!”The storm of panic he felt softly faded when he sat up and saw her at the table, focusing on a pile of documents with scrabble-up sheets scattered around. Her attention was solely on the papers that she didn't even notice him staring at her for a long while before he got off the bed, stretched out his shorts legs, and walked over to her with a smile. “Morning, beautiful,” Elijah said in a low voice, resting his palms on the table to lean over and kiss the top of Peach's head.Slowly, she looked up at him, tilting her head up a bit so that they could lock eyes as she said softly, “Morning,”And then she studied his face with a warm smile before focusing back on the paper, her messy morning hair falling over her forehead like a curtain and his white t-shirt neck slacking off her shoulder.“I left you in this exact spot and went to bed... Did you get enough sle
Frowning, Bryan rubbed his temple with his index and middle finger, and then let out in anger at Joey's remarks, “Get out,” A look of disbelief fell over Joey, who started to laugh hysterically at the request. “Out?? What the hell is wrong with you?... You are seriously choosing that… over me!” Joey shouted, pointing at him accusingly. “This is bullshit man!!! I trusted you!!” “Fuck off, Joey!!” Bryan screamed back at him. “That will not be necessary.” Elijah casually said, making everyone turn to look at him, stunned by his comment. Calmly, Elijah walked past the two, sat down on the black leather couch, and crossed his legs over the other, looking Joey directly in the eyes and adding, “You are desperate for money, ain't you?... The ego of one can be very blinding... So you can either sit and let's talk or walk out. Your choice.” A look of reluctance covered Joey’s face as he clenched his jaw shut tight, and then he scoffed, mumbling, “What can you offer me?” “Nah, it doesn
The room was quiet as the silence dragged on as Elijah and Bryan sat there, relaxing on the couch, now that Curtis, Hosah, and Joey had left them alone. “Well, I don't know why I underestimate a Maxwell... But I thought you were going to find Joey's words offensive and not want to work with him.” Bryan broke the silence. “And miss the opportunity of correcting my image in the eyes of someone who acted out of ignorance?... After today, what do you think Joey's impression would be of me... still the same or...?” Elijah paused and looked at Bryan. “He seemed to respect you-” “And he didn't have that for me when I first walked in here... Have you ever worked under someone you have wronged and had to live up to correcting your image with them, every time you see them?” “He’s going to be very careful around you, from now on, always remembering his mistake.” “Exactly. Now, isn't that more fun watching the one that disdains you in your face, spent his days respecting your opinions an
The silence in Mr. Bamford’s office was ruined when his door cracked open, making the chief constable raise his gaze to see Elijah and Ryan, and he immediately dropped his pen, resting back in his seat with a small smile tugged on his lips.“Good morning, Mr. Darius and Mr. Katz.” Mr. Bamford let out as he watched them approach him. “Please take a seat.”At first, Ryan seemed shocked that Mr. Bamford knew his last name, and then he remembered that he gave the chief his bar card.After Elijah and he sat down, Mr. Bamford studied Ryan's face with this suspicious glint in his eyes, and then he turned to Elijah, saying in a dead-serious tone, “You are not the man you claim to be.”The silence in the room after that statement was deafening. It was like someone had turned up the volume and it took them a moment to realise that there was no sound other than that of their own breathing.The calmness in Elijah's eyes didn't fade as Mr. Bamford held his gaze on him, waiting for him to say some
The silence in the lobby was ruined by Daniel, Mr. Boone, Elrod, Madden, Laurier, Viotto, Fox, Caddel, Francis, and Mr. Amana’s steps as they walked through the front door of Investistic Co.The ten men looked confused, seeing that Elijah was not there to greet them, and only Dice with a bunch of security guards were standing in the building, and some guarding outside.Since they recognized Dice from the other day, they approached him, and knowing Elijah's instructions, Dice smiled softly at the men, giving them a welcoming atmosphere.“Where are Elijah and Peach?” Mr. Boone asked him.“My boss will be here soon, but in the meantime, you guys can wait on him in the board room.” Dice said, keeping his face calm while looking into their eyes.“This is crazy. Why host a meeting if you can not show up on time,” Mr. Elrod said, frowning hard.“Please follow me to the conference room.” “Ignoring me, I see.”A faint smile was the only thing he got from Dice before he walked off, heading fo
In the left corner of the casino, at the red leather couches, Elmer Hayes sat with his table covered with expensive wines and snacks. A couple of young girls sat on his right and left side as he and his old friends sat around a mahogany table in front of him, drinking and Elmer took the deck of cards in his hand. “Okay... this time, I am going all in!” He laughed loudly, slapping the cards together on top of each other before pushing them into the center of the table, “I bet five million dollars on this one...” Immediately an awkward silence circled among his friends and he instantly noticed their disturbed and hesitant gazes toward him. “Don’t be such a mood killer and place your bets!” Elmer smiled, trying to diffuse the tension around him. “I don't have that kind of money to bet on cards...” His friend Lucas said looking at the cards and Elmer could tell he was lying by the expression on his face. “Come on man we're all good here... just make your damn bet and play, no