Lord Protector Novel

Without meeting Zeke's gaze, Brodie headed right for the outside.

Undeterred, Zeke called out to him. “Don't be in such a hurry to leave, Mr. Turner, for you have yet to fulfill the terms of your wager.”

Stopping in his tracks, Brodie's eyes fixated upon Zeke. “A word of warning, Zeke Williams. Live and let live, so that we may continue to be civil the next time we meet. You really don't want to rile me up...”

Zeke responded with a nonchalant look about him. “I'm quite intent on pushing you to the point of desperation. What are you going to do about that?”

I...

Brodie's fists were wound up so tight that they started crackling audibly. “Listen here, Zeke Williams. Would you dare to move in even if I were to lease the office building to you for free? In the event of a fire, none of you may be able to escape.”

His tone dripped with malice. That's to say to if you moved in, I may opt to burn down the entire building.

“Of course, I'd dare to. Even if I don't stay inside, it wouldn't be a bad idea to raise some livestock inside either.”

I...

Brodie was hopping mad.

I thought I was mean, but this Zeke's even worse!

Emma was conversely startled by Brodie's expression.

“Perhaps, we should call this off, Mr. Williams,” she said cautiously.

The adage goes, that it's better to offend Hades than to mess with the imp, because Hades is more measured in his approach, whereas the imp, without obligations, was capable of the atrocious, or worse.

Zeke shook his head in disapproval. “Had he been more polite and apologetic, and pleaded with us, I might have considered cutting him some slack. But in being so hostile, he's given us no reason to be merciful.”

Brodie gnashed his teeth. “Fine. Knock yourselves out. I hope that you'd not regret your decision.”

He then turned and departed.

Regarding Emma, Zeke said, “Notify the staff to resume work at the office.”

“Do you think Mr. Turner could mess with the building?” Emma asked in some concern.

“Relax. I'll have people keeping watch over it twenty-four seven. It's going to take more than a mere down and out businessman to trouble me.”

Emma nodded. “All right. I'll go inform them now.”

The more Brodie ruminated over it when he got home, the more upset he became.

Ever since his business failed and his company became insolvent, that office building had been his sole source of income, and the way things stood, that might have gone up in smoke as well.

Perplexed, Brodie was clueless as to how to move forward from there.

“Lily, what's for lunch? Lily?” He sat slumped on the couch as he shouted for his wife.

However, that yielded no response.

“Hmph. I bet she must have gone shopping,” Brodie sighed. “Don't know if she'd stick around if I'm unable to continue facilitating her spending habits in the future.”

He pulled out his cigarettes and was about to take a load off when he realized that he had misplaced his lighter.

“Damn it!” Brodie was so irked that he left a dent on the table with his foot. “Nothing goes right when one is down on one's luck.”