Leave it to me
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 and you, rather than have him out there, being salty about you, and you, having resentment for him?”
Seeing the half smile forming on Elijah‘s face and hearing the soft chuckle escaping his lips, Bryan smiled, mumbling, “Well, I never thought that far ahead before, but, yeah, it is.”
After a brief silence, Elijah looked at his watch and said, “I need to get back to my wife.”
“So it‘s really love?” Bryan questioned, raising his eyebrows.
“What is love?”
“You and her...”
When Elijah didn‘t respond immediately, Bryan elaborated, “Forgive me for such sensitive words… But, first, you kept your identity for years, while being married to Melina, and allowing everyone to walk over you, and now, you are with Peach, and judging from the last name she bears from you...”
A brief silence passed between the two men again as Bryan saw how Elijah tensed, and then he mumbled, “She doesn‘t know that you are a Maxwell... till this day, does she?”
through his hair, laughing out the tension he felt, saying, “I should stop trying to pick at your brain... you are way too complicated, man.”
and putting it away into his pocket. Then he stood up from the couch, saying, “Thanks for today... I appreciate everything you have done so far. I know how to scratch the backs of those
he stood up from the couch, meeting Elijah‘s gaze as he let out, “I know that
slight smile was the only response Elijah gave before walking off, and Bryan shook
hall, realizing that a couple of Bryan words had stuck in his mind, and he frowned slightly.
voice that Elijah remembered
gazed to the right to see Mr. Gordan, approaching with his golf gears in a bag, smiling like he had won a lottery. “I was
Gordan,” Bryan said with a grin at the
yet amused, asking, “What an odd pair to see together… You two know
Elijah by the shoulder, Bryan wore a big smile on his
staring at both of them in
low–life son–in–law of the Hayes family was a mathematical solution that seemed impossible in
buddies,” Bryan said with a mischievous smile.
darted his gaze between the two of them, and he
Bryan‘s arm around his shoulders, making him notice the stare, and withdrawing his hand slowly.
Elijah hesitated, and then he gave him a manly pat on the back and
Bryan smirking as he watched his back and then turned to Mr. Gordan and said, “Well, this is my cue
is he?! Why are you friends with a, ‘nobody?!” Mr. Gordan blurted out at Bryan
Mr. Gordan and then laughed in an amused tone, mumbling, “A nobody? Hah,
mumbled, “Am I missing something here?! Why would I be
dull as five o‘clock approached, and the car came to a stop in front of the hotel, causing Elijah to sigh as he shut
unlocked the door, stepped out, deeply inhaled, and then smiled as the thought of seeing Peach
stare at Ryan, and then dropped her
Ryan exclaimed, almost falling out of the
a laugh, Peach took a second to suppress it all and mumbled, “Sorry that I startled you... I was talking about what I said back in the restaurant. Elmer had been using accounting loopholes to hide millions
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XNm6vIGHBbCohxaKha+TGlHtaE7ZaJodOwOiGRyv51L7ByXsb1g9GEJyl8XH8dsKO3sL94FA0EQpkbd6Nr00ePbC7ao+ccCHuKLWWzz2XFsdg06UDe45uI1RNH3pG4LY3coAptmFeCusG7gA9j/8nySz3tuJxv+Ty5N/VSTLWBPZFvfb/ZzMyXZpqDwyFmVJ82u2bJIQv8ZlADMw06Zs9c8R4wlURMmSD3JlQcuFqoOvEj+rmIEC3kbtXo+9bSylLA==
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