When his shift ended, Conor took a stroll through the back streets of Jinstain. He was not in a mood to go back to the apartment right now and risk running into Jessica. As he rounded a corner, he heard children playing. His aimless walking had brought him to the community center near the center of town. The old run-down building sat nearly hidden between several warehouses but still had a decent courtyard for the kids to congregate in. to Conor’s joy, he spotted Cara off in a corner playing with a group of girls.
“Cara!”
“Conor! What brings you by today?! Care to join us?”
Conor smiled around at the kids, “Oh I suppose I could be convinced.”
As Conor
Conor settled in for a grind. He had promised Jessica he was going to make this work, and finally things were in place to make that possible. Work at Jackson’s may be mundane, but he knew that with enough time, his other investments would give them both the room they needed to breathe, and, eventually, to thrive. He longed to give Jessica a life worthy of her upbringing. She had reluctantly agreed to the arranged marriage because he had potential, now was his chance to live up to that. He knew that once the deal with NewAge Gaming was complete, he would be able to start making rapid progress in his pursuits so the tedious work at Jackson’s no longer felt like a slog. Instead, it was a race to get through this one month. He pushed harder each day to accomplish tasks and his mind raced with possibilities. A highlight to his week came every Tuesday and Thursday when he would head to the Spice Emporium for sampling night. The environment was amazing as the crowds g
Week 2 Friday Kerrigan's POV Kerrigan sat at her desk at Dragon Corporation headquarters. That boy she had seen elicited such memories. Man, she supposed was more accurate, but she couldn't help picturing a young boy of around six playing around a pond. Conor reminded her also of Rania. Oh Rania, you were like the big sister I never knew… Kerrigan remembered the times that Priestess Rania visited Targu province. They had been joyous breaks in her torturous existence with Zadok. Rania had never found out about the extent of things, and they had never been left alone long enough for her to open up. A tear fell down her cheek as she remembered today was the day Rania had been killed. The bastard Zadok had not even prepared a proper funeral because the body was never recovered. But they knew. She knew the second it happened because Abrasax had nearly destroyed her office in the blast of power he unleashed. He had been dormant ever since, until Conor…
After two weeks of mundane life, Abby Wiess called to inform Conor that the NewAge Gaming deal was complete. Conor let out a sigh of relief. Now, to really begin to change his life. “Thank you, Miss. Wiess. As we discussed, please go ahead and set half in a corporate account for me and leave half as liquid assets. I believe in the near future I will be ready to make some business decisions so those funds will need to be ready to go.” “Of course, Mr. Brantley. Call on us any time.”***Saturday Saturday morning dawned bright. Conor was excited because today was ApaturePhotos Scavenger hunt for the Chamber of Commerce. Hopefully today, Jessica would get a glimpse of what he had been working on for her. When he got dressed, however, she had already left for the mall. He put on his suit and went down as well.&
Kerrigan rested her head against the cool glass of the car window, watching the landscape blur by as her escort hurried her back to Targu Province.“Ma’am, the Prima will be excited to have you back. He’s been asking about you ever since you left,” one of the dragoons mentioned, attempting to lighten the mood.Kerrigan rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “He just wants to be sure his ‘prize’ hasn’t flown the coop.”“He isn’t all that bad,” Carter, another dragoon, interjected. “Perhaps some romance will form after the wedding.”Kerrigan snorted, unable to contain her disdain. “Carter, just the mere thought of that man makes me go dry! Dry like sandpaper. Do you understand? Don’t ever talk to me about that old fool.”Carter hesitated, his tone cautious. “Is he really that old?”Kerrigan’s glare softened into a look of pure frustration. “He’s 47 this year, which makes him 23 years older than me. Not happening in this lifetime.”“Well, if things with the Prima don’t work out
The third week of November, Conor finished his Monday shift at Jackson’s and decided to visit Mr. Nuri. It was time to make Vokrizin a more concrete entity. A quick phone call confirmed Mr. Nuri was in the office and available so Conor made his way to Dreadnaught Law Firm. Once in the conference room, his team assembled. “Well… I didn’t mean to pull you all away from your tasks.” Conor said, chagrined. “Mr. Brantley, you may not realize this, but you are quickly becoming one of the firm's largest clients. Just the deal with young Yuri was enough to make you a VIP client. Add in your ownership of AperturePhoto and even the head partners are taking notice.” “Hmm well if that is the case… I would like to make Vok
Building MomentumTuesday evening was a welcome respite for Conor as he prepared for the Spice and Salsa night at the Spice Emporium. These evenings had quickly become a local tradition, with street vendors gathering every Tuesday and Thursday to showcase their goods. Conor had just finished setting out the salsas when he noticed Cara walking down the street, her familiar presence bringing a smile to his face.“Got room next to the heater for one more?” Cara asked, a playful smile on her lips.“Cara! Good to see you!” Conor greeted her warmly, pulling her into a hug. She seemed a little surprised but returned the embrace before hopping onto the stool next to him, which had become her customary spot during these events.“So, what’s new with you since the scavenger hunt?” Conor asked, genuinely curious.“Well, Peter’s been showing me all about cameras. He has some really amazing equipment,” Cara said, her eyes lighting up.“I should hope so, considering how much it costs,” Conor teased.
At noon on Monday, Ana Brooks spun into the parking lot of Jackson’s furniture in her red car. Conor came out a few minutes later and slid into the passage seat, the scent of orange blossom calming his nerves. “So, which dealer do you think we should try?” “Well, Mr. Brantley, the wyvern models tend to be solid cars for the money where the Druk dealership tends to carry more high-end cars. Abby sent me with a new company card for you so any larger purchases like this can be charged directly to the company account.” “Let's start with Wyvern then and see what they have. I don’t need to be spending my first check on a car.” A few minutes later they were pulling into a car lot. At first, every salesman popped their head up but when they saw Conor still in his Jackson’s furniture uniform most went back to what they were doing. Conor noticed one girl who looked like an intern trying to muster up the courage to come over. Every time she would start, she spun back to the desk in a nervous f
TuedaySpice shop Mr. Arroz was setting out two stools behind the samples table when Cara walked up. “Cara, dear, good to see you again! At this rate, I am going to have to start paying you for being here! But it does our boy Conor good, and the customers love you. How have you been?” Cara hugged the elder Mr. Arroz. “I am doing well. And if you are offering, I wouldn’t turn down a cut of Conor’s commissions. HA! But no, I just enjoy the chance to see everyone and people watch! Where is Conor? He is normally here by now.” “He should be around shortly. Said something about having trouble parking.” “Parking? Did he finally get a car?” &