“Who are you? Put Leo on the phone for me, please,” Elijah said, as he held the phone closer to his ear.The feminine voice over the phone sounded calm and unfazed by Elijah’s distressed voice. “Aree you a relative of the owner of this phone?” the woman questioned, rather than telling what the emergency was. “He is my fucking friend!” Elijah yelled but still kept his voice beneath the party frivolities that enveloped the background. “Where the hell is he and what is his phone doing with you?”Suspicions shadowed both ends of the call. While Elijah thought of what could have happened to Bishop Leo, given the nature of who Bishop Leo was. He never allowed his phone to depart from him for more than a minute. The lady on the other end raised a brow about Elijah’s use of language and what could bring a man with a reputable action like Bishop Leo and an unruly guy like Elijah. “Hello, what happened to him?” Elijah broke the short silence that ensued with both party.The lady clear
Mrs. Greene blinked perceptively, hoping she had heard Elijah wrongly. It was now or never for Elijah. His guts tied into a knot, as he stared at Mrs. Greene. He perceived a hunch that his card could be with anyone from the Greene mansion, however, time was not on his side neither was it on Bishop Leo’s. “What did you just say to me?” Mrs. Greene questioned the audacity of Elijah to walk up to her and beg for her hard-earned money. She restrained herself from letting out her anger in front of her guests and tried to play cool with it.Elijah squeezed his words, forcing them out of his lungs, “I want you to lend me one million… dollars… I … will pay you back,” he said, shifting his gaze from Mrs. Greene to the floor. The party was still active, as Elijah only spoke directly to Mrs. Greene without creating any ruckus. However, it was soon to end. Daniel immediately charged at Elijah and thrust his fist into Elijah’s face.At this moment, the party came to a halt. Murmurs and i
“Where in fuck’s name has he gone to now,” Daniel said with his hand around his waist, walking to and fro the living room. It has been two days since the horrific event of Mrs. Greene’s birthday and the tragedy of Bishop Leo’s passing. The anger of the Greene mansion shifted on Haylee, for not divorcing her husband sooner. Dorothy, even, was not left out in the mouth trashing of Haylee, leaving Haylee all alone by herself. “When will we be rid of such a menace in our midst?” Dorothy mumbled, peeping at Haylee with the side of her eye, as everyone settled in the living room. “Only if someone had chosen to listen all this while,” Tori said with a sneer.Mrs. Greene remained seated and calm in her seat, but within her was a storm that couldn’t be calmed. She wanted Elijah to leave her mansion, not new. But this time, she desired it more than anything else. Getting rid of him permanently was the thought that came to her mind, until Daniel said it out. “I will kill h
“Let go of her,” Dorothy cried and hurried toward Daniel. Daniel was not ready to release his hold of Haylee’s neck like a predator determined to break the neck of its prey. “You… b-bastard…” Haylee stuttered, choking from Daniel’s monstrous hold.Nobody seemed strong enough to overcome Daniel’s physicality, but Mrs. Greene did not need muscles to put a halt to Daniel’s madness. “Are you out of your mind?” Mrs. Greene scolded Daniel, as she brought him back to his senses with multiple slaps that sparked a blast in Daniel’s ears. Daniel’s face was laced with fear and despair for what Mrs. Greene would do to him, and also, for his irrevocable action. And yet, it bore anger toward Haylee, believing it was all her fault. “What is this madness, Daniel?” Mrs. Greene questioned as her eyes became reddened, but concealed her broken heart toward the crumble of her family.Daniel held his cheek as he massaged Mrs. Greene’s slap. His breathing increased, “Grandmother…” he lost trac
“Leo is dead,” Elijah answered with his voice sedated. After a minute of pondering, he recognized the voice, or maybe he thought he did.There was a brief stint of silence on the other end of the phone, keeping Elijah in confusion as to the true identity of the caller. “I am sorry about that, Elijah,” the voice said, “can we meet?”Elijah took the phone away from his ear, uncertain of the nature of the cryptic call, “The big bad wolf has a lasting appetite…” “Because he never finds his meal.”Elijah gained the assurance he needed to confirm the person’s identity. It was Rich Morgan, his father’s friend, although younger but wise. Elijah posed the sentence about a made-up story Rich told him about a wolf and a hare. It was the only way he thought he could authenticate the identity of the caller, the story of a wolf who never got hold of the hare each time he tried. Elijah's lips curled into a smile, and he dropped the cigar on the table. Returning to the Greene mansion
Richard sucked his lips, and lowered his head, disappointed at Elijah’s response. “Think about it very well, this is not something that would come again. Leonard was aware of the dangers and how much it meant to you, yet he still chose to go ahead on that path. Don’t you think you have to make his death worthwhile?” Elijah sniffled, with his eyes darting around the bar, his senses awoken to the possibilities of any threat in his vicinity. “Leo was the end of the bloodshed. I do not wish for any other person to take any risk for me,” Elijah answered, weighing the risks of making the move Richard was asking of him. Bishop Leo’s phone has been tapped, and any suspicious activity on it would alert whosoever wants to kill him of his whereabouts and those who want to help Elijah. Elijah knew better than to trigger a sleeping time bomb. “Leo’s death is difficult on you, and I very much understand you, however, this would be the most foolish thing you would ever do in your entir
Dorothy’s face froze, unexpecting the rage that dominated Eljah, her heart skipped intermittent beats. “W-what do -y-you think you are doing?” Dorothy stammered. “I might be a fool, but don’t think I also don’t have my feelings,” Elijah said with gritted teeth as he realized he was starting to go out of character. He had imagined headbutting Dorothy until she passed out or dislocating her shoulder in his grip. He imagined lots of things to make Dorothy the first to suffer at his hand, however, his imagination would be interrupted by Haylee sprinting down the stairs to put an end to his madness. “This is my mother, what do you think you are doing?” Haylee said, reddening Elijah’s cheek with a slap.Elijah’s face twitched and then beamed like a drunk man who had become sober. He lost the sense of having to remain in character, as there was no purpose for him to keep his identity. He marched to his room and dropped on the bed, staring at the glowing ceiling. It was the first tim
Time ticking, emotions raging, it shadowed the end of the world to Elijah. He lumbered on hoping for something better as he began to drown in his thoughts and imaginations. He sought of alternatives to numb himself to the pain, nevertheless, it came at him like a raging storm that could not be held behind. While he visited local bars, begging for free beer, downing his self esteem and creating ruckus, Daniel and Mrs. Greene refused to cease scolding Haylee for her failure to make Elijah sign those papers. All the while, Haylee was conflicted with a contrasting set of emotions: one side of her feeling deep satisfaction with Elijah’s refusal to sign the divorce papers, keeping her out of the unnecessary marriage talks with a despicable man like Scott. On the other hand, lie a concentrated amount of fear for what Daniel might be planning for Elijah. She feared for Elijah more than Elijah did for himself. “What do you mean he refused to sign the papers?” Daniel questioned with his