Chapter 134

Chapter 134I owe you nothing
Raw shock swept across all the real estate agents‘ faces as Elijah walked over to the head of the table,
the only seat not occupied, and sat down. “Good morning, Mr. Darius.” Joey hastily greeted, offering
him a slight nod. “Morning,” Elijah responded.
Still confused that the son–in–law of the Hayes family that is rumored to be leeching off his new wife
and causing conflict between her and her family so he could be in control of her money is a major
shareholder in Delphi Oil Co. and has such influence on the owner had Florida speechless for a while.
“Is he who we were waiting on?” Florida blurted out, confused and worried, slowly a sense of regret
and embarrassment creeping upon her.
“You are Elijah Darius… Peach Hayes, husband… the one who just made a huge purchase from our
agency…” A guy with a bald spot on his head said with a smirk.
“You are?” Elijah asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, I am Zach, the CEO of Newlands Real Estate Agency.”
“I see,”
Feeling relief that his agency had a relationship with a major shareholder of the company and seeing
that as an advantage for him, Zach smiled at Florida with pride in his eyes, saying, “ Because of your
purchase, she was able to make employee of the month and got promoted as my executive assistant…
I am so glad you choose Newlands Real Estate Agency.” “I chose the house,” Elijah cut him off, his
face emotionless and his eyes dull.
Zach blinked several times as realization dawned on him and then a small smile appeared on his lips
as he chuckled nervously, saying, “Sorry, I don‘t follow.”“I did not choose Newlands Real Estate Agency. I chose the house. Honestly, your service was just the
worst… it made my wife annoyed, which I hate, and umm… it belittled and alsed disrespected us, in
front of others too… I would have never bought the house if I wasn‘t in love with it.” Elijah explained,
not even bothering to raise his voice, but somehow, the words came out harsh and cold. “Mr. Darius…
1–1–…” Florida stuttered while she tried to figure out what to say, feeling pressured by her boss‘s
glare. A small smile tugged on Elijah‘s lips, and yet, his eyes looked uninterested as they met hers and
he asked, “What? Do you also think this company is not compatible to buy the property you guys want
us to purchase, now that you know that I am a shareholder here… Does my presence in this company
diminish its worth, since I can not afford like some of the friends you have, as you said?” ‘Oh, she did
what I did… judge a book by its cover before reading it.‘ Joey thought nervously, looking at Florida‘s
gaze as it darted from Elijah to him, and then to her boss. Looking back at Elijah, Florida hesitated, and
before she could bring herself to say something, Elijah let out calmly, “I have wasted you all time, and
let me not continue. Let‘s begin the
presentation.”
“Umm… The Delta Real Agency will go first then.” Joey quickly offered.
The projector light suddenly came on, and everyone‘s attention turned towards it, but the tension in the
air was thicker than ever, as Elijah sat motionless, watching a guy stand from his seat and walk
towards the projector screen.
“Hello everyone, I am Alexander Dreyer,” the man said while taking a deep breath.
The room was quiet as representatives from the agency took turns presenting to the shareholders and
the board of directors until finally, it was Newlands Real Estate Agency turn to explain their proposal.
Nervously, Florida stood up, giving a shaky smile to Elijah, but his face remained blank and cold as he
stared at her coldly.novelbinWhen she tried to reach for the flash drive on the desk, her boss grabbed it, making her hands freeze
in midair as he gave her the coldest glare in history.
“It‘s probably best if you sit this one out?” Zach told her quietly.
“But I was the one who studied for the…” Florida tried protesting, her voice weak, but her boss gave
her a don‘t–you–dare look. Then when he noticed everyone glaring at them impatiently, he let out a
nervous laugh and then walked over to the projector, meeting Elijah dull eyes, and immediately a sense
of nervousness took over him.
“Honestly, Newlands Real Estate Agency ninety–nine percent of the time put their customer‘s interest
first, and though there is still that one percent chance, we are capable of giving all of our customers a
hundred percent chance of a great experience with us, by eliminating the one precent from our
company.” Zach said proudly as his voice became more energetic, while Florida lowered her gaze.
After his pause, silence took over the room, and then Mr. Jefferson, the head of the board of directors
gave a dry cough, making the tension in the room even more noticeable.
Zach swallowed thickly and tried his hardest to remain calm and not show his nervousness, but he
failed miserably.
“Are you selling us your customer‘s service or a building?!” Mr. O‘Sullivan mumbled, yet his voice was
still audible throughout the conference room.
Seeing that Elijah‘s face was still blank and his expression stoic, Zach gulped once again, and then
started speaking. “I am selling you a building… This building!” Plugging in the hard drive, an enormous
skyscraper appeared on the screen as he explained,” It is located in a high profile location…”His presentation was a bit longer than the others, and the board members, Joey, and the other real
estate agents were growing frustrated, but Elijah was attentive, listening to every word Zach said, and
not interrupting him once.
Finally, he finished, and the room went dead silent again, as everyone watched him leave for his seat.
After Zach was seated, Joey looked over at Elijah and said, “We have seen all the buildings, and
it‘s time for votes to go in.”
“I am in love with Xander Agency‘s proposal. The Architecture of the building is very aesthetically
pleasing, has a high level of quality, is excellent, and has many features that can improve the business
and the customer‘s experience. I am willing to spend millions of dollars to buy this building.”
Silence fell over the conference room again as people looked around, and Zach tightened his grip
around the hard drive, as he fought against his rage.
“I was thinking the same thing. The location is great and the outside is spacious, making it perfect for
parking and access.” Joey said confidently and then looked around the room.
“Well, it seems like Mr. Darius has better judgment than I thought. I had that building in mind from the
moment I saw it on the screen and thought he would choose differently.” Mr. Neon stated proudly, his
voice booming through the room. “But I am glad he didn‘t.”
Once those votes were in, the rest of the board of directors immediately followed the exact lead, after
all, Xander‘s agency did present the best building for a profitable deal.
“If that‘s all, I would like to take my leave.” Elijah announced with cold authority as he began rising from
the chair.Not looking over at Zach or Florida, he turned and left the conference room, leaving behind a tense,
silent room.
When he got outside, he was about to enter the car, when he heard, “Mr. Darius, please wait!”
Halting in his steps, he sighed before turning around, his cold eyes meeting the desperate orbs of
Florida standing in front of him.
After hesitating and dragging the silence between them, she said softly, “Please, talk to Zach… My
boss is going to think it‘s because of our encounter that you didn‘t choose our proposal –“
“But you are the reason.” Elijah said.
“Huh?”
“You see, I said that I love the house and that‘s the reason I bought it from you. But in there, I didn‘t like
the building you guys presented so much–”
“So, how is that my fault?”
“In your desperate time, it‘s the people you treated with respect and kindness that return the favor just
for the sake of gratitude. Now, imagine if our encounter would have been different
“You were going to give the project to us?” “No. Xender agency won this fair and square. But I would
have gladly make sure to speak to your boss and boost your portfolio for the future.” Elijah replied in his
emotionless tone.
“Mr. Darius, I am going to lose my.“ “I owe you nothing, Florida.” silence settled between them for a
brief moment, and then Elijah turned around, leaving her staring at him as he got into the car.
The hotel lounge was less busy as Miss Grace sat alongside James and in the midst of Matt,Rookie, and Ryan. They had been in such a deep conversation for so long that they didn‘t even see
Elijah as the hotel hostess pointed him to them. Silently, he walked over to the group, and then he
cleared his throat, making them turn to stare at him, a smile tugging on their lips. “Elijah, what brought
you here?” Miss Grace asked him as she stood up and hugged him gently. “What do you say to you
and James spending a couple of days with Peach while me and these guys take a little business trip?”
Elijah asked her, smiling lightly, and then he looked at Ryan, Rookie and Matt. “Are you serious?” “Yes.”
A wide smile spread across Miss Grace‘s face, and she blurted out, “Of course. I would love to!”