Chapter 19

Step aside!

For a while, Elijah stared into this stranger’s eyes, both of them holding back their tongue. and their
expression unreadable as if they were having a standoff.

“Wow, if I didn’t watch the news, I would have never believed a man of such aura and vital presence
was the useless house-husband of Miss Melina.” The stranger broke the silence by saying, looking at
Elijah with interest as though he was examining a priceless gem.

Yet, Elijah felt disinterested in whatever this guy had to say, so he simply ignored him and kept on
staring at the woman standing in front of them:

“So, about your manager…” Elijah asked, looking at the woman in a composed manner. “When I
thought you couldn’t get any intriguing, you prove me wrong again, huh?” The handsome man smirked
and shook his head. Drawing a long breath, Elijah raised a brow and looked at him with suspicion,
asking, “Are you trying to flirt with me?”

The woman at the counter pressed her lips in a firm line, holding in her giggle as her eyes widened.

Silently, Ryan eyed Matt, and they both smiled lightly, shocked by their boss’s words and yet, at the
same time impressed.

“Well… I wouldn’t call it, ‘Flirting.’ But I am inquisitive of you, nonetheless,” The gentleman chuckled,
not breaking eye contact with Elijah, “And I have a gut feeling that I want you on my side… My gut
feeling is never wrong.”

“You have been saying a lot of words, but none of them answers my first question,” Elijah replied
casually, not even bothering to hide his boredom. “Hmm… Yes. We don’t know each other. But I was
intrigued by your actions and approach at the boutique, and meeting you here, on the same day, feels



like fate,” The gentleman said in a soft tone, his smile growing wider, his eyes shining with amusement.
“Pardon?” Elijah raised a brow, looking at him with skepticism.

The man’s expression suddenly shifted into a cold and stoic one as he said, “I am a very hard man to
please, Mr. Darius… And I am not the kind to chase, instead of waiting for my prey to choose me for
themselves”.

“Okay, but I am not a follower or an ass kisser,” Elijah interrupted curtly, glaring at him. “Well, for years,
didn’t you kiss Melina’s-”

“Don’t you dare go down that road!! I can promise you that you wouldn’t like the result!” Elijah hissed as
the corners of his lips curved into a snarl, his eyes filled with fury.

The atmosphere immediately became tense, and for a few moments, nobody dared to move. Then
slowly, the handsome, young man let out a heavy breath and murmured softly, “I apologize for getting
you riled up. I thought using an informal approach of joking would get your attention. I wasn’t aware
that I crossed

“What’s keeping the line!!” A sharp and angry shout sounded from behind the four men.

Immediately, Ryan, Elijah, Matt, and the fellow looked back to see who it was, and their gaze rested on
a fancily dressed, blonde-haired female that stood with a mad look on her face. Then her eyes
suddenly widened, darting away from Elijah to the man, smiling as she uttered softly, “Bryan… Mr.
Check! it’s you… I can not believe it. I have all the magazines featuring you as one of the country’s top
CEOs. OMG! I cannot believe I am talking with you right now!!”

Scratching his neck, Bryan felt embarrassed by her sudden outburst. However, he soon recovered from
the awkwardness and said, “Hi,”



“Can I get an autograph?” She said, rushing over to him and pushing Elijah, causing him to step back
in surprise as he looked at her in confusion. “An ‘excuse me,’ would have been nice,” Elijah
commented sarcastically, sighing out his frustration.

Instead of letting his remark slide, she circled, glared at him, and blurted out, “Well, next time when you
see someone coming in your direction, don’t stand in their way!!” Before Elijah could answer, she
turned around, dismissing him and glowing with excitement again when she stared at Bryan.

But his face had suddenly darkened, his jaw clenched tightly, and his gaze was now fixated on the
woman who just insulted Elijah as he said, “Step aside! You are interrupting my conversation with him.”

“Excuse me?!” Her eyes bulged out of their sockets as she stared wide-eyed in shock, completely
baffled that he would speak to her in that tone. “Step aside!” Bryan repeated firmly in a tone that
showed he was done with her nonsense.

After taking a few steps back and crossing her arms across her chest, she pouted her lips, and
chuckled in embarrassment, lowering her eyelids as she muttered rudely, “Fine… Have a nice day
then…!!” Watching her storm off, Elijah squirted his eyes and mumbled, “Didn’t she come to do a
transaction?”

Watching Bryan, the teller felt convinced that Elijah was not just anyone because she knew who Mr.
Checks was, and he was not the kind to stand up or be this respectful to just anybody.

“Since you know my name, this is my call card,” Bryan said as he reached into his pocket and

pulled out a business card and handed it to Elijah before adding, “Please use it.”

Feeling reluctant, Elijah took the business card and gave it a look before putting it inside his inner
jacket pocket.



With his eyes on him, Bryan cleared his throat, and Elijah scowled as he asked, “What?”

“Are you not going to give me your number?” Bryan asked curiously with an amused grin plastered on
his face.

It was clear that this guy’s sudden interest in him was not ordinary or simple. But Elijah knew that in the
world of business you have to shake hands with anyone until you can unmask them to know if you are
dancing with an angel or a devil, so he took out his phone. Silently, he brought out the card and dialed
the number, looking up at Bryan when his phone

started to ring

“There! You have my number.” Elijah said, ending the call, and putting his phone away with the card.

“Well, I will take my leave then,” Bryan said, smirking slightly and walking away, leaving a confused
look on Elijah’s face.

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