Episode 144
Elijah and I are free at the moment, so we might as well help you with these,” he insisted, giving Elijah a slight nudge with his elbow.
Narrowing his eyes, Elijah responded icily, “Why must you always be such a nuisance? People are paid to work, not to cater to your every whim. Imagine if everyone acted like you. How would our frontline workers manage?”
Albin, caught off guard and at a loss for words, simply shook his head, his frustration evident as he pondered the difficulty of altering Elijah’s rigid views.
Exhausted and devoid of the energy to argue further, Elizabeth stated bluntly, “Mr. James, after all this time in the business world, you still fail to grasp my point? Let me be clear. I simply do not want you in my home.”
This comment ignited Elijah’s temper once more, and he retorted scornfully, “What are you afraid of? That I’ll see the state of your living conditions?”
Elizabeth stood mute, her gaze fixed on the man before her—his features striking and his presence commanding, capable of drawing everyone’s attention.
Yet, his charm was overshadowed the moment he spoke.
Elizabeth let out a weary sigh, realizing with a sense of resignation that Elijah was adamant about heading upstairs today.
She approached the elevator and pressed the button, turning to Albin with a polite nod. “Thank you,” she murmured, her voice soft yet detached.
She conspicuously ignored Elijah, treating him as if he were invisible, an unacknowledged presence in the corner of her eye.
“Alright, Elizabeth,” Albin responded promptly, nudging Elijah forward, the boxes in his hands adding to the awkward shuffle.
Initially, Albin had thought of Elizabeth as a modest, unassuming housewife. However, after several encounters, his perception had shifted dramatically.
Although typically gentle and demure, Elizabeth revealed herself to be a woman of spirited determination, mirroring Elijah’s own fiery temperament.
It was notable how well Elizabeth seemed to be managing since her separation from Elijah, a fact that Albin found quite remarkable.
The trio stepped into the elevator, and as it ascended, the atmosphere grew thick with unspoken tensions. The few seconds it took to reach their floor stretched into what felt like an eternity. Albin, who usually played the peacemaker, found himself unable to bridge the icy gap between the two.
As the elevator doors slid open, Albin was the first to step out, placing the items down with swift efficiency.
He checked his phone, a smile breaking over his face as he read an incoming message. “Elijah, Elizabeth, something urgent has come up, so I must head off. You two carry on.”
With those words, he tapped the elevator button and slipped back inside as the doors whisked shut behind him.
Left alone in the hallway, Elizabeth and Elijah stood meters apart, deliberately avoiding each other’s gaze.
