Not In The Cards

Chapter 2-Meet Eli

At Davis Towers, Elijah Davis was admiring his new office, although identical to his old office. His father, Alexander Davis, had stepped down as CEO. Alexander was now entrusting the company to his eldest son. Eli had worked all his life for this moment. As a young child, he would sit on his father’s throne barking orders around, knowing that one day that would be his kingdom to rule.

Time to get to work.

Eli began to shuffle documents around only to realize his reports were not organized to his specifications. He quickly became agitated with the incompetence of his assistant. Eli expected efficiency above all.

He looked out to his assistant. A young girl in her early 20s sat typing away at her desk. She was short with black hair and squiggly glasses. Being caught with someone of a simple appearance would not be an option. Don’t get him wrong, he saw the beauty in her, but cute was not enough to attract him. He stared at her blankly as he attempted to recall her name. Was it Karen or maybe Carol? He could not remember. It was not long before he gave up.

“Twenty-nine, get in here.” he elected to go by the number of assistants he had shuffled through in the last years.

He watched as she delicately stepped into the office, carefully placing one foot in front of the other, as if the floor were to break apart. Eli had no doubt she was wary of the cold dark cave, fearful that she was a juicy boar for the vicious tyrannosaurus rex lurking in the shadows. She seemed to look around in hopes of finding signs of light but only saw darkness. She hesitated with fear as she continued forward.

“Anytime today!” The beast roared. His voice resonated within his cavern, petrifying his assistant in fear.

She had been working for Mr. Davis for only one day, but somehow, she had managed to do everything wrong. She had heard stories from her colleagues but believed them to be greatly exaggerated, until today. As the cold and dark cave started to fade, an office began to reveal itself. Hidden within its walls, a towering giant with a clear and gentle complexion was sitting in the back. His appearance could fool anyone.

“Mr. Davis, it’s Molly,” she said as she found her voice hidden in the deeps of her gut.

“Molly, huh, what is wrong here?” he said as he looked up at Molly, who seemed ready to cry. Eli showed no expression towards the fear he instilled upon Molly.

I could have sworn her name was Kathy.

Eli knew Molly had worked for his father for years; the company’s expectations were clear to her. He thought it only natural for her to be puzzled about his attacks. Eli stopped to wonder if there was any merit to his actions. He stared into Molly’s puzzled eyes; he just knew he didn’t like something about her.

“Umm…” her voice was shaky and started to crackle.

“This is all wrong, fix it.” He continued to remain expressionless towards Molly’s weakened posture.

“Mr. Davis, everything is laid out as I have previously done with your father. It’s ar…”

“Do I look like my father?” He hastily interrupted Molly mid-sentence. "I emailed you my preferences report on exactly how I needed everything done. I need efficiency.” His voice was deep and commanding. Eli’s posture and tone made it clear he had no interest in excuses.

Eli began to shuffle papers around his desk. Without looking up, he said, “tomorrow I expect efficiency.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “you may leave now,” then signaled her out.

Unable to muster a step out of the demon’s layer, Molly remained in place. She wondered if she had done anything to deserve such treatment. Before she could answer that question, she heard a foreign but familiar sound.

“Oh, good, you are still here. Cancel my 8 o’clock. Tell her I will be out of town on business. I can pencil her back in 3 months.”

Eli paused for a moment as she saw Molly’s body had remained limp at his words. There was no doubt to Eli; maybe he had gone overboard with this young lady. But rather than apologizing for his behavior, he gestured for her to take note.

It had not been long before her body came back to life; her trembling hand soon began to scribble away.

“You will then make an apology, telling her you made a mistake. Mr. Davis has several business trips in the following months to come. My schedule will be free after six months, then proceed to apologize as I do have a busy schedule.” He paused as he saw the hesitation in her eyes; it was evident she had a problem with lying.

I knew I didn’t like her; I will need a replacement. He made a mental note.

“You must say it as I directed you, do you understand?” He glared at Molly, signaling she had to do as she was told.

She swiftly walked to her desk to make the call. The woman on the other end had a heavenly voice; it made lying more difficult for Molly. She had been understanding, as Eli had expected, canceling altogether. As she concluded her call, she knew that would be the last task she completed for Elijah Davis. She marched herself down to the assistant coordinator’s office and asked for reassignment that same day. Stating that she would not work with the “Demon.”

“Hey demon,” Eli looked up to find Katiana Davis, his younger sister, glaring back at him with a smirk. “You have chased out another one, it's a new record. One day!” She gave a gentle chuckle. “You used to be nice.”

Eli only offered a death stare to her comment but said nothing.

“What am I to do now? Nobody wants to work with you. You have chased out 29 assistants. No one else in the office is willing to transfer, not even for a hefty raise.” Eli had obtained a bad reputation among the staff in the last few years. When it came to his assistants, he was ruthless. Although deep down inside, he knew he was a monster.

Eli stared down at Katiana as he became irritated by the conversation. Unfortunately for Eli, she was immune to his tricks.

“Kat, please get to the point,” he said when he realized she did not care for his death stare.

He loved his sister, but she was way too involved in his life.

“Okay, grumpy pants,” she said as she pushed her long brown locks from her shoulders and away from her candid green eyes. “You’re going to have to do without an assistant. I must hire from outside the company. I will place an ad. Conduct interviews. That will take time. Basically, what I am saying is you are going to need to get your own coffee.”

Kat’s demeanor changed swiftly, her lips narrowed, and her eyebrows pulled together. “AGAIN!” she said. She was growing tired of his childlike behavior.

Eli rolled his eyes but had no response; she was right.

When Eli proved to be difficult, which was often, Katiana was called. She was chief of human resources, overseeing all staff personnel within Davis Towers, including Eli. She is excellent for that position and executes it flawlessly, but even she struggled with managing Eli. There was a time they were not so different from each other.

“Eli,” she paused, “there is more to life than this office.” Eli took note as she looked around to find a brown oak tree desk towards the back of the room near a large glass window overlooking the city. A bookshelf stood to the right corner with no family portraits. A luxurious white sofa sat on the left and two black chairs stood in front of Eli’s desk. There was nothing great about the room. It was simple, and he liked it that way.

Kat cleared her throat to speak again. “ There is more to life than a good time.”

Rumors regarding Eli’s new female company began to circulate. Soon the media broadcasted several female interests until it became conquest after conquest. As the company image began to falter, Eli only improved his discretion. He often arrived alone and appeared to have gone home alone. Without any juicy stories, the media soon forgot his extracurricular activities.

Eli looked up at Kat. She stood tall and sure of herself. She stood at 5’3” with a slender figure, but she could fill any room as if she were 10 feet tall. “Thank you, I will see you at family dinner tonight.” Kat stepped out slightly disappointed as her brother dismissed her words.

Eli took a moment to think about his sister’s words. Work was the only thing that he did well. Acquiring contracts and partnerships was where his success stood tall. Life outside of his office was a failure. He rejected failure, so he rejected life. Eli remembered a time when this was not always the case. He enjoyed life and everything that came with it until he had been blindsided by a pretty face.

He pushed those thoughts out of his head, burying himself in his work.

As the afternoon went on, he was soon in need of a coffee refill. He paged his assistant only to find silence on the other end. He looked up to see an empty desk and soon realized he had to do it himself. As he looked at the time, he was shocked that it was well past lunchtime. Soon a low growl was heard from his gut, then he understood that he had to fetch his meal himself.

Eli did not want to admit that Kat was right about everything. Although he pushed his sister’s words away, the words still rang in his ears.

With his sister's words in the back of his mind, he decided to walk to a nearby restaurant. He decided to venture into the park outside his office. He could see kids running around, dogs playing fetch, and couples holding hands. A mist of regret gently engulfed his mind. He felt those around him sensed his discomfort and only flaunted their happiness even more. He considered turning back when he received an urgent email that needed his immediate attention. He continued forward with his eyes glued to his phone. Suddenly, he received a firm jolt from the front. As he stumbled to regain his posture, he noticed an angelic figure out of the corner of his eyes.

She had long chestnut brown hair flowing down to her alluring extremities. He could only watch as she also stumbled to regain her posture. Soon his eyes met hers. He could not help but notice her sweet and luminous brown eyes and her full vibrant cherry lips. As his eyes traced her silhouette, he came across a ringless finger. He did not know it yet, but he had been star-struck with a single glance. The end destination would have to reveal itself later.