The Winner — part 8

(This is part 8. Click here for other parts: https://medium.com/nebulabyday)

After another day of winning, Elijah met David in the hall. As always, David tried Elijah. In the past days, David saw Elijah visibly having a rough time and David enjoyed seeing him like that. “Hi winner, still killing it?” asked David. In every other situation in life Elijah would have taken it as a compliment but today he knew it was just to get under Elijah’s skin. In the past, this would’ve triggered Elijah and he would respond in a reactive manner. He would give a response he would later regret. The person on the receiving end of his smart response would even take it as a compliment but Elijah would feel a slight disappointment with himself. The response, however smart and charismatic, didn’t feel Elijah-worthy.

Now that Elijah felt like the new Elijah, the backhanded compliment of David didn’t trigger him. Elijah just responded with a friendly and sincere inquiry: “Yeah. Feels good. You’re going to enjoy your evening now?”

David felt taken back by the reaction that had no trace of bitterness or friendly competition. He even felt a bit silly now for trying to trip up Elijah. His charismatic side forced him to respond in a way that would compliment the whole conversation: “Just going for a swim and then relax in my suite. Watching some series and resting for the next day. Tomorrow we’re going at it again, Elijah.”

Elijah just smiled and replied: “That’s a great idea. I think I’ll hit the pool and sauna too. Take care David, enjoy your evening!”

David just stood there feeling like a fool. He saw a new Elijah. A relaxed Elijah that he couldn’t trip up. He didn’t think much of it and was quickly distracted by a lady colleague on his way to the pool. This was David’s way of dealing with awkward situations: distraction and activity.

Elijah was feeling his new glow and walked through the building like a god. Janice saw him from a distance and was excited to see the new energy Elijah could bring to her show. She also saw the little interaction between Elijah and David and had to smile a bit about it. It was like seeing two of her kids having a little fight. Elijah being the witty kid and David being the tough one. She didn’t judge any of them, because she recognized they both had different merits. Even David’s craving for popularity was somehow a merit to her. She always liked seeing people become their best selves, whatever the motive.

When David applied to become the show host, she saw a hunger in his body language. Not in his eyes, but in his body. People like Elijah showed their energy in their eyes while people like David showed it in their body language. A slight difference but Janice respected both forms of energy. Today she saw that Elijah had both forms: the energy in his eyes that said he was capable as well as the energy in his body that said he was confident and in his element. She saw hunger again and knew that this would improve her show. She had both of them exactly where she wanted them. This is how Janice operated and how she made sure her plans came together.

In the morning Elijah decided he would enjoy his new fortune. There were some toys he wanted to buy and out of sheer boredom decided to speak to his accountant and lawyer. They were the ones to make sure he could buy whatever he desired without trying anything funny. Janice already warned him about what would be anything funny in this situation. Elijah knew better than to test Janice’s patience and decided to keep everything within the boundaries drawn by Janice. In case he tried to overstep the line, the lawyer would make sure that Janice’s boundaries would never be crossed. In the past, the lawyer made a small mistake and clashed with Janice. As a lawyer, he was familiar with conflict and resolution, but that one situation with Janice was one he was still recovering from. Every cell in his body was determined not to let Elijah get away with a smart power move.

“Hi Elijah, have a seat. I’m Dean Jonah. Janice appointed me as your lawyer. You had an impressive winning streak. With this much money, you are going to need some legal advice.”

Elijah: “Hi Dean, pleased to meet you.”

“And I am Arjun Kshatriya. Forgot the last name, you won’t get it. I will help you with all your financial needs. Feel free to tip me in accordance with your earnings”, the other suited person said with a friendly wink.

Elijah laughed: “Pleased to meet you too. So you guys are going to help me stay safe and spend recklessly?”

A careful Dean added: “As reckless as Janice allows us. But I can tell you not many things are out of bounds. Anything you desire at this point?”

Elijah: “To be honest, until now I haven’t even gotten enough time to think about buying stuff. I was so caught up with this game that it took most of my time. But I took some rest and decided to treat myself. That money won’t spend itself.”

The financially minded Arjun added a fun fact: “Money that isn’t spent will decrease in value. So in fact it will spend itself.”

Elijah: “So you guys are always suited up and so serious?”

Both advisors had to laugh at Elijah’s observation.

Elijah: “Ok, so let’s spend these dollars. First thing I am going to need are suits like you guys. But ditch the ties. I like to wear t-shirts under my suits. Let the suits be all black and made from some stretchy material. My suits at home feel like tracksuits. Can I have 3 of those suits?”

Arjun: “Yes you can have three and still have millions. So I think it’s not a reckless buy. Come on Elijah. You can do better than this.”

Dean: “I don’t think you are quite used to this reckless spending yet? Want us to help you?”

Elijah had to laugh and asked: “So you guys are some big spenders? What’s cool nowadays? At this point, I am driving an E-class.”

Arjun: “Then we need to get you a real car.”

Dean: “You will not be driving yourself anymore with this kind of money. I think you’ll need something to get chauffeured in. How about an A8? I mean the long version of course.”

Arjun: “Or some sports car?”

Elijah: “Ugh..no sports car. I love cruising and comfort. The A8 sounds nice. Please get me a nice one. Make it white. How about watches? I like your watch Arjun.”

Arjun: “Oh, this Hublot?”

Elijah: “Yeah, that’s nice. Can I have exactly the same?”

Arjun looked worried and replied sarcastically: “Let me see if it fits your budget. Ok…done.”

Dean: “Starting to look like a whole gentleman. Any new place to live in?”

Elijah: “This will probably be the biggest thing I will buy. I’ve always had an eye on a nice penthouse near the water. There is one at this address. Can you see if that’s available and let me know if it’s possible.”

Arjun: “I’ll check it tomorrow and will get back at you.”

Elijah started feeling confident spending and replied smiling: “You don’t have to get back at me. Just close the deal and give me the keys.”

The three guys got along great together. They had similar interests and were all big spenders. Elijah started to become one too. Actually, he was still very safe with his spendings and had too much money left. It felt like he could never get rid of all the money.

Dean: “You’re starting to get a hang of this new life of yours. Think outside the box, my friend. Also know that apart from Janice, our profession prohibits us from sharing your information with others.”

Elijah: “Then there is this one more thing that I would like to have. I think I know it fits inside the budget, so this is where I need to speak to Dean alone.” Elijah looked at Arjun and Arjun understood he had to leave the room. Being a professional, he did so without asking any questions.

Dean: “Ok, we are alone now. What is it that you want that you need legal advice for? I can’t get you an actual person. That would be illegal. You don’t need me to tell you those kinds of things, right?”

They both laughed at the silliness. Elijah then told Dean what his next fancy purchase would be. As soon as this wish passed Elijah‘s lips, Dean looked at him wide-eyed.”

This new situation — all the money, the game show, and Janice’s pressure — had truly changed Elijah. Dean, who has seen quite some things in his career as a lawyer, was stunned and took a sip of his water. He started to fidget through some papers he had on the desk trying to form a reply to Elijah’s request.

Elijah just sat there smiling knowing his wish should be granted. But to Dean, this was a scary fine line between what was legally possible and what was outrageous. The fear he felt wasn’t from the law. He was more afraid about Janice’s rules than anything else. Having clashed with Janice and still having open wounds about it, he quickly began sweating. Elijah saw all of this happening in front of him but knew that Dean could make this work. He knew he was stretching Dean's capabilities and he felt Dean's pressure. An old Elijah would’ve felt pity and wouldn’t dare ask for something like this. But the new Elijah knew he had to take drastic new steps. There was no pity. He started to look more like Janice and became a tougher person. He pushed people the way Janice pushed people. It was all about Elijah now. In his past life, he always tried to make things easier for other people. In his new life, there was no room for people-pleasing. He looked the terrified Dean straight in his eyes. Both of them didn’t exchange words. They just sat there knowing that this was a defining moment. It was a defining moment for Elijah because he could get an outrageous wish granted. It was a defining moment for Dean because he would not survive another conflict with Janice.

“Are you ok?”, asked Elijah friendly.

Dean sat there with his hands in his hair and his eyes closed trying to make sense of all this.

“Open your eyes”, said Elijah, “it’s not that difficult.” He tried to charm Dean into trying to get his purchase through: “You seem like a great lawyer. To you, this must be a small thing.”

Dean felt slightly comforted by the compliment. A compliment always worked. Both Elijah and Dean know that it’s the surest way to get someone’s spirit up. Even if it’s just a little increase in energy.

Dean looked at Elijah and wiped some sweat from his forehead. Dean tried to act calm but his eyes were blinking, indicating discomfort. Unable to give a clear answer to Elijah’s request, he replied: “I will have to check this purchase with Janice. If she gives us a go, you’ll have it. If she doesn’t, you are playing a dangerous game, Elijah. And you are taking me with you.”

Elijah looked back at Dean with a stern look and replied acting unimpressed: “You check this with Janice”, knowing that the conversation with Janice will be uncomfortable for Dean.

Dean gathered all his files and, visibly shaken, left the room only replying with: “tomorrow”.

“See you tomorrow, Dean”, replied Elijah taking a sip of his whiskey.

Elijah also left the room and met David again in the hall. David had just finished swimming and saw a disturbed Dean walking past him a few seconds ago. He barely had time to process what he saw when Elijah asked: “Had a good swim?”

David: “Yeah it was great. Thirty laps, my friend. Time for some relaxation. Gonna watch my favorite series now. You better get ready for tomorrow. I think I’ve been going too easy on you.”

Elijah replied smiling: “You might not want to watch your series tonight. I am prepared for tomorrow. I am well prepared.”

David didn’t really get the new tone in Elijah’s voice but this new energy made David feel a little smaller. Again, unconsciously, he compensated by standing straight up and trying to look slightly over Elijah. He was suspicious of what Elijah’s confidence meant. Usually, he could get a hint of where Elijah was going through their little competitive talks. This time, David was completely in the dark. He shot back with a sly smile: “I love how you are getting comfortable on my show. Better get more comfortable because this might take a while.”

“I think I’ll go for a swim now. Thirty laps you said? Try not to get lapped, David.”

David now knew something was terribly off. He went to his suite and put on some rain forest sounds that always helped calm his nerves. He just sat there thinking about what might have happened. How did he lose control over Elijah? Why did he suddenly felt overshadowed by Elijah? No matter how hard he tried to regain his composure, he just couldn’t deny Elijah’s confidence. David knew how to use faux confidence to move someone into a desired action. But what he saw today wasn’t faux confidence. Elijah had something that was of great substance. David knew that Elijah was not bluffing. Elijah had something. David knew that Elijah knew. Elijah made sure that David knew it too. There was no doubt in David that Elijah was up to something. As cunning as David could be, he felt something even more cunning was coming. Troubled and in fear of Janice, David fell asleep restlessly.

The next morning, just ten minutes before shooting, everyone gathered in front of the cameras. Everyone was present. The audience took their seats and mumbled a little among each other. Luna and her crew in the blue room were ready and all systems were running. David took his position behind his stand as the charismatic show host. A colleague from makeup quickly fixed a little imperfection on David’s hair with a blowdryer. On the inside David was shaken and disturbed, on the outside people could only see perfection and a hairdryer. At that point, everyone saw Elijah walking towards the blue room in his grey Puma sweatpants and hoody. David was shocked and also walked towards the blue room, staring intently at Elijah with a piercing look. Janice walked out and stood just in front of the door of the blue room, towering over Elijah and David. She seemed calm and relaxed, in stark contrast with an angry and disoriented David. She took a sip of her whiskey and looked at Elijah. Almost in slow motion while everyone about her was in complete panic. She inhaled her cigarette slowly and looked at David. David lost all control and with gritted teeth, low volume but uncontrollable aggression, inaudible to the audience, asked: “What the fuck is going on here?”

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