Chapter 90 (2)
Elijah watched Henry patiently correct the punching form of a young woman.
"He's dedicated."
"That's why you made him a Vice Leader, I assume," Tristan said.
Elijah nodded slightly.
"He has the right mentality."
They ate for another few minutes before Tristan leaned back against the wall.
"You know, I've been thinking about something. All those women we met today, particularly the ones at the community center and the shops, did you notice how they looked at you?"
Elijah raised an eyebrow.
"They looked at me like I was a gang leader who had just done something unexpected. That's hardly a new experience."
Tristan laughed.
"That's not what I mean. They were trying to figure out whether you were single. Especially that young woman at the community center with the red hair and freckles. She couldn't take her eyes off you, and you didn't even notice."
Elijah shook his head with a faint smile.
"I noticed. I simply didn't care. There is too much happening right now for me to worry about things like that."
Tristan leaned forward, his amusement giving way to genuine curiosity.
"That's your excuse, isn't it? There is too much happening, too many responsibilities, and too many people counting on you. When was the last time you actually had fun, Elijah? I mean real fun, not winning a fight, closing a deal, or watching an enemy run away."
Elijah fell silent.
After considering the question, he finally admitted, "I don't know."
Tristan's expression became more thoughtful.
"That's what I figured. You're carrying too much weight, Elijah. Eventually, you're going to break under it if you never find a way to put some of it down."
Before Elijah could respond, Tristan glanced toward the entrance.
"Speaking of putting things down, did you see those two women who just walked in?"
Elijah followed his gaze and saw two young women standing near the entrance. Their red dresses stood out against the dark interior, and their laughter carried across the room despite the noise from the training floor.
"I saw them."
Tristan grinned.
"I'm going to introduce myself after training. You should come with me, and we can make it a competition to see who gets a phone number first."
Elijah laughed and shook his head.
"You and your dick."
"That's not a no."
"It isn't a yes, either."
Tristan placed a hand over his chest and sighed theatrically.
"Fine. I'll handle the beautiful women myself, as always. Someone has to carry the burden of maintaining the gang's social connections."
Elijah shook his head, but the smile remained on his face.
After another period of comfortable silence, Tristan's expression became more serious.
"I wasn't always like this, you know. I mean the flirting. There was a time when I couldn't even look at a woman without blushing and stumbling over my words."
Elijah looked at him with genuine surprise.
"What changed?"
Tristan's purple eyes drifted toward the ceiling.
"I realized that life is short, and most of the things we worry about don't matter in the end. The women I flirt with aren't looking for forever. They're looking for a moment that makes them feel alive, desired, and noticed. I can give them that, even if I can't give them anything more."
Elijah considered his words.
"And what do you get from it?"
Tristan smiled.
"I get to feel their body against mine."
Elijah laughed, and the tension between them disappeared again.
After a moment, Tristan's expression changed.
"Elijah, what about the upcoming fight with Daniel Blackwater? You're going to win, aren't you?"
Elijah raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not as confident as you are. Daniel is at the Advanced Knight Stage, just like me, and he's been fighting at that level for years. I've only been there for a day. His experience matters."
Tristan shook his head.
"You've already defeated people who were stronger than you."
Elijah smiled faintly.
"That's true, but I don't want to become overconfident."
Tristan nodded.
"Then don't underestimate him, but if you find an opportunity to end the fight quickly, take it. We need to show his entire gang that the Azura Gang is stronger."
His expression then shifted into a grin that immediately made Elijah suspicious.
"Besides, Sylvia is extremely attractive. That woman has the kind of appearance that could make a man forget what he was saying. Long legs, curves, and those eyes of hers are enough to distract half the room. You're the one who gets to find out what she's like behind closed doors."
Elijah took a drink of water at precisely the wrong moment.
He choked, coughing violently as the water went down the wrong way. Tristan burst into laughter and pounded him on the back, drawing several confused looks from the fighters nearby.
"What is wrong with you?" Elijah managed between coughs.
Tristan shrugged without the slightest trace of shame.
"I'm stating the obvious. You're the one who agreed to marry her, not me. I'm only pointing out that you could have received a much worse arranged marriage. Some political matches involve people who can barely stand to look at each other. At least Sylvia is attractive, and from what I've heard, she's intelligent too."
Elijah wiped the water from his mouth.
"You're unbelievable."
"You love me," Tristan replied confidently. "Admit it. I'm the best friend you've ever had."
"You're not even in my top five."
The words carried no hostility, and Tristan's satisfied grin made it clear that he understood the affection behind them.
They remained on the bench as the fight club gradually filled with spectators.
The training floor slowly emptied, and the evening crowd gathered around the ring while fighters prepared for the night's matches.
Henry eventually stepped into the ring himself, his green aura blazing around him as he faced a young fighter who had begun gaining recognition in the lower underground circuit. The crowd erupted when the two exchanged their first blows, and the sound of cheering mixed with the constant movement of people placing bets.
"The south side territory is fully under our control now," Tristan said casually.
Elijah kept his attention on the ring.
"Kai and Henry finished the last of the cleanup yesterday. The people there are starting to realize things will be different under the Azura banner."
"That's good, but it isn't the entire south side of the 9th District, is it?"
Tristan shook his head.
"Only part of it. The rest is still divided among half a dozen smaller gangs. They're too stubborn or too stupid to understand which way things are going, but we'll get there eventually."
He looked toward Elijah with a faint smile.
"One neighborhood at a time. One street at a time. One building at a time. That's how you build an empire, Elijah. You don't build it all at once. You build it piece by piece."
Elijah watched Henry land another blow inside the ring.
"The empire is only a means to an end."
Tristan's amusement faded.
"The end is making this place safe. I want it safe for you, for my family, and for the people I care about."
Tristan remained silent for several seconds, studying Elijah's expression before slowly nodding.
"You're a strange man, Elijah Ashford."
Elijah laughed.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"You should. I don't give compliments lightly."
They continued watching the matches as the evening deepened.
Their conversation drifted from Henry's training methods to the territory, the gang, the women Tristan had flirted with that day, and the plans they had for tomorrow.
He knew the peace would not last. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, new enemies, and new decisions that would test everything he had become. Yet for now, with Tristan's laughter echoing beside him and the roar of the crowd filling the warehouse, Elijah simply remained where he was and enjoyed the company of a friend who had gradually become something closer to a brother.