Done deal

From Earth to Earth

The leaves were ruffling in the wind, making a swoosh sound out of the wind, and all the trees were green and lush. It was bright outside even though there were overcast, clouds hiding the warm sun with different shades of dark. The grass on the flat ground was freshly cut and manicured, and spread across the lush field was a perfect grid of stones. Each had a similar shape and height. In the distance, almost at the far end of the field stood a group of people gathered. All were dressed in finer clothes, most wearing their wealth easily to be seen and noticed. Their garments were of a dark hue, most of them hiding behind large sunglasses. In front of the crowd was a small mound of dirt, and in front of that mound was a man wearing a long white robe. The man was holding a black book, reading from it solemnly, all heads hung slightly. Over the soft voice of the white-robed man were soft sobs and sniffles. At the other end of this field stood a large oak tree, a tall man was leaning on the trunk. He was handsome with a gruff look, he had that in-between not shaved and beard look and his dark hair was combed back. His frame was athletic and it enhanced his handsomeness. His gaze fell onto the group in front of him, the group of people started to line up one by one took a little shovel, and tossed down a small lump of soil into the hole that was freshly dug. The man by the oak tree straightened his frame, before turning around, and slowly walking away.

Later that day a knock came at a double front door of an inviting, white, and fresh mansion with an elaborate garden surrounding it. It was well guarded by a tall metal fence and many cameras. The man knocking at the door was let in through the gate, he had parked his sports car by the front of the house. He was leaning to the side of the house as he waited to be let in. On the other side of the double doors came a light patter of bare feet, her manicured and painted toes contrasted the rough tiled floor. She was stepping with a light stride in her skinny jeans and oversized white button-up shirt. Her hair was put up in a light bun at the base of her neck, and a few small braids along the side were pulled into the bun. Her clothes were changed from the darker ones she had on earlier, but her hair was still styled like it was earlier that day. Her eyes were puffy and red, and her face was looking tired. The woman gently opened one of the front doors revealing the tall gruff looking man. He was wearing his expensive clothes to perfection, but all of his attire was subtle and modest. As the door opened he looked up and met her gaze, he gave a small smile, lifting only one side of his lips. Her face stayed flat and unmoved as before, she gestures for him to enter and follow her. She led him through the long and large hallway, past a formal living area and an entertainment area. She then walked with her light patter down a more narrow hallway leading to a large study, she then opened the door for the visiting man and let him in.

Without a single word being exchanged she gestured for him to sit, the man took his seat as he unbuttoned one button on his suit jacket. The woman then took a seat as well, both turning their attention to the older man sitting behind the large desk. The man stood in contrast to the woman, they both were of average height, but he was round and plump after a longer life while she was slim and fit. His cheeks had a tint of red, while her skin was flawless, his hair was gray and disheveled and hers had a beautiful sun-bleached shade of light brown. But still, you could see the similarities, it was not hard to figure out that they were related. The younger man had more similarities with the woman, even though they did not look alike at all. He had dark hair and a scruffy but well-kept look. He was tall, much taller than the other two, and he had a much more intimidating appearance as his frame was broad and muscular. His frame was noticeable and he had a very handsome face as well. Both the young man and the woman had high cheekbones and natural red-tinted lips, they both also had large eyes that glinted brightly. Hers was a beautiful shade of green, his a light shade of blue.

The first to break the silence was the older man, “ thank you for meeting us on such short notice, as you can understand time is of the essence. I haven’t gotten into the detail about this meeting with my daughter so I might have to keep her up to speed during the meeting, my apologies.”

He nodded toward the woman stating that she was his daughter.

The younger man straightened his cuffs as he gave a small nod and smile at the woman before addressing the older man, “not at all.”

“Well then, let’s get to the heart of things.” The older man gruffed.

The woman addressed her father, “dad, I know this is about our current situation, and I can only assume that we have invited the gentleman to discuss ways of getting us out of this... predicament. However, I am lost to the rest, if there is some deal being forged I would love to be included in the making of the...details.”

The father slumped a bit in his seat, “Ella, dear, you know as much as I do. I contacted Mr. Blackwell here as he is the only one holding a more prominent position than... the ones we are currently dealing with. He agreed to meet us on very short notice.”

Mr. Blackwell lifted one leg over the other crossing them, “thank you Mr. Gerraldi.”

He nodded towards the woman, “miss Gerraldi.” She nodded back.

Mr. Blackwell cleared his throat, “as you said, I can help you out of this sticky situation, and I’m able to do so as early as tonight. We can discuss the terms, but I intend to solve the issue to your preferred specifications. My terms of p*****t can also be discussed, to a small length as the p*****t is conditional on only one ‘item’.”

Mr. Gerraldi sighed in relief and rubbed one hand over his hair, “good, good good good!” He repeated himself while nodding.

“Well then” Mr. Blackwell replied, “would you prefer the individuals removed or just paid off?”

Mr. Gerraldi quickly shot back, “paid off!”

Ella quickly interjected, “dad! Be pragmatic here, one approach is definite and will secure us from any reoccurrences.” Ella frowned, her words rung harshly at her father.

The father sighed and turned to look at Ella, “I’ve already lost two children Ella, and this is not a world of an eye for an eye. It’s just more loss, more children missing. Let’s just settle this and move on.”

His eyes were glistening as water pooled in his light brown eyes.

Mr. Blackwell addressed Ella while looking softly at her, “we could always put in a clause that if they were to cause more trouble I would escalate the ramifications, thus solving the issue more permanently. Does that sound better to you miss Gerraldi?”

“Please Mr. Blackwell, call me Ella. And yes, that sounds like a sound plan. However, I am curious about what item you want to acquire. We do not currently hold any items of such an amount. I don’t think we ever had an item close to $ ten million, as you are offering to depart with.”

Mr. Blackwell replied in a sweet tone, “on the contrary miss... Ella, your ‘item’ exceeds in value far beyond the ten million.”

Ella gave a short smile at that, “well then Mr. Blackwell, please indulge me, what item do you wish to acquire?”

Mr. Blackwell smiled back at Ella, a small and inviting smile before he replied, “you!”