Just One More Minute (A scandal fan fiction)

Chapter nine

"Cyrus, what a pleasant surprise. Have a seat." Cyrus waltzed into the room with a smile, then took a seat. "What can I do for you?" Cyrus smiled.

"You can't do anything for me Rowan. Not this time."

Eli Pope held his smile while he regarded Cyrus with a warning in his eyes.

Cyrus' smile faltered a bit, but he held his ground and returned Rowan's death stare.

"I think you'll find this interesting," he said tossing a Manila folder onto Rowan's desk. Rowan looked down slowly, obviously uninterested at the folder, then back up to Cyrus, who stared at him with a sly smile on his face.

Rowan grabbed the folder and sat back as he flipped through it. He began turning the pages slowly as he read them and sat back up to continue. Cyrus watched his face change from smug to shock. He looked at Cyrus and closed the file setting it back on the desk.

"Don't pretend like the information in that folder is nothing Rowan." Cyrus said as he laced his fingers behind his head, leaning back and throwing his feet onto Rowan's desk.

Eli leaned back in this own chair setting his elbow on the arm rest and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Exactly what do you think you have here Cyrus?" He said in a dangerously low voice.

"Don't play coy Rowan. That is enough to put your house up in flames and have everything you hold dear come crashing down. That is my weapon. That is the strings that will make you dance for me Rowan."

He stood up and looked at the powerful man behind the desk. "That is what I will use to control you. You act as if nothing matters, as if you don't care for anything in this world, but the republic, but we all know you do." He said with a smile. "Olivia Pope is your Achilles heel, and I plan on using her to destroy everything you worked so hard for. Starting with what's in that folder."

He kept his smile as he turned to walk out of Rowan's office. "Oh you can keep that copy," he said over his shoulder. "There's more where that came from and trust me, if anything happens to me, then this little folder falls into the hands of every enemy you have." He turned and looked back at his enemy. "I am not stupid. You knew I would have a plan to protect myself."

Rowan sat there staring at him intensely. He hadn't spoken a word letting Cyrus finish. "This," he said tapping his pointer finger into the Manila folder, his eyes never leaving Cyrus' face. "Is not your key at power Cyrus. This is not a string you think you can pull to make me dance. No this is not any of those things. What this is, is a death wish." He said coolly.

Cyrus sat there unfazed as Rowan spoke. "I have spent my life trying to save the republic and the idiots in it. I have worked my ass off for the better of this country. I have became the most powerful man in this United States. Not from privilege or money, but from hard work!" He said slapping his hand hard against his desk.

Cyrus tried hard not to jump or look intimidated, but he backed a little toward the door as Eli stood.

"I have done all of this and more for the republic, but I promise you Cyrus," he said his voice going softer. "What is in this folder is not something you want to be the one to let out."

Cyrus started to smile, then froze as Rowan continued.

"Because this is not the republic or about this beautiful country. This. Is. My. Life." He said slapping his chest with each word.

He came around his desk and walked up to Cyrus until his face was mere inches from the shorter man's. "If you think to go toe to toe with me about my personally affairs and come up a victor, then you have gravely misjudged my love for the people in my life." He said in a hard whisper.

"I can promise you that as much as I love the republic and this country," he turned back to his desk pointing at the Manila folder. "I love them even more. No, Cyrus." He said calmly. "You don't have a remote to control my every move.... You have a death wish. To you and the person who gave this to you."

Cyrus cringed as he stared into Rowan's fiery gaze.
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"Olivia! To what do I owe this wonderful surprise?" Rowan stepped aside to allow Olivia to come in, frowning when she didn't move. "Dad," she started when a hand rested on her shoulder and nudged her to the side.

"Hello Eli," Olivia frowned as she watched her father's face pale when he looked between her and Alina.

The woman smiled brightly even as her eyes remained ice cold as she searched Rowan's face. "Long time no see."
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Fitz sat on Olivia's couch with a glass of red wine in his hand. She had no scotch handy and no food for that matter, but he promised her he would be here every night when she got home.

He wasn't going to allow her to leave period, and he was going to make sure she didn't, but her eyes pleaded with him and he relented. But she knew that there was no running from him or her heart. Not this time. A loud ring interrupted his thoughts. Her phone had been going off the whole day.

He had ignored it as long as he could, but this time he picked up the receiver, before he could say anything a man's voice filled his ears. "Can I speak to Olivia Pope please?" Fitz sat there stunned at how familiar that voice sounded. He concentrated so hard in trying to place the voice, that he didn't answer.

"Okay, well can I speak to the President of The United States Fitz Gerald Grant?"