𝐞𝐠𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 · 𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬

𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞

EVELYN HATED THE notion that time heals all wounds. Maybe it rang true for physical injuries, but even then it leaves scars like the ugly one that ran down her thigh and you can't ever forget what happened or what it felt like in that moment. Emotional wounds, however, take months and even years to heal – sometimes never really ever going away.

With bitten nails leaving crescent moons in her palms, Evelyn couldn't break the daze that she had found herself in as Alfie stared back at her. His face bare of all emotion, his rings catching the sunlight from the window outside as he brought his hand up to his mouth – resting his elbows on the edge of the desk.

"Sit down," his voice was gruff and apathetic – but still held a certain authority that had her moving to the sit in the seat next to her brother. "What the fuck do you Shelby's want from me now, eh?" 

Evelyn fiddled with her now bare ring finger, a subconscious action that she had gotten used to doing over the last half a year.  Alfie picked up on it, his eyes darting down to her lap where he hands rested and he bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from saying anything.   

"I'm going to kill Luca Changretta," Tommy stated, leaning himself in the seat so he could watch the interaction between his sister and her ex-boyfriend. "You tried to betray me but ended up double-crossing him. He's going to come after you Alfie – you don't want to be here when he does."

"Right," Alfie nodded, before waving with his right hand out towards Tommy. "Yeah mate, yer' don't think that I know the fuckin' Wop is goin' to come for me, eh? I sent half my fuckin' men home because of it, yeah. The ones still workin' are gettin' everything packed up, aren't they?"

"Good." Tommy curtly responded, both the men staring at each other for a moment before Tommy cut it. "And my sister, eh – does she still work for you, Mr Solomons?"

Gesturing towards Evelyn who shot her brother a look of shock, the girl slowly turned her head to look at Alfie who cracked his knuckles as he fell back in his leather seat. 

"I think that I don't a secretary anymore now that I'm shutting down the business. Temporarily of course."

"You still need someone to look after the books," Evelyn spoke up for the first time since entering the office. "There's still import and export leaving the docks – you have that deal in America that needs taking care of."

"Yeah, well." Alfie shrugged, before clenching his jaw. "Ollie knows fucking numbers, he does. Ollie! Get in here!"

Not a second after Alfie's call, Ollie had rushed into the office like an obedient puppy – eyebrows raised in question. 

"Ollie, lad. You know numbers, don't you? Yeah?"

Furiously nodding, Ollie stuttered out a stream of frantic 'yes boss'.' Alfie only held out his hands – both his elbows resting on the individual armrests of his chair, before he told Ollie to fuck off.

"There we go then, yeah? I don't need you to do the books. I don't need-" cutting himself off, Alfie cleared his throat before continuing. "Is that all yer' came here to tell me, Tom? That I should get the fuck out of here. Because if it is, yer' can rest assured that I'm fuckin' gone by the end of the day, yeah?"

"No, it's not," Tommy's tone was jarring as he abruptly stood up. "You two need to sort out your shit, I'm sick of hearing my sister cry herself to sleep because you didn't hear her out."

Leaving no room for disagreement, Tommy gave Evelyn's shoulder a squeeze before leaving the room as quickly as he could and Evelyn could tell that her aunt had put him up to this, probably against his own free will. The poor woman had put up with her niece's constant tears, and refusal to eat for a week before she scolded Evelyn as if she was a petulant child.