Chapter 6: Time Marches On
Elias watched her go, letting out a long, heavy sigh. The adrenaline faded, leaving him feeling just a little bit older, a little bit more tired. He hated firing people. He hated that the world was still so fiercely dedicated to judging books by their covers.
"I apologize, Mr. Carter," Julian said softly, stepping up to the counter. "I hired her. She had a stellar resume from Cartier, but... I clearly missed a fatal flaw in her character. That is on me."
Elias waved a hand dismissively. "You can't teach empathy on a resume, Julian. Don't beat yourself up. Just make sure the next person we hire understands that every person who walks through that door deserves respect. Whether they are wearing a tuxedo or a pair of muddy boots."
"Understood, sir," Julian said, nodding deeply. He then stepped behind the counter, producing a pair of white silk gloves from his pocket. He slipped them on. "Now, I believe you were looking at the platinum perpetual calendar?"
Elias smiled, the tension finally leaving his shoulders. "Yes. For Thomas. The boy is officially a doctor tomorrow."
Julian carefully unlocked the case and extracted the heavy, gleaming timepiece. He placed it gently on a velvet presentation tray and slid it across the glass toward Elias. The lapis lazuli dial sparkled like a miniature galaxy.
Elias reached out with his rough, scarred hands and picked up the watch. The contrast was stark—the peak of refined, expensive engineering held in the hands of a man who looked like he had just crawled out of a trench.
But as Elias looked at the watch, he didn't see the price tag. He saw the time it took to build it. He saw the gears, the springs, the invisible effort. He saw the years of hard work it had taken him to be able to afford it. And he saw the future, the time his grandson would spend saving lives.
"It's perfect," Elias murmured. "Wrap it up, Julian."
"Right away, Mr. Carter," Julian smiled. "And sir?"
"Yes?"
"The library at the community center... what color are you painting it?"
Elias looked down at the white primer splashed on his jacket and chuckled, a deep, rich sound that warmed the cold room. "Ocean blue, Julian. Ocean blue. I'll show you pictures when it's done."
Elias waited patiently as his manager prepared the watch, standing comfortably in the center of his opulent store, his dusty boots planted firmly on the immaculate marble, knowing that true worth was something you built, not something you wore.