Page 61 of The Ruler
He stole my line. Finn fucking stole my line!
“Thank you,” Pearl told Finn, her voice softer again. “I would appreciate that very much.”
Pushing my chair out from the table, I walked out, furious that my carefully orchestrated plan had been sabotaged once again.
CHAPTER 14
Heartless Creatures
Pearl
The door slammed shut after Khan, and Zobel gave a small jump in his seat.
“Really, if giving out food is against Lord Khan’s wishes…” he started.
“That’s not it.” Magni frowned.
“Are you sure? Because he seemed very upset about it and I don’t want to get in trouble with him.” Zobel’s eyes flickered between Finn, Magni, and back to the door where Khan had just walked out.
“I said, that’s not fucking it!” Magni threw his napkin on the table before he got up and followed his brother.
“Let’s stick to the plan then,” I said and gave Finn an encouraging smile.
Finn got up from the table too. “I’m sorry, Mr. Zobel, but I have a feeling Lord Khan wishes to return home. Would you mind having your servants pack up food to hand out in the village?”
“Yes, of course.” Zobel snapped a finger and a uniformed servant came to stand next to him, listening to instructions about the food that the kitchen staff were to pack up in boxes and bring to the drones.
“What a shame that you have to leave now,” Erika said and Zobel agreed. “It’s so rare that you come to visit.”
“We’ll be back soon.” Finn placed a hand on the old man’s shoulder and smiled.
“In the meantime,” I said and cleared my throat. “May I suggest something, Mr. Zobel?”
He nodded vaguely.
“Why not honor your son by adopting that village and making it the most thriving one in the country?” Before he had a chance to shoot me down I continued. “You tragically lost your son, but there’s a whole village of young men looking for a future. You have the means to rebuild that village and leave behind a legacy that will have people remembering your family for generations.”
He looked taken aback by the idea.
“Let me tell you a story,” I said and leaned in. “Hundreds of years ago when oil and steel revolutionized the western world, two men competed fiercely to be the richest. One was a Scotsman called Andrew Carnegie and the other an American called John D. Rockefeller.”
“Yes, I know who they were,” Zobel said with self-importance.
“But did you know that once they became old men, their competition changed into who could leave the biggest legacy?” I added. “They poured money into libraries, concert halls, universities, and other kinds of philanthropy that would make their names go down in history.”
“I didn’t know that.” Zobel looked thoughtful and his initial resistance softened into a small smile.
“If they were here, I think they would advise you to think about your legacy,” I said. “You have an opportunity to make the whole country envious of your power to take the poorest town in the Northlands and make it a place of hope and prosperity. Not many men could do it, but I believeyoucan.”
Zobel took the praise and turned in his chair to look at Finn. “What do you think?” he asked.
“I think it’s a fucking brilliant idea.” Finn broke into a charming smile. “If you rebuild the town, you could attract workers to come live here.”
“What an intriguing thought, to adopt a whole village,” Zobel said as if tasting the idea.
“You could rename the town after your son Peter if you wish to, or use your own name if you prefer,” I suggested.
“Yes, I like it. I could name it Zobel or Zobel’s Legacy.” As he spoke he painted the name in the thin air. “Erika, dear, which do you prefer?”
