The indoor basketball court was well-maintained, with two basketball hoops on each side and markings everywhere to show the dribbling range for each spot. It was a large, well-lit space in a corner of the Williams property, with plenty of room in all directions. Basketballs were scattered around, some in the hoop, others nearby. The court floor was wooden, and the walls were covered in white plaster—a decent, well-kept place. Spending his evenings here was nothing unusual for Louis; this was how he managed his restlessness. The court was practically a replica of their old high school court, and being here made him feel like he was back in a simpler time.
There was no one else in the court, just Louis, standing in the middle and dribbling a basketball. His face was twisted in a scowl, deep in thought. His movements were fluid and controlled as he dribbled the ball.
He tried, he really did, to keep thoughts of Elias's exes out of his mind. But his efforts worked about as well as his attempts at forgiveness and forgetting had. His family was probably worried. After all, he had been here for more than half the day, almost as if he was spiraling again. He hadn't even gone to his company today.
A knock interrupted his thoughts as a woman wearing glasses entered, holding some files- his assistant. Her heels clicked against the court floor as she approached him cautiously, like she was walking toward a feral cat. She stood there, waiting for him to acknowledge her. After a moment, he finally looked up from the scattered basketballs, his eyes tired.
"What is it, Jessica?" he mumbled, his voice drained. The woman, Jessica, hesitated slightly but spoke up anyway.
"You weren't answering your calls, sir. VP Smith wanted to talk to you, but you didn't come to the office today, and he couldn't reach you either-"
She didn't get the chance to finish as he cut her off, rubbing his face with his hands and sighing. "And? What is it? Spit it out or leave me alone," he grumbled, his voice sharp with exhaustion and irritation. Jessica remained unruffled, clearly used to his outbursts—many of his young assistants had resigned or been fired for various reasons, but not her.
Being a mother of two and in her thirties, Jessica had experience with difficult personalities, and while Louis had his issues, he was decent enough, and the job paid well. So yes, she was used to this. She replied calmly, "Alright, I assume you don't want to meet him right now. Anyway, here is the information you requested, sir. The private investigator submitted it earlier this afternoon."
The exhaustion in Louis' eyes quickly turned into anxious curiosity as he snapped his gaze toward the files and gestured for Jessica to hand them over. She didn't say a word, simply passing the files over to him.
He immediately started flipping through them, his expression becoming more complicated with each page. By the time he reached the last page, his face was dark with irritation. He almost threw the file aside but stopped himself, flipping back through it.
Most of them were one-night stands, that was good. But one stood out. Raphael Morgan. A relationship lasting over a year. His hand clenched around the file as he muttered, "Morgan... why does that sound familiar?"
Jessica, standing by, replied to his half-question in a calm, steady voice, "I believe you're right, sir. He's a patent lawyer and has been involved in several high-profile cases. He's currently with his family's firm, which is quite well-known. We did work with them once, but you might have missed it since you were unavailable at the time due to… your circumstances. A representative handled the dealings."
His grip on the file tightened. A lawyer. An accomplished one, at that. And he had somehow managed to maintain a relationship with Elias. The thought of this lawyer being with Elias, touching him, knowing him—it made Louis's blood boil. All those memories, ones that were supposed to be just between them, now shared by some stranger. His knuckles turned white as he continued reading.
"So, they met at… 21. A relationship that lasted over a year." His gaze fell on an additional note. "What is this… recently suffered a cardiac arrest, and is currently being treated by…"
He couldn't read further, closing the file with a loud thump. A wave of discomfort and anxiety rose in his throat. He hadn't even known, and yet this nobody had already gotten close to Elias? Is that why he's able to be near him? Because he's hurt? Then maybe… he just needs to get hurt too.