Read Online The 13th Enumeration by William Struse, Rachel Starr Thomson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: William Struse, Rachel Starr Thomson
Tags: Fiction, Suspense, Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Religion & Spirituality, Christian fiction, Christianity, Mystery & Suspense, Christian Books & Bibles, Religious & Inspirational Fiction
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Chapter 12
Darius picked up the interoffice phone and spoke. “Alexandra, do you have a few minutes? I would like to discuss the upcoming museum opening.”
A minute later Alexandra entered his office and sat down on the other side of his desk. She had her electronic notepad and looked up when she was ready. Darius slowly turned a pencil in his fingers. “Have all the artifacts from my collection been moved to the museum?”
“Except for the Persian tablet,” she said as she pointed to the display case which held a prominent position on the far side of the room. “That we will bring with us as you requested.”
“Very good,” Darius replied. This event was the catalyst which would set the plan in motion. “It is imperative we are prepared. Much hangs on the outcome.”
“Yes, sir, I believe we are ready,” Alexandra replied. “We will leave Dubai on Tuesday evening the twelfth and arrive in Tel Aviv a few hours later. The Israeli Interior Ministry will provide transportation from the airport to the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. You are scheduled to speak at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the thirteenth at one p.m. Jerusalem time—about six a.m. New York time.”
Darius smiled. His speech would be completed just before the markets opened in New York. Dylan would have his hands full Wednesday morning. It had taken him years to reach this point, and he was beginning to feel the excitement. The realization of what he had accomplished, what they had accomplished, filled him with a sense of incredible pride. He would soon be the most powerful man in the world. Nations would do his bidding.
He set the pencil down on his desk and looked at Alexandra. “Are you ready for your part in this?” he asked.
With heartfelt zeal she replied, “I have been dreaming of this opportunity my whole life. We are really going to make a difference in the world. Just like you promised.”
Alexandra noticed Darius’s normally unemotional face give a fleeting smile. It almost seemed as if it was mocking. Was it her imagination, or was there something dark in his expression? Involuntarily, she felt goosebumps rise along her skin. This was the first time she had ever felt uncomfortable in his presence. Her overexcited imagination must be playing tricks on her.
She stood up. “Is there anything else we need to discuss before I go?”
Standing and walking around the table, he placed his hand on her shoulder as he said, “Two weeks from now you will be the wealthiest and most powerful woman in the world. I know you will be able to make a difference for the benefit of all mankind. With this power, we will have a responsibility to do what we think is right for the greater good of all.” Darius walked with her to the door. “Let’s schedule one more team meeting on the eleventh so we are all on the same page before we set this in motion. Things will really begin to move fast now.”
She agreed aloud, wishing she could shake the small premonition she had felt when she saw him smile. Preoccupied, she walked slowly back to her office.
Darius closed the door behind her. “The greater good of all” had been part of the philosophy of the Order for several hundred years. Now he was in a position to put his own version of that philosophy into practice in a spectacular fashion. Only, the Order would be on the receiving end of the idea this time. It was his duty, Darius had convinced himself—for the benefit of all mankind.
Sitting back down at his desk, he turned on his computer and opened a file named Sizdah-bedar. He thought of this file affectionately as File 13. Sizdah-bedar was a Persian festival celebrated on the thirteenth of Nowruz. Nowruz, literally “New Light,” was the first month of the Persian calendar. Sizdah-bedar literally meant getting rid of thirteen ( bedar— getting rid of; sizdah— thirteen). In some Persian traditions, the holiday commemorated the victory of the
Chapter 12
Darius picked up the interoffice phone and spoke. “Alexandra, do you have a few minutes? I would like to discuss the upcoming museum opening.”
A minute later Alexandra entered his office and sat down on the other side of his desk. She had her electronic notepad and looked up when she was ready. Darius slowly turned a pencil in his fingers. “Have all the artifacts from my collection been moved to the museum?”
“Except for the Persian tablet,” she said as she pointed to the display case which held a prominent position on the far side of the room. “That we will bring with us as you requested.”
“Very good,” Darius replied. This event was the catalyst which would set the plan in motion. “It is imperative we are prepared. Much hangs on the outcome.”
“Yes, sir, I believe we are ready,” Alexandra replied. “We will leave Dubai on Tuesday evening the twelfth and arrive in Tel Aviv a few hours later. The Israeli Interior Ministry will provide transportation from the airport to the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. You are scheduled to speak at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the thirteenth at one p.m. Jerusalem time—about six a.m. New York time.”
Darius smiled. His speech would be completed just before the markets opened in New York. Dylan would have his hands full Wednesday morning. It had taken him years to reach this point, and he was beginning to feel the excitement. The realization of what he had accomplished, what they had accomplished, filled him with a sense of incredible pride. He would soon be the most powerful man in the world. Nations would do his bidding.
He set the pencil down on his desk and looked at Alexandra. “Are you ready for your part in this?” he asked.
With heartfelt zeal she replied, “I have been dreaming of this opportunity my whole life. We are really going to make a difference in the world. Just like you promised.”
Alexandra noticed Darius’s normally unemotional face give a fleeting smile. It almost seemed as if it was mocking. Was it her imagination, or was there something dark in his expression? Involuntarily, she felt goosebumps rise along her skin. This was the first time she had ever felt uncomfortable in his presence. Her overexcited imagination must be playing tricks on her.
She stood up. “Is there anything else we need to discuss before I go?”
Standing and walking around the table, he placed his hand on her shoulder as he said, “Two weeks from now you will be the wealthiest and most powerful woman in the world. I know you will be able to make a difference for the benefit of all mankind. With this power, we will have a responsibility to do what we think is right for the greater good of all.” Darius walked with her to the door. “Let’s schedule one more team meeting on the eleventh so we are all on the same page before we set this in motion. Things will really begin to move fast now.”
She agreed aloud, wishing she could shake the small premonition she had felt when she saw him smile. Preoccupied, she walked slowly back to her office.
Darius closed the door behind her. “The greater good of all” had been part of the philosophy of the Order for several hundred years. Now he was in a position to put his own version of that philosophy into practice in a spectacular fashion. Only, the Order would be on the receiving end of the idea this time. It was his duty, Darius had convinced himself—for the benefit of all mankind.
Sitting back down at his desk, he turned on his computer and opened a file named Sizdah-bedar. He thought of this file affectionately as File 13. Sizdah-bedar was a Persian festival celebrated on the thirteenth of Nowruz. Nowruz, literally “New Light,” was the first month of the Persian calendar. Sizdah-bedar literally meant getting rid of thirteen ( bedar— getting rid of; sizdah— thirteen). In some Persian traditions, the holiday commemorated the victory of the
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