Apartment Thirty Six
By Keshaune Hatchett
Tyler Sands, a ruthless, middle aged real estate
mogul, stood in the penthouse of his eight story
corporate office in the early hours of the morning,
staring out the window while drinking his Colombian coffee.
He enjoyed looking down at the people
walking around living their meaningless lives
while he wore his tailored made thousand dollar
suit.
As he was about to take another drink of
his coffee, a knock at his door interrupted, but he
continued to enjoy his beverage; whoever it was
had to wait.
After he finished, Tyler took a seat behind his
desk then picked up the phone. “Janice, who was
at my door?”
“Your assistant Sy. He’s in the waiting
area.” The Secretary answered.
Tyler leaned back in his black leather chair
then rolled his eyes, as if he were annoyed. He
reached into his inner breast pocket, retrieved a
cigar, and after lighting it, replied. “Show him in”
The door slowly opened, and Sy entered
the room. He was the complete opposite of his
boss. Where Tyler had supreme confidence, Sy
was very insecure, and where Tyler was immaculately dressed; Sy wore cheap suits that were a size
too big.
He placed a pile of papers on Tyler’s desk
then looked down at the floor, as if he were a
puppy that was being admonished by his master.
“By the look on your face, I assume your
task was unsuccessful.” Tyler gathered the papers
and placed them on the right corner of his desk.
“I tried my hardest, but she wouldn’t
budge.” Sy sat down in the chair across from Tyler. “I checked with the lawyers, and her contract
is ironclad.”
Tyler puffed his cigar while glaring at Sy.
“I own that building except for the penthouse
suite where she’s staying.” He pounded his fist on
his desk. “Tell those lawyers to find a loophole.”
“That’s the problem, boss; there’s no
loophole.” Sy took a deep breath, fearing his boss’
response. “Before her late husband’s death, he sold
that building with the stipulation that his wife
would live in that apartment for the rest of her
life.” He paused. “There’s no way around it; she
owns it, but the ones below are yours.”
“Do you know how much I could get
for that place?” Tyler rose to his feet and walked
toward the window. “It’s a goldmine. I could get
top dollar.”
“You own a lot of property, boss; this one
seems to be a lost cause.”
Tyler spun around and glared at his assistant, causing Sy to look down at the floor, avoiding eye contact. “Don’t remind me how much
property I own.” He clenched his fist. “I want this
one.”
He took a deep breath and adjusted his
tie then calmly walked over and sat down. “I
guess she’s leaving me no choice.” He grabbed the
papers from the corner of his desk. “I will have
to go over there myself and get her to sign these
contracts.”
After organizing the papers, Tyler looked
at Sy and noticed a peculiar expression on his
face. “Is there something on your mind?”
“No.”
“I can see there’s something clearly bothering you, so speak your mind.”
“I’m just having an uneasy feeling about
you going after a defenseless old lady.” Sy said
with an apprehensive tone. “I’ve met with her
multiple times, and she’s the sweetest lady in the
world.” He paused for a moment. “She doesn’t
have anyone, just that apartment that her and her
husband shared decades ago.”
Tyler stared at Sy for a few seconds and
then out of nowhere; his expression changed from
serious to elation. “I can use that information