A Second Chance at Forever (Eleanor and Bernard) novel Chapter 1501

When Damianturned five, the Pine family had quite the spectacle. Elbert Pine, down at the local casino, crossed paths with a man. Try as he might, he couldn't best the young genius and ended up being escorted out by Sheldon Pine, stripped down to his boxers.

Sheldon, much like Bernard Laurence when disciplining Damian, clutched a stick firmly and gave Elbert a good thrashing. Humiliated, Elbert swore off gambling dens for good.

But, the tricks of the trade he did possess, he passed on to Damian in secret. Initially indifferent to most things, Damian, under Elbert's guidance, developed a fascination not with gambling per se, but with the art of cracking codes.

Every puzzle Elbert brought, Damian accepted without a word. He'd sit cross-legged on the study carpet, engrossed in his new toys. Elbert would watch and blame Bernard for clobbering the boy's sense out...

Bernard told him to get lost back to the Pines and keep his nose out of his son's business.

Elbert, stubborn as a mule, refused to leave Fiord Roundabout until Bernard's slap sent him packing back to his roots. Crestfallen, Elbert ran crying to Sheldon, earning himself another beating for his troubles.

To straighten him out, Sheldon handed the Pine family's shady dealings to Elbert. After a few brutal run-ins with gangs abroad that left him half-dead, Elbert wised up. He ditched the thuggery and took over the family's legitimate businesses, realizing it came with the perk of not getting beaten up...

Meanwhile, Robin Spencer was leading the charge for the Spencer Group to carve out a place in the North Funland market. But, as luck would have it, Taylor Laurence of the Laurence clan was also vying for the same turf. The Sharps, owing a debt to Bernard, tipped the scales in Taylor's favor.

Robin, fuming at the sight of Taylor clinching deals in North Funland, took a trip up to Canada to have a 'chat' with Peterson Sharp.

Peterson, having spent five years rising through the ranks, had taken over as the head of the Sharp Group and the Sharp family. His decisive leadership pushed the family's influence in North Funland even higher.

The fact that he deigned to meet Robin personally was a testament to their shared history, despite the fact that someone of his stature could've easily sent a secretary in his stead.

Robin didn't care for formalities. "At the last tender," he burst out, "it was clear that my family's AI robots were superior. Yet, you handed the project to Taylor. There's favoritism, and then there's blatant bias!"

Peterson, sipping his coffee with a smirk, met Robin's ire with a cool gaze. "The Spencer Group's robots are indeed impressive, but they lack the commercial appeal of the Laurence family's prototypes. Giving Taylor the project was perfectly justified."