The Sharpest Jewel | Alfie Solomons |

~ Chapter 46 ~

London, 1924.

The summer July of 1924 brought relentless rain to London, washing the streets clean but leaving behind a damp chill that seeped into everything. Florence had moved out of Camden after eveything that happened she bid her partly fixed apartment a goodbye her Lara back on the move again it wasn't something new to her she was always moving, though there was a small part of her that hoped she would have stayed in that apartment a little longer and although It had been an inconvenience she couldn't afford it was also a chance to truly start over. She found a small flat near a hospital in East London, a modest place with creaky floorboards and a view of a narrow alley. It wasn't much, but it was at-least it was hers.

Her job searching wasn't as harsh as previous attempts she still had leftover money from her time as an assistant rather a lot to sustain her and Lara for a couple more months but it seemed like god his had a small and short plan for her a slight change of pace for once a good route for her to walk down a route she would actually enjoy and now. Her days were long now, filled with the steady hum of hospital life. The early morning rush of patients, the whispered conversations in dimly lit wards, the smell of antiseptic and the ever-present murmur of suffering. Florence threw herself into the work, keeping her hands and mind busy. It helped, for the most part. She'd always been good at caring for others, and it gave her a sense of purpose she hadn't felt in months.

Still, there were nights when the silence crept in. Nights when she'd sit by her small window, staring out at the rain-slicked cobblestones below, and wonder if she'd made the right choice. She'd think about Camden, about Lara padding softly through the house, and about...Alfie. His voice, his maddening arrogance, his rare moments of quiet vulnerability. She told herself she didn't miss him. Not really. But the truth had a way of surfacing when the world went quiet.

For Alfie, the months since Florence's departure had been a blur of business, deals, and the usual chaos of his life. He'd kept himself busy, too busy to think about the hole her absence had left in his world. At least, that's what he told himself. The truth was harder to ignore late at night, when the house was dark and quiet. Cyril still lingered near the door some nights, his head resting on his paws as if he were waiting for Florence to walk through it. Alfie couldn't bring himself to move the little trinkets she'd left behind—a scarf on the coat rack, a book she'd left on the kitchen table.

He hadn't reached out, hadn't even tried to find her. Pride had kept him in check, but it had also left him stewing in his own thoughts. He hated it. Hated how much space she still took up in her absence. I mean for fuck sake she was just his assistant. A drunken woman he once drove home, a woman he pointed a gun at, he didn't care of course he didn't she was just another soul he slowly slipped through his life.

Ollie noticed, of course. "You've been rather quiet boss even a bit distracted ," he said one day, standing in the doorway of Alfie's office. "Yeah, well, that's your fucking problem, innit the fucking ledger are shite Ollie, I get you have had time off but fucking hell it like your new to this" Alfie snapped, though there was no real bite to his words.

"Sorry I'm not as organised as your previous assistant." Ollie muttered walking away "what the fuck did you just say ?" Alfie threw his glasses to the side looking up at the man from his seat "nothing it was nothing boss." Ollie wasn't scared he just could not be bothered with Alfie's foul moods. "No come back here and say it again Ollie mate." Alfie clicked his finger signaling Ollie to come back and reluctantly the man did "I said sorry I'm not as organised as your previous assistant." Ollie sighed his head held low "yeah you know what your fucking right mate your not as organised and thats the fucking problem so sort it out and maybe I'll be in a better you thick twat." Alfie spoke "now fuck off." He shooed Ollie away . "You could just go see her, you know," Ollie ventured cautiously. "You know where she is. It's not like she disappeared."