All Chapters of DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

123 Chapters

Chapter 50: The Master Copy

Chapter 50: The Master CopyThe sound of the tide hitting the walls grew louder echoing through the granite room like a ticking clock. Down in the archive the air was thick and cool filled with a century's worth of history. Elena sat on a crate, her fingers moving precisely across her laptop keyboard. Beside her the open oilskin sleeves caught the light showing the faded carbon slips and handwritten diaries that Silas Vane had tried to erase.Julian stood near the aluminum ladder watching the external relief valves. A small trickle of dark river water had started to seep across the floor, a sign that the harbor was reaching high water. He looked back at Elena, his features lit up by the laptop screen, his simple gold wedding band catching the light."The lower seals are starting to leak, Elena " Julian said, his voice low and steady. "We have twenty minutes before the automatic floodgates trigger. We need to move the ledger and diaries up to the main deck now."Elena didn't look up, f

Chapter 51: The Sovereign Horizon

Chapter 51: The Sovereign HorizonThe morning sun came up over the East River. Filled the Brooklyn studio with a nice bright light. This light made the room feel fresh and new. Elena stood by an old oak table. Her hands were flat on the table. In front of her were the real books of the Nora Vale Imprint series. The Nora Vale Imprint series was finally done. The covers of the books were simple and nice to touch. They did not have the pictures that people usually see on digital books.The Nora Vale Imprint series was a deal for Elena. It was something she had worked on for a time.Julian came out of the kitchen with two cups of coffee. He walked over to Elena. Put the cups down. Then he put his hand on her back. Julian used to be a stressed-out guy.. Now he was calm and relaxed. He had changed his family's business. Made it better."Marcus just called from downstairs, " Julian said quietly. He looked at Elena with his gray eyes. He moved his hand a little and the morning light caught hi

Chapter 52: The Architectural Blueprint

Chapter 52: The Architectural BlueprintThe sound of the keys on the keyboard was the thing you could hear in the quiet Brooklyn studio. Elena was sitting in front of her computer watching as the words on the screen changed as she worked on her project. For a time she had to write according to the rules of the big companies that paid her. Now she could write at her pace.Julian came out onto the floor of the library carrying a big stack of papers with the plans for a new building. He leaned on the railing. Looked at Elena with a warm and gentle smile. He used to be a shot in the corporate world but now he was a different person."Marcus just sent us the okay for the writers retreat we are building upstate " Julian said, as he came down the stairs and spread out the big papers on the long wooden table. He smoothed out the edges and his simple wedding ring caught the sunlight. "The local people in charge said yes to our plans without changing a thing Elena. We can start building the hou

Chapter 53: The Breaking Ground

Chapter 53: The Breaking GroundThe air in the woods was cool and damp. It was a change from the hot and humid air at the Brooklyn shipyard. Elena stood on a hill that was not too steep. She looked out at an area of pine trees and empty land. The ground beneath her feet was fresh. Big machines had dug it up. Were parked at the edge of the property.Julian walked up to her. He unrolled a map on the hood of their car. He used two rocks to hold it down. His simple gold wedding ring caught the sunlight. He used to wear suits but now he wore rugged clothes. He looked more relaxed and happy."The people who survey the land just finished marking the area for the north wing, " Julian said. He pointed to some markers near the trees. "That is where the private writing cabins will be, Elena. Each one will face the valley. Be alone. They will not share walls with the building. There will be no distractions and no internet unless an author wants it."Elena smiled. She leaned against Julian's shoul

Chapter 54: The Sovereign Matrix

Chapter 54: The Sovereign MatrixThe smell of cedar and dirt filled the air as evening came to the sanctuary in the country. Inside the main cabin Elena sat at a simple desk made of pine wood. The desk was rough and not fancy like the offices she used to work in. It felt real and comfortable. She could see the hills outside the big windows and they looked nice in the purple twilight. The sound of her laptop keyboard was steady and calming. It made her feel free.Julian came in bringing mountain air with him and it moved the papers on her desk. He took off his jacket and put down a computer tablet that showed the plans for the electricity in the writing cabins. He stood there for a moment watching her work. He looked happy and proud. He came up behind her. Put his arms around her and his simple wedding ring caught the light from her screen."The solar panels are working, Elena, " Julian said softly, kissing her hair. He pointed to the lights on the tablet. "We are not connected to the

Chapter 55: The Living Archive

Chapter 55: The Living ArchiveThe smell of rain on pine trees filled the air as it came through the windows of the main lodge. This was a change from the warm glow of the fire that was burning in the stone hearth. Elena was sitting in the library room watching as the morning light shone on the thousands of empty shelves that lined the walls. These shelves were waiting for books. Not just any books. They were waiting for the stories of writers who had finally gotten to tell their own tales.Julian walked into the room carrying a wooden box. This box had the last of the records from the vault in Brooklyn. He put it down on the table in the middle of the room with a thud. His wedding ring caught the light as he did this."The old records are finally here Elena " Julian said, running his hand over the wood of the box. "We have all the papers, from 1932 and on. We have the diaries of the people in charge and the secret records that Silas tried to hide. All of these are now in a place wher

Chapter 56: The Rising Current

Chapter 56: The Rising CurrentThe mountain valley below the lodge was covered in a thick white fog as the sun came up. Inside the library the air was still and smelled like old cedar wood and hot coffee. Elena sat at a table with her laptop open next to an old shipping crate from 1937. The old diaries of the union workers were under glass weights on the table. She had copied all the writing from them into her computer.Julian walked over to her from the fireplace, where a big rock was glowing in the light of the dying fire. He was carrying two cups of coffee. He set one down next to her computer mouse. He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. His shirt had some sawdust on it from the work they were doing on the cabins."Marcus just checked the morning data from the city, " Julian said, looking at the numbers on Elena's computer screen. He reached out. Touched his coffee cup and his wedding ring made a soft clicking sound. "The small printing companies have finished changing the

Chapter 57: The Sovereign Network

Chapter 57: The Sovereign NetworkThe first frost of the season had covered the construction scaffolding of the south cabins with a layer of silver. This made the upstate valley look like a space of white and gray. Inside the lodge the big stone hearth was giving off a lot of heat. The heat was spreading over the library floor. Elena was sitting at the table. Her laptop screen was showing a data map. This map was very different from the ones she used to see when she was a ghostwriter.Julian was standing near the big glass windows. He was talking on his cell phone. He was speaking in a voice to the people in Manhattan who were in charge of sending out their books. The morning light was shining on his gold wedding band. He did not look tense like he used to when he worked at Vane Enterprises. Now he looked confident and calm.He closed his phone. I walked over to the table. He put his hand on the back of Elena's chair. "I just talked to Marcus from the shipping docks, " he said. "The i

Chapter 58: The Unbroken Horizon

Chapter 58: The Unbroken HorizonThe wind was blowing hard across the valley making the big windows of the library shake.. Inside everything was calm and quiet. The big fireplace was putting out a lot of heat. It smelled like wood. Elena was sitting at a table working on her laptop. She had a lot of papers and books spread out around her like old records from the harbor and a diary that belonged to Thomas Miller. She had taken all these things and put them into her computer so now they were a part of her story.Julian came over to her carrying a pot of coffee. He had been checking on the writing cabins they were building. He used to wear suits but now he wore casual clothes like a work shirt and jeans. He looked really calm and relaxed. He put the coffee down. Sat down next to Elena putting his hand on hers."Marcus just called from Brooklyn, " Julian said, looking at Elena with a smile. "The train with our books just crossed the state line. We are really independent now Elena. We are

Chapter 59: The Final Shift

Chapter 59: The Final ShiftThe first big snowstorm of winter hit the mountain ridge hard, covering the whole place in a thick layer of white snow. The main lodge was warm and cozy. The storm outside sounded really far away. The library was nice and warm too with light coming from the copper lights on the walls and a crackling fire in the fireplace.Elena sat still at a big oak table in the middle of the room. Her computer screen was open to the page of her book, a story that had taken her many years to write. Next to her was a shipping crate from 1937 but it was empty now because all the important papers and diaries inside it had been moved to a safe place in the lodge.Julian came out of a room where the computers were carrying two big mugs of hot tea. He had been working hard to make sure the internet connection was good with all the snow outside. He put one mug down near Elena's computer. His hand touched hers for a moment."The connection to the satellite is working perfectly, "

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