Elijah Schwarzenger Rises To Power

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Maestro set his pen down and leaned back, thoughtfully observing Elijah as he exhaled deeply. After two decades of waiting, he had finally located him, and he was concerned that allowing him to go out alone could lead to negative consequences.

“Do you know where you're headed?” he finally asked, his fingers drumming an impatient rhythm on the polished wooden table, the sound echoing across the room.

Elijah sat back, folding his arms with a sense of determination. “If it’s true that the richest man in the country is my father, then I must find my way to the opulent Schwarzenger estate, I guess."

He recalled a night stroll with Ruthila when they were wandering the streets, hand in hand. She had mentioned that the richest man in the country owned the Schwarzenger estate and how she wished she could act in the grand and lavish surroundings, even if just for a scene.

Maestro nodded and leaned forward. “You don’t even know where it is, do you?”

Elijah glanced down, staring at nothing in particular. “I don’t know where it is, but a side road cab will of course… take me there.”

Maestro laughed. “A cab? Lord Schwarzenger's estate is on the outskirts of San Dicevey City, almost 28 kilometres from here.” He paused, straightened his cufflinks, and continued, “Moreover, because of the guarded walls, air surveillance, and tight security, cab drivers avoid going there without a good reason.”

Elijah furrowed his brow, wondering what Maestro meant by "without a good reason." Then an idea struck him. What if he pretended to be the wealthy man's son for a moment? Maybe Maestro would laugh and reveal that it was all a prank.

“Isn’t being the son of the richest person in the country reason enough for a cab driver to give me a ride without hesitation?” Elijah said, suddenly feigning a hoarse voice.

“Sir, please sit. You just reminded me of something,” Maestro said, gesturing to the guards at the entrance with two fingers.

Snap!

A guard entered with a suitcase, opening it to reveal stacks of cash and a very big flat diamond sculpture engraved with words in pure gold.

“That’s fifty grand,” Maestro said, slamming a bundle on the table.

Elijah stared, shocked. It no longer felt like a prank. “You’re giving me all that for a cab?”

Maestro smiled as he reached into his pocket for a glove and slipped it on with practiced elegance. “You might need the money to tip the driver if he’s level-headed,” he said, then paused. “But more importantly...”

He opened the suitcase completely and carefully lifted a large, flat, diamond card-like sculpture from its velvet lining. It shimmered, even under the dull lighting of the room, refracting light into prismatic streaks across the walls.

“This,” Maestro said, turning it gently in his gloved hands, “is the only one of its kind in the world. Crafted from compressed translucent diamond crystal and weighing precisely 217 grams, what you’re about to hold now, Elijah, is the identity card of the leader and sole heir of the Schwarzenger family.”

He handed it to Elijah, who took it cautiously, as if he were holding a fragile glass artefact. On the front, etched in elegant gold inlay, was the Schwarzenger family crest—two wolves flanking a blade pointed downward, encircled by seven stars.

Below that, the name "SCHWARZENGER" was engraved in bold, capital letters that pulsed with authority. It radiated wealth, legacy, and danger all at once.

Elijah turned it over, and the back of the diamond bore the unmistakable design of a SOLGATE ELITES bank platinum ATM card—the most exclusive bank in all of Futuriux. Every detail matched: the raised platinum chip, the embedded golden crest, and a small holographic insignia that shifted between Elijah's father's initials and the Schwarzenger logo depending on how it caught the light.

“Any driver who sees that will understand that it’s enough reason,” Maestro said with a calm smile. “Even the most paranoid private gate guards in the whole world will open the walls at the sight of it. That piece alone can bypass the most secure checkpoints, command airspace, and validate transactions worth more than a nation’s treasury.”

Elijah's hands trembled. He wasn’t sure if it was from the weight of the diamond or the gravity of what it represented.

Realizing that his life was about to change for real, Elijah felt a slight headache and the urge to jump for joy. $50,000 to tip a cab driver and a diamond platinum ATM card felt surreal and overwhelming. He winced and poked his finger into his ear several times, checking if his hearing and sight were still functioning.

“Plus, you’ll have two Phantom X9 drones trailing you, armed and silent in case you feel you might be robbed on the way.”

Elijah swallowed. “You’re serious? Isn't that one of the most expensive and durable drones in the world?"

Maestro nodded and stood quickly. “You’re stepping into something that was always yours, Master Eli. The money? The estate? The card? The Schwarzenger Group of Companies and the headquarters? It's nothing. You will get used to it over time.

“But why give me this huge amount like this?” Elijah asked, his heart racing. "It makes me uncomfortable, and I really hope I don’t lose my mind. I've never held a thousand dollars, let alone fifty thousand—it’s crazy..."

“Because you own it all, Elijah. Lord Schwarzenger is merely returning what should never have been taken from you," Maestro interrupted, his voice steady. "We have to go now. Please, don’t keep your father waiting.” He turned, gave a slight bow, and exited with the guards, leaving Elijah behind with a bundle of cash and the world’s rarest key in his hand.

Elijah sat in disbelief, a smile creeping across his face. Just yesterday, he had been disgraced, wrongly accused, cheated on by the woman he dreamt of building a future with, taken in handcuffs, and brought to prison. And now, without having to do any of the menial jobs he had done all his life to survive, he held half a hundred grand in his hands, given to him to do whatever he wanted.

Even though the press and media were dismissed immediately Maestro got outside, Elijah still waited for an hour later letting the tension around the police headquarters silenced completely before leaving.

Meanwhile in the United States, high above the city of Missouri, in a dark glass tower, a man stood with his back to the window, watching a live surveillance feed of the prison lab.

He frowned as he sipped red expensive wine from a thin crystal glass.

“Elijahhhhhh!!!” A disappointing smirk teared through his lips.

He turned toward a burning fireplace, the fiery flames' shadows dancing across his chiselled face. "I should’ve finished you as a baby.”