Elijah Schwarzenger Rises To Power

0013

Elijah parked the Rolls-Royce Spectre smoothly in the exclusive section of the underground parking lot. The gentle purr of the engine faded away as the tinted doors closed behind him. The reflective marble floor of the parking area mirrored the sleek car as he stepped out and adjusted his jacket.

Just as he was about to enter the lobby, a loud noise that distinctly sounded like a scuffle echoed from the far end of the fence. He paused and looked toward the source of the sound.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he turned in that direction. Beyond a trimmed hedge bordering the complex, he noticed a well-dressed man in his early forties, wearing a neatly pressed sky-blue suit, struggling with one of the security guards at the outer checkpoint.

Elijah almost dismissed the scene, reasoning that it wasn’t uncommon for desperate people to try to sneak into premium spots. However, he stopped when he realized that the man was not dressed like a typical vagrant; he looked like someone from the wealthy class. His perfectly ironed shirt was crisp, his hair was combed neatly, and his shoes were polished. Yet his face was drenched in sweat, and he appeared genuinely stressed.

As Elijah drew closer, the conversation came into focus. "…your father just passed away recently, sir," the security guard was saying harshly. "Out of respect, I’m warning you one last time...leave the premises. Don’t disgrace yourself here."

The man pleaded, "Please, I swear I have the card. You know that I have it! Why would they tell you not to let me in? I need to speak to…"

"Enough!" the guard barked, gripping the man’s arm tighter and trying to shove him back.

Elijah cleared his throat, the sound loud enough to turn both heads in his direction, but the security guard turned halfway with annoyance and didn’t respond.

Scoffing, Elijah walked past him with a low sneer, turning his attention to the distraught man instead. "What’s happening here, sir?" he asked. "Why are they stopping you? Don’t you have the restaurant’s exclusive card?"

The man nodded quickly, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "I... I do. I swear I can show you, but he’s making things up… saying I can’t go in. I don’t know what his problem is." He fumbled for the dark, glossy card from his wallet, trying to show it to Elijah, but the guard shoved him back again.

The security guard snapped, "You there?! What’s your business here? Who the hell do you think you are? Go do whatever you came to do and stop interfering!"

Hearing the guard's foolish outburst, Elijah's face slowly transformed into a blank smile. "Really?"

"You heard me!" the guard growled. "Stop asking me unnecessary questions before I..."

The words trailed off as Elijah neither moved nor flinched. He simply kept smiling as a slow burn ignited in his eyes.

"Before you what?" Elijah asked quietly, ready to confront him.

The guard was about to speak again when he raised his hand and yelled toward the booth, "Sergeant Gideon!"

Elijah raised his brows slightly. Gideon? The name sounded familiar; he recalled seeing it on the name tag of the security guard who had confronted him earlier. He silently concluded he wouldn't be forgiving any other guard today and that he would do anything to get someone arrested or fired.

A tall, muscled figure began approaching from the same booth Elijah had encountered when he first arrived. As the figure drew closer, Elijah's smirk grew wider, and then he saw the name tag.

Gideon.

It was the same guard who had made him honk several times outside the gates. Elijah folded his arms and murmured to himself, "Oh, this is nice."

Sergeant Gideon stepped forward briskly, his boots clicking sharply on the tiled pavement. "What’s going on here?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes as he looked from the flustered man to the puffed-up junior guard.

The security guard immediately straightened and replied with misplaced confidence, "Sir! I’m just following the producers' instructions not to let Jasper Lewis into the premises talkless of their board meeting, sir. And this dressed-up riff-raff over here keeps interfering and doesn't want to let me do my job. Should I bounce both of them out of the premises?"

Gideon’s face twitched at the mention of the name Lewis. He seemed uncomfortable that the junior guard had revealed all of that in front of Elijah. He opened his mouth to speak but paused when he noticed a low whirring hum drift down from above.

Gideon instinctively looked up, squinting at the sky. Two sleek, black military-grade drones circled slowly above the estate like airborne panthers—SkyGuard Z9 and PhantomCore X2, both customized with sharp blue glows and ultrathin wings.

He stared at them, his lips wide open in disbelief, but unable to form words.

The junior guard frowned. "Sir?"

Gideon didn’t answer and continued to stare. The guard stepped closer and tapped him on the shoulder. “Sir, I’m waiting for your word.”

Gideon didn't glance down; instead, he simply pointed upward.

The junior guard tilted his head and scoffed. “Oh, those?” he said, his voice dripping with ignorance. “Those are Lord Schwarzenger’s drones. It’s been a while since I saw them. He must be on his way here. Surely, he’s nearby.”

Gideon slowly turned to him with an irritated expression, wishing he could inject some reasoning into the guard’s mind. “You fool! You shouldn’t be so daft right now."

The confused security guard blinked, baffled by Gideon’s words and strange behavior.

Gideon took a deep breath; his tone suddenly became crisp and cold, like that of a drill instructor. “Get on your knees immediately.”

The guard froze. “Sir?”

“On your knees,” Gideon barked louder.

The guard hesitated, then awkwardly dropped to the floor, kneeling with his head down. “W... what’s going on?”

“Apologize to that man,” Gideon said, pointing directly at Elijah.

Elijah stood silently, his hands tucked neatly in his pockets and one brow raised in mild amusement.

The guard reluctantly turned toward him. “I... I’m sorry... sir.”

Elijah's eyes glinted behind his shades. Without a word, he stepped closer and spat directly at the guard’s feet.

“Keep your apology,” Elijah said smoothly and coldly. “It means nothing from a man who judges status before value without asking questions.”

He then turned to Lewis and gave him a nod. “Please, come with me, sir."

Lewis looked stunned as a new wave of hope rose within him. “You... you mean me?”

“Who else?” Elijah replied, already walking toward the main entrance.

Lewis quickly dusted off his blazer and followed, nearly jogging to keep up with him.

As the two men disappeared into the golden-lit atrium of the lobby, Gideon finally looked down at the shivering security guard.

“You better start praying,” Gideon muttered. “Praying that your name doesn’t end up in any dismissal files tonight.”

The guard swallowed hard. “Why... Sergeant? I don’t understand everything that just happened."

“That man you insulted? He’s not a client and something tells me he was sent by Lord Schwarzenger himself." Gideon explained, still watching the drones above. “He didn’t just walk into here with a premium client card. He’s holding the Schwarzenger Diamond Access Card."

The guard’s jaw dropped. His knees buckled further until he collapsed completely, rolling on the floor and clutching his head. “Oh God… oh my God... I insulted Lord Schwarzenger’s associate?"

Gideon snorted. “That’s not all. That chicken change RIVA Entertainment Conglomerate producers slipped us to keep actor Jasper Lewis out of that board meeting? Yeah… Lord Schwarzenger has power over them all. Now both of us might be toast.”

The guard buried his face in his hands, starting to realize the gravity of his offense and beginning to groan loudly.

Gideon sighed, removing his cap and wiping sweat from his brow. “You really had to talk, didn’t you?"