Elijah Schwarzenger Rises To Power

0014

Elijah reclined in the plush VIP lounge of the Xian Mirage, a hand-crafted glass plate of steaming Wagyu beef resting before him. The lighting was soft, the scent of saffron rice and imported truffle butter wafted through the air, and faint jazz music played in the background. He took slow, deliberate bites, savoring every luxurious flavor, but across the table, Lewis hadn’t touched his food.

“You're not eating,” Elijah said mid-chew, staring at the untouched plate of herb-roasted sea bass in front of Lewis. “Have you suddenly become allergic to what you ordered or are you just depressed?”

Lewis offered a faint smile that vanished almost immediately as his eyes flicked down to the plate. “No... I just... Thank you for all this, really. But... can I go, please?”

Elijah wiped his mouth with the black silk napkin, wondering why Lewis suddenly felt like leaving. “Go where exactly?”

Lewis exhaled shakily. “To the board meeting of the Riva Entertainment conglomerate. I... I need to be there, sir.”

Elijah’s hand paused, his fork frozen halfway to his mouth. “Riva?” he repeated slowly, tasting the word as he set the fork down. “Where’s that happening? Same city, or do we have to fly somewhere?”

Lewis looked frustrated. “Right here in the Xian Mirage,” he said, pointing upward. “It's always happening in their exclusive hall on the second-to-top floor. They’re meeting there.”

A slow, amused smile curved on Elijah’s lips. “Wow. So this place really is their hive.” He leaned back. “Would you mind taking me there?”

Lewis nodded quickly. “Of course. We just have to use the private elevator.” He pointed toward a brushed-metal door tucked neatly near the glass fountain.

Elijah studied him for a moment before tilting his head slightly. “...But who exactly are you, Mister? And what’s your business with Riva?”

Lewis straightened his posture. “I'm Jasper Lewis—Riva's exclusive actor. I’ve been with them for about a decade. I’m one of their lead faces... they helped launch my career. But...” He hesitated, his eyes glistening with tears he tried to hold back. “I took a week’s leave to stay with my father while he was sick in the hospital. He died last week.”

Elijah’s tone softened slightly. “May he rest in peace. My mum's gone too. Well... my father isn’t dead yet, but God seems to be taking his sweet time.”

That earned a small laugh from Lewis, and he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “Thanks. I needed that.”

Elijah leaned forward, now interested in Lewis' story, resting his elbows on the table. “So, what exactly happened?”

Lewis looked away for a moment, then back. “I was the original lead for Riva’s biggest movie hit. You might have heard about it—a major series we've been developing for three months, from daily rehearsals to contracts and promotions. Then, after just two days into my leave, I received an email saying I was no longer suitable for the role. No warning. They just found a replacement, effectively cheating me out of three months of hard work.”

Elijah’s brow twitched. “Are you sure you’re not making that up?” he asked quietly, his voice edged with danger. “You really don’t know who’s sitting in front of you or what I’m capable of.”

Lewis quickly shook his head. “No, sir. I wouldn’t dare lie. You actually saved me outside. I swear on everything.” He pulled out his phone and showed Elijah the email. “See for yourself.”

Elijah leaned in, and then his expression shifted, his eyes locking onto the replacement’s name: BENJAMIN WARREN.

He leaned back slowly, a wicked smile forming at the corner of his mouth. “So that’s who they replaced you with.”

“Yes, sir,” Lewis nodded. “That’s the one.”

Elijah’s voice dropped to a calm, calculated tone. “Eat your food, Lewis. Everything’s under control.”

Lewis’s shoulders tensed. “Sir, nothing is under control. That meeting is happening right now. They’re finalizing the cast. If I could just go up and plead my case...”

Elijah cut in. “You don’t trust me?”

“I do,” Lewis replied quickly, but hesitated, worry flooding his face.

“Exactly,” Elijah said smoothly. “That’s all I need from you. Continue rehearsing in private. That board meeting? It’s just ordinary talking and noise. It won't take me five minutes to make their decision disappear.”

Lewis almost blurted out that Elijah couldn’t possibly do that, but something in his gut stopped him.

Elijah stood and adjusted his jacket. “Still feel like going upstairs?”

Lewis shot up instantly. “Yes, sir.”

“Alright then. Let’s stretch our legs.” They stepped into the private elevator. A soothing chime rang as they began ascending in silence. The digital floor counter ticked upward. When it stopped, they stepped out into a quiet marble hallway that ended in a towering double door clad in silver and gold.

Lewis gestured. “This is the door, sir. They’re inside.”

Elijah motioned toward the door. “Go ahead and enter.”

Lewis turned the knob, but it appeared to be locked from the inside.

He knocked, and after a pause of about two minutes, a muffled voice came from within: “Who’s there?”

“Jasper Lewis.”

Almost immediately, a chorus of rejection rang out: "Turn back!"

"You're not welcome here, Lewis!"

"Security! Get him out of here!"

Then, a single voice cut sharply through the rest. Elijah recognized it as Benjamin Warren's own.

Inside, Elijah could hear the board yelling, and Lewis turned to face him, his eyes wide with helplessness, as if he were about to apologize for wasting Elijah’s time.

But Elijah stepped forward, calm as always. "Please step aside," he said.

Lewis blinked. "Sir?"

Elijah reached into his pocket and pulled out the opaque diamond card, its surface reflecting the lights in the hallway. He held it up and placed it against the glowing panel beside the door.

"BEEP!"

The panel lit up green, and a crisp unlocking click echoed as the twin doors opened smoothly.

Every conversation inside the boardroom came to a halt.

Lewis turned to look at Elijah, visibly trembling. He struggled to comprehend how Elijah had managed to access the room with the 'shining card.' "You... you're not just a client, are you?" Lewis whispered.

Elijah smiled. "Go ahead and proceed into the meeting."

With that, Jasper Lewis stepped forward and entered the hall.

Benjamin Warren shot up from his seat in a fit of rage, his expression one of disbelief. "Lewis?!" he barked across the room. "What the hell are you doing here? How did you even get this door open? We didn’t authorize..."

His sentence was cut short the moment Elijah stepped through the doorway behind Lewis.

All eyes turned towards Elijah, and his presence immediately dominated the room.

Benjamin's mouth hung slightly open, his words trapped in his throat as Elijah slowly adjusted his sleeve and gave a cool, enigmatic smile.

"You didn’t authorize it, sir?" Elijah repeated, his voice quiet but sharp. "That’s interesting. I wasn't aware that you were the one in charge of this building."