Elijah Schwarzenger Rises To Power

0015

Benjamin’s fists clenched beneath the boardroom table. Every nerve in his body screamed to lash out, but he forced himself still. It was the wrong time and place and not in front of these people. His history with Elijah was complicated and too dangerous to risk exposure. A single wrong word could shatter the reputation he had carefully built.

He inhaled subtly through his nose, then exhaled with a well-rehearsed calm. “I’m sorry,” he said, directing his gaze at Elijah. “And... who might you be?”

Elijah tilted his head slightly, a trace of amusement slipping into his expression. “Who I might be?” he echoed. “You're asking me who I am?”

Benjamin smiled gently and his voice came out smooth. “Yes. Just trying to understand why someone not on the guest list is standing her...in this exclusive hal...like he owns it.”

Elijah’s didn't stopped smiling and instead, took a single step forward. “So, you don’t recognize me?”

Benjamin shook his head. “Should I?”

“No recollection at all?”

“No,” Benjamin replied with the same composure, though the tightness around his jaw betrayed the effort it took to keep it together.

Elijah leaned back slightly, hands still in his pockets and his eyes sharply downing Benjamin. “That’s interesting. You really don’t remember me at all?”

Benjamin met his gaze evenly. “I said I don’t.”

The hall was getting quietly tensed then Elijah nodded slowly, smiling again. “Alright. Guess you just have one of those familiar faces. Probably seen you in a couple of movies.”

Benjamin exhaled subtly, masking the relief that washed over him. For a moment, he thought Elijah was about to bring up their past to expose him in front of the entire REC board. But the moment passed him by.

One of the directors at the far end of the table chuckled. “Well, Mr. Warren is a top face in the industry. I understand...when a fan meets a celebrity, it’s exciting. But this isn't exactly a fan club gathering, sir. We're in the middle of a meeting.”

"I'm a fan, tch?" Elijah pondered and his smile widened ever so slightly. It took everything in him not to laugh out loud. Instead, he turned to Lewis, who was still standing awkwardly by the door.

“Well then,” Elijah said, casually slipping his hands from his pockets. “I’m just a big fan of Mr. Jasper Lewis here. Been wanting to meet him for a while.” He turned to Lewis, whose eyes was gleaming with renewed hope and his heart racing fast. “Isn’t that right?”

Lewis hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the sudden spotlight. “Y..yes... sir. That’s... right.”

Benjamin’s shoulders stiffened as he watched them both, from the way Elijah spoke and the way Lewis responded. He could already see the strange new bond forming between them. A connection that threatened everything. If Elijah backed Lewis, if he threw his influence into the ring, the smooth transition Benjamin had orchestrated to secure the lead role would be in serious jeopardy.

He gritted his teeth silently. No matter who was backing Elijah or what kind of influence he carried, Benjamin would find a way to remove him from his path one way or another. Even if it meant taking him out of this earth completely.

His thoughts spiraled so far that heme almost didn’t notice Elijah staring at him.

“You alright?” Elijah asked with his voice so calm but pointing. “You looked... deep in thought.”

Benjamin forced a laugh and sat back. “No. Nothing. Just... thinking about wrapping this meeting up. You’ve seen your childhood hero, Mr. Jasper Lewis now. If you’re done here, maybe you should be on your way and let us get our meeting over with."

Elijah studied him for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to see through whatever front Benjamin was still holding up. Then he gave a small nod, turned to Lewis, and gently patted his shoulder.

“We’ll talk soon,” he said in a quiet, reassuring tone. "...and stay safe.”

He offered the room a brief, formal bow, then turned and walked out looking calm, composed, and without looking back. No one in the room also said a word until the elevator doors slid shut behind him.

The doors of the Xian Mirage parted as Elijah stepped out into the hot sun of San Dicevey. The city skyline felt different in the bright light.

He tugged at the collar of his coat and walked toward the parking lot, glancing at his reflection in the mirror-like surface of his Rolls-Royce before the car door hissed open automatically. He settled into the driverless seat and began to drum his fingers on the armrest as the vehicle's AI booted up.

“Welcome back, Elijah,” the voice said with smooth neutrality. “Destination?”

He paused for a moment, then remembered the device burning a hole in his pocket—his cracked, plastic, outdated Nokia keypad phone.

He took it out, stared at it, and exhaled with a subtle shake of his head.

“This won’t do,” he muttered. “Plot me a route to the finest tech store in this city. I need a device fit for a man reclaiming what’s his.”

“Understood. Redirecting to Tech Cove Ultra Lounge. ETA: Eleven minutes.”

By the time the car slid to a halt in front of the building, Elijah had already started shedding the remnants of his former shell. The glassy tower stood tall and crystalline, lined with chrome designs and interactive holograms shimmering with product ads. The moment he stepped inside, he found himself in a world that looked like it was plucked from the next century.

Sleek metallic aisles floated on magnetic rails as the lights dimmed or brightened depending on the product being examined. Each section featured names like Celesté, D’Monarch, MyroVolt, and KryosLine—luxury tech companies so far removed from the mainstream market that they didn’t even bother with advertising.

Elijah's gaze swept past a few of them; the MyroVolt Q-Leather Edition sat behind temperature-controlled glass, wrapped in fine crocodile skin. Next to it, the KryosLine 11 VantaX rotated slowly, its surface absorbing all light, a true black body.

Then there was the Celesté Aura Nova 7. Gold-thread edges. Sapphire interface. Internal AI. Self-cooling tech. All for $59,000.

And that wasn’t even the most expensive.

Elijah wandered slowly, hands in his pockets, until a well-dressed female attendant in a smart, cyber-white uniform noticed his curious eyes and confident stride. She approached him with a customer service smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Good evening, sir. Welcome to Tech Cove. May I assist?”

He nodded lightly, not bothering with introductions. “I need a device with advanced battery optimization, retina lock, a system AI assistant, internal hologram projection, and live encryption tech.”

She didn’t blink. “We have several models that match those specs. May I suggest the Veloré Phantom Mini-X? It’s very efficient and still within a reasonable range.”

Elijah turned his head slowly, studying her. “Is that the most expensive phone in here?”

She hesitated. “No, sir. It’s not even in our top twenty.”

He raised a brow. “Then why offer it to me first?”

She gave a polite laugh, then leaned in slightly. “To be honest, sir… I didn’t want to assume. That one costs far less than the more… elite models. I thought it might be more comfortable to start there.”

Elijah let out a soft laugh of disbelief. “Comfortable for who? You or me? I don't understand you."

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Elijah’s voice dropped an octave.

“Bring me the most expensive device in this entire building. No filters. No price calculations. I’m not here for to talk too much.x*

The attendant, now fully alert, gave a hurried bow. “Understood, sir. One moment.” When she returned, she carried a black, velvet-coated box with chrome handles. She unlatched the clips with precision and opened it.

Inside lay the Velvoré Grand Celestia X Limited Sovereign Edition. Jet-black, fingerprint-proof coating. Gold-nanite edges. The logo wasn’t engraved—it floated just under the surface, flickering faintly in response to Elijah’s body temperature.

He took it in his hands. It was heavier than he expected—weighty, but not burdensome. Solid, sleek, no nonsense.

“This one,” he said. “Pack it.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, her tone noticeably more respectful. She turned and vanished into the custom packaging chamber.

Elijah roamed while she prepared it. When she returned five minutes later, she held out the obsidian box wrapped in magnetic tape and sealed with the store’s crest.

“Apologies for my earlier assumptions, sir,” she said. “Once you process this purchase, you’ll officially become our highest-spending customer this week.”

Elijah raised a brow with a light smirk. “Really? How much have your other customers spent so far today?”

She turned to tally up the receipts from the nearby consoles. “Roughly $46,800, sir.”

He turned to the small crowd of customers browsing nearby, who had started watching the interaction out of the corner of their eyes.

“Guess what?” he said, a playful grin spreading across his face. “Everyone grab what you want. The bills are on me!”

A wave of gasps rippled through the store, the shock palpable. Whispers ignited into a chorus of disbelief. A woman’s hand flew to her mouth in astonishment, while a young man jumped up, his hands coming together in a joyful clap.

The attendant, now visibly stunned, followed Elijah to the payment terminal, holding the box as if it contained sacred gold. But her steps began to slow. Her smile faded and her fingers tensed as she started feeling uncomfortable.

“Sir... your card?”

Elijah reached into his inner pocket and pulled out the diamond access card. Sleek. Mysterious. It shimmered slightly under the white ceiling lights as he handed it over.

The attendant blinked. “Sir… this isn’t a debit or credit card. I’m not sure this can—”

Elijah cut her off, his tone growing sharp. “You were just apologizing. Don’t start your nonsense again.”

She cleared her throat and nodded awkwardly. “Of course. Let me try it.”

She tapped the card against the reader.

And then—

BEEEEEEEEEP!

An ear-splitting alarm-like tone rang through the entire store.

All lights flickered red.

The terminal’s screen blinked furiously.

TRANSACTION FAILED.

CARD REJECTED — ACCESS BLOCKED.

Other attendants and even the manager emerged from behind counters and side doors, their attention drawn to the man with the diamond card.

The original attendant, now flushed and slightly sweating, held up the machine. Her patience had snapped. She turned the screen toward Elijah and spoke loudly and curtly.

“Sir, do you see what’s on the screen? It says BLOCKED. You can’t just bring in something shiny and expect us to bow down.”

Elijah, still holding the luxury box, stood silently. The alarm continued to ring faintly in the background as his eyes narrowed in embarrassment. "But Maestro said the card contains unlimited money."