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2024-10-29 19:42:56The connection was severed before Elijah could deliver a response. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he swiftly packed his belongings. Winnie, observing the sudden shift, stared at him in surprise.
"What's going on?" she asked, a mixture of concern and confusion in her voice.
Elijah paused for a moment, contemplating how much to share. "I have to go. There's an emergency."
Winnie's eyes widened with realization. "Is everything okay?"
Elijah nodded, reassuring her, "I'll handle it."
"Can't I help? What if you need assistance?"
Elijah appreciated her concern but shook his head. "This is something I need to handle alone. Your grandfather needs you here. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Winnie nodded,:“Alright. Let me know if you need any help from me.”
Elijah offered a small, appreciative smile, and without responding turned to leave.
As Elijah stepped out of the building, a surge of anticipation raced through him, ignited by the abrupt end to Rhonda's call.
"Please save me. I'm at… At the Palm Springs hotel... He-help." Her voice lingered in his mind.
Beneath the relentless sun, he stood contemplating how he was going to make it to the hotel. Suddenly, a sleek black SUV smoothly glided to a stop before him.
"Miss Winnie asked me to give you a ride," John mentioned.
Elijah gave a grateful nod and eagerly entered the waiting car.
In the car, John glanced at Elijah through the rearview mirror and asked, "Where to?"
"Palm Springs hotel," Elijah responded urgently. "Please, drive as fast as you can."
The car accelerated away from the vicinity, merging onto the main roads. As the wind rushed through the open windows, Elijah eased into the seat to a more comfortable position. He suddenly recalled the herb that Winnie had promised him as a reward for saving her grandfather's life.
Realizing he hadn't taken it, he made a mental note to return for it once the current predicament was resolved. The urgency of the situation took precedence, and he focused on the road ahead, hoping to reach the hotel swiftly.
The sleek black SUV carrying Elijah sped through the road, racing against time to reach the Palm Springs hotel. Elijah's mind buzzed with worry for Rhonda, fueled by the urgency in her voice during the distressing call.
John's gaze flickered from the road to Elijah, catching the subtle signs of restlessness in the set of his jaw and the tapping of his fingers. "What's going on, Mr. Elijah?" he inquired.
Elijah's eyes remained fixed on the passing scenery, his voice revealing a mixture of concern and uncertainty. "I'm not entirely sure yet."
John cursed under his breath as the yellow light turned an infuriating red. With a controlled frustration, he brought the sleek black SUV to a stop. "We'll get there soon," he reassured, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel.
Elijah, unable to contain his worry, dialed Rhonda's number. It rang for a few seconds before the call was coldly declined. Undeterred, he dialed again, only to face the same rejection. On the third attempt, an automated voice informed him that the line was not available.
The traffic light shifted back to a vibrant green, and John pressed down on the accelerator with a controlled urgency. The car surged forward, hurtling through the busy road. He skillfully maneuvered the car to overtake other obstacles in its path.
As they approached the hotel, Elijah's senses tickled with anticipation. The car screeched to a halt, and without waiting for it to fully stop, he bolted out, sprinting towards the entrance.
About a dozen burly men, clad in dark suits, formed a human barricade around the Palm Spring hotel entrance.
Elijah, undeterred, approached confidently, only to be stopped by the imposing figure of the leader of the bodyguards at the forefront.
"The hotel has been cleared out by the Luxe family. Turn around," asserted the leader.
Elijah locked eyes with the man. "I don't care about the Luxe family. Stand aside."
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"Did everyone catch that?"The leader turned to each side, earning nods from his subordinates. "He says he doesn't give a hoot about the Luxe family. Now, I hate to repeat instructions but I'm going to give you one last chance to turn around and leave."Elijah, unfazed, asserted, "I've got business inside, and not even a hundred of you are going to keep me out."Anger and irritation flashed in the guard leader's eyes and his fist hurtled toward Elijah. With swift reflexes, Elijah intercepted the punch, countering with a forceful blow that landed squarely on the man's nose. Staggering backward, he cradled his bleeding nose, invincible stars spinning over his head.When they saw their leader being attacked, the other guys rushed at Elijah. He grabbed one guy and used him to knock down two others. Then, he quickly moved back, dodging a kick and breaking the assailant's leg with his elbow. You could hear the bone crunching.The guys pulled out their guns, and Elijah swiftly changed the
Life After Divorce: The Rise Of Elijah Crawford Chapter 10
“L-let me go,Elija will come to you,he won’t let you go if you dare touch me.” Rhonda uttered weakly.“Your useless ex-husband? “ Kingston said with a smirk,”Well,then I’ll be waiting for him. You little bitch.”With a forceful motion, Kingsley pulled her bra off, revealing her bare form. He sniffed the fabric, savoring the fragrance with satisfaction, before casually tossing it onto the floor. Swiftly, he unfastened his belt and bound her hands with it. He briefly slid off her, discarding his underwear.Elijah's senses jolted as Rhonda's desperate scream pierced the air, followed by a bone chilling silence.Without a second thought, he propelled himself down the corridor, traversing the long distance from room 005 to 010 into a blur of crazy speed.Bang!The door came crashing down with the force of his adrenaline-fueled kick. His protective instinct was now in full swing. Kingston, caught off guard, had no chance to register the shock before Elijah seized his arm, forcefully pul
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Elijah lifted her now fully dressed body from the bed and carried her in his arms. Her eyelids fluttered and her body shook as she struggled against the effect of the drug Kingston had used on her. He felt another wave of fury wash over him as he made his way to the door. He walked as quickly as he could down the hallway towards the stairs where Tiana and Laura stood waiting."What is going on here? What happened to her?" Tiana asked in alarm. "Oh my God, is she ok?" Laura wailed at the same time. Ignoring them both, Elijah began to make his way down the stairs as they trailed after him."You can't take her away. You have no right!" Tiana screeched as she rapidly descended the steps behind him.Elijah walked quickly towards the doors and turned to face his ex-mother-in-law's angry but guilty face. Laura was a few steps behind her, her face shrouded in guilt, shame, and worry. At least she looked more remorseful than Tiana, but Elijah didn't care. "You put my daughter down right t
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Sensing her increasing curiosity, Elijah adjusted his composure and tried to look casual and dismissive. "It's for someone. Someone very special to me," he said, giving a smile as he tucked the box into the inner pocket of his jacket.Winnie wasn't convinced, but she decided to let it go. It wasn't much of her business anyway, and she had begun to trust Elijah way more than she probably should."What was it about? The issue you had to go sort out earlier," she said, opting for a change in topic.Elijah hesitated, wondering how much to tell her. Sensing his indecision, Winnie responded with a gentle smile, proposing they retreat to the living room for a drink, ensuring her grandfather's rest is undisturbed. Once in the living room, she approached the discreet mini bar in the left corner, retrieving a bottle of whiskey along with two glasses."John Koba told me he drove you and your ex-wife home. Your ex-wife who was unconscious and maybe hurt," she poured two glasses of whiskey and
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Rhonda's eyes flew open in alarm.She rubbed her eyes as she tried to shake off the grogginess and disorientation.Her surroundings looked alien at first, but as she slowly pulled herself into a sitting position on the bed, her vision cleared.It was her bed, her room. She was home. She placed her hand on her forehead, trying to recollect the events that led her here, but a throbbing had begun at the back of her skull and was spreading.The last thing she could remember was having dinner with Kingston Luxe.With a sigh, she threw the covers off her body and tried to lift herself from the bed. She needed to use the bathroom, but her limbs weren't cooperating. She felt like she'd been dragged through wet concrete.She must've taken her clothes off at some point because she was clad in her underwear. She'd never been one to get drunk. She didn't even like alcohol that much.The last time she got drunk was at a college party during her freshman year, and she'd promised herself never to go
Life After Divorce: The Rise Of Elijah Crawford Chapter 14
The cool evening air kissed her face as she sped down the freeway with the windows rolled down.The events of the previous day kept replaying in her mind.She'd been drugged and assaulted by Kingston Luxe but somehow, on the insistence of her mother, here she was, on her way to Luxe Holdings headquarters to see her assailant.Rhonda had never been one to be ruled by her emotions—head over heart always. It's why she'd been able to keep the company running despite the ups and downs. This was also why she had seen the reason behind her mother and sister's worries.Yes, they were being selfish, but Rhonda could not deny the fact that they needed the Luxe family.The Luxe holding headquarters was situated in the heart of the city.Its chrome and glass walls and domed shape gave it an intimidating look and made it stand out from other buildings in the vicinity.She found a spot in the parking lot and eased in. Pulling out a compact mirror, she inspected her looks once more before stepping o
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The one who looked to be the leader stepped forward. He was the tallest of the four, and his nose was bent at an awkward angle as a result of being broken multiple times."We're not here for you, Miss Carter." He turned towards Elijah."We've been ordered by Dr. Frederick Hill to escort you to his residence," He said, arms folded across his chest.Elijah was a little surprised, but his face remained stoic.Dr. Frederick Hill was a well-known name in the medical and business world. He was highly sorted, and his services were only rendered to the rich and privileged, but that didn't faze Elijah at all."Tell him I'm deeply flattered, but as you can see, I'm presently occupied," Elijah replied, sounding bored."I'm afraid we have to insist," Broken Nose said, taking a step closer."I said, " I refuse his offer. "Unlike you, I don't take orders from Dr. Hill," Elijah said, maintaining his ground."We don't want to have to do this the hard way, sir. You either come with us peacefully or we
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Mr. Nathan Luxe was seated at a table in the right corner of the restaurant waiting for his guests.A waiter dressed immaculately in a crisp white shirt and maroon pants stood beside him meekly while he perused the wine menu.He didn't see his guests arrive until he heard his name being called. He glanced up from the menu and smiled warmly at Winnie Carter.Putting aside the wine menu, he stood up and offered his hands. "Miss Winifred Carter. Pleasure. Looking lovely as always.""Thank you, Mr. Luxe. You're looking well yourself." They shook hands firmly."I don't believe I've met your associate," Nathan Luxe said, referring to Elijah."He's a friend accompanying me, Mr. Luxe," Winnie replied evasively.Elijah shook hands with Nathan Luxe, and they all sat down as the waiter reappeared with more menus."My son will be here shortly. He excused himself to go use the restroom only moments ago," Nathan Luxe said, picking up the wine menu to resume perusing."Your son?" Elijah asked just
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A crowd gathered at the streets of Quantum City to watch the elites light up the place.They were all grateful to have been invited to the fundraising of Colin Trust. It was rare to be invited to these events, or that the events were even held in public.Amongst the people in that crowd weird Cleo and Tobias.Tobias was waiting for the signal he needed before he did what he prepared to do. As he turned his head around, he came face to face with Laura Anderson.She drew closer, and stopped in front of him. “The least you could do was answer my calls, you know? My mother was dying in the hospital, and I needed your help. I know about everything done to Elijah, so you can't even use that as an excuse. I just needed to talk to someone,” she said, tears in her eyes.Cleo was ready to go off when she turned and saw Laura Anderson. “You're the one that has a crush on my boyfriend,” she said before Tobias could respond.Laura painfully tore her gaze from Tobias, and turned to Cleo. “So you're
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Lexington knocked at Elijah's door at seven in the evening, and the door was immediately opened by Cleo.“Hey, you came,” she said, stepping aside so he could go through.He found Tobias, and the god in the living room, but Winnie was nowhere to be found.“Where's Winnie?” He asked.“What do you mean, where's Winnie? Isn't she supposed to be with you?” Tobias asked.“No. She texted that she would be spending the night here, and I told her I'd pick her up for the fundraiser this evening,” he replied.“Are you sure? Because I'm pretty certain she received a call from you shortly after you left, and zapotec out to receive it.”“Wait a second,” Lexington took a step forward. “You're trying to tell me you haven't heard from her since she stepped out to receive a call?”“She said you wanted to speak to her. When we heard her car drive away, we assumed she was going to meet up with you,” but as Cleo said it, she began to realise the situation was not as straightforward as it seemed.Lexingto
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“Leave me alone. Just go away,” Elijah muttered over and over again, as he scraped the walls of his cell with his fingers.It had gotten dark, and everytime it was dark, the voices got louder and more menacing.“Elijah?!” The most off-putting of all the voices sounded.He knew who he belonged to, but he couldn't quite place it. His mind was too disorganised.“Leave me alone,” he begged.“Why? You don't want to be reminded of your sins? I thought you were a self righteous prick!”“I didn't do it,” he shook his head continuously. “I didn't. An accident. She did it. She caused it.”Darius laughed. “But no one that matters knows. In the papers, you're a murderer. You need to see the paper stands, and the news on the city's projector screens. They're all carrying your face and your crime. Maybe you should have publicised your healing abilities. If you had, the, would have been more inclined to support you.” he laughed maniacally.“I'm innocent. I'm innocent,” Elijah repeated.The more he s
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“You're a murderer! A monster. You've claimed you save lives. You claim you can't fight the urge to be a messiah to ailing people. Look at you now. A murderer!”“Leave me alone! Leave me!” Elijah closed his ears, and dropped to the ground in a ball.He rolled from one end of the room to the other, trying to wade off the voices in his head.Still, they didn't relent. The more he tried to keep them away, the more they laughed and mocked him.“Do you know how many people you killed?” Another baritone voice began in a singsong tone.“Not one,” one shrieked.“Not even two,” another thundered.“Not five either,” a third chirped.“So many!” The first voice screamed and broke into a feat of laughter.“No, I didn't mean to. It was a mistake. A setup. Please. Mercy!” He begged, and cried.“No, you did! You put on the ring when you knew how blood thirsty it was. You wanted this. Craved it, because deep down, you're truly a monster!”“No I'm not!” He screamed back.“Yes you are!”“No I'm not!”“Y
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They were driving along the highway when Avery turned on the radio and began to sing along to the music being played.“You haven't changed that much,” he said, as she sang.Despite the volume turned all the way up, she could hear him clearly.“It's the curse of being a star, my darling.” She continued singing loudly, pulling a head shake out of his head.He didn't care what she chose to do. The only thing he was happy about was the fact he had managed to get the sixth herb. Despite every setback be had to face, it was just the remaining two left.His thoughts became bothered as he wondered what they were going to be. He assumed if he hadn't seen it yet, it was because of how life threatening they were bound to be.He didn't care though. No matter what it was, he planned on doing it just to see his mother up and about again.She had spent so much time being unconscious, she probably didn't know how the world worked anymore.“Why aren't you singing? You just achieved a major feat. You s
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Avery shot forward, and dropped to the ground beside him.“Elijah!” She smacked his chest.“Move!” He screamed at her. “It's just the ring. It's trying to control me,” he explained.“Oh,” she looked reluctant to leave him alone, nervously twisting her head from side to side. “Is there something I can do to help you out? Tell me, and I'll do it,” she asked desperately.“Just move, Avery. Move please,” he pleaded.“Okay,” she rose to her feet. “But I'm not moving far away. Just in case you need my help.”He sighed and rose to his feet. She was stubborn, but it was understandable. She just wanted to help.“You listen to me,” he spoke through his bringing the ring to his face. “You're not going to keep doing whatever the fuck you want to do. I'm going to get that herb, and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it!” With every word he spoke, his tone grew higher and higher, until the veins on his forehead formed a poll of creasing mass.With a determined stride, he pushed forward an
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Elijah drove to a stop in front of the Trusts mansion.“There's a way we can play this off without alerting Colin's boys. But if you want to go the badass route, then we can just walk in.”“What way?” Elijah asked, his trouble sensing tingling.“With your tongue shoved down my throat. They'd think we're in heat and just want to make love. Without any questions asked, they would open the door and let us in.”“No!” He said, immediately she was done.“Okay, Mr God. Chill with the outburst. It was only a suggestion. It's either that, or we go in together. If we do, there's a chance one of them might recognize you and report back to Colin. Are you willing to risk that?”“I'm already here. I don't care if anyone recognizes me or not. All I want to do is get in there, take the herb, and get out.”“You say it like it's that easy,” she said, withdrawing her legs from the dashboard. “Doesn't it take a whole process? Or are you willing to risk the ring working against you?”“The ring feeds on vi
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“We will have to return to the exhibition one after the other, though. Just follow my lead,” Winnie said.Elijah blinked multiple times as he tried to wrap his mind around Winnie’s enthusiasm. She had the biggest smile on her face, as if she had been waiting for this day all her life.“Are you ready?” she lifted her head, her gaze darting between Elijah and Avery.“I don’t know what exactly you’re trying to do. But I’m bored and down for anything, so let’s do it.” Avery shrugged. “That’s the spirit!” she pumped her fist, then turned to Elijah. “You?” she asked, eyeing him gently as she waited for his response.“Do I have a choice?”“No!” Both Avery and Winnie screamed in unison.“Fine.” He threw his hands into the air in surrender. They stood aside, as Winnie stomped her foot on the ground twice before storming towards the exhibition room.“It’s not just me, right? She’s really enjoying this.” Elijah observed out loud.“Yeah buddy. You got yourself a show girl. In other words, a dra
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Elijah thought about it for all but twenty seconds before he shook his head, rejecting the idea. “No. I absolutely cannot use Winnie that way. If I have to wait until the day of the fundraiser, then so be it.”“Look, I get it. Winnie is special to you. She’s the one you love, or whatever. Regardless, this is your best shot. Colin knows that you’re a god.”“What!” he raised his brow, temporarily startled?“I had to tell him about us, because he pretty much figured out the basics. Anyway, that’s not even the case right now. If you don’t find a way to sneak into the house soon, he’s going to set you up so bad when the time comes, I’m afraid you may not be able to escape the ambush.”He let her words sit in his head for a few minutes. His biggest enemy at the moment was time. By all indications, Colin planned on using the next weekend for his fundraiser. This would make it exactly one week from today. In a way, he could admit Avery was right. He had to move fast if he wanted to thwart C
