The Marvelous Elijah’s Return

Over my dead body
In the left corner of the casino, at the red leather couches, Elmer Hayes sat with his table covered with expensive wines and
snacks.
A couple of young girls sat on his right and left side as he and his old friends sat around a mahogany table in front of him,
drinking and Elmer took the deck of cards in his hand.
“Okay... this time, I am going all in!” He laughed loudly, slapping the cards together on top of each other before pushing them
into the center of the table, “I bet five million dollars on this
one...”
Immediately an awkward silence circled among his friends and he instantly noticed their disturbed and hesitant gazes toward
him.
“Don‘t be such a mood killer and place your bets!” Elmer smiled, trying to diffuse the tension around him.
“I don‘t have that kind of money to bet on cards....” His friend Lucas said looking at the cards and Elmer could tell he was lying
by the expression on his face.
“Come on man we‘re all good here... just make your damn bet and play, no need to be shy” Elmer smiled widely, nudging
Lucas‘s arm.
“No. I don‘t feel like this is a game, but a cocky move to rob us of our money...” “What?!”
Even though he knew Lucas hit the nail right on the head, and he was right about him cunning them to get money, he screwed
his face in annoyance as soon as he
heard it.
“Why are you guys acting like sour grapes? Come on, just chill your asses down and play some cards” Elmer laughed again,
taking a swig from his champagne glass and throwing his head back as much as he could while doing so.
But that didn‘t seem to do anything to ease the tension between the group, and they were still staring at him like he lost his mind
or something, which irritated him even more than he already was.

“We heard of what that boy... Elijah... Did to you, and how you lost the company to your dead step–brother daughter because of
him... You are broke, ain‘t you?” Jenkin said, a hint of anger in his voice.
“Right...” Lucas sighed, “You have never bet this high before... Do you even have five million to give any of us if we win this
round?”
The way his friend‘s tone had suddenly changed against him, and how they were talking down to him left Elmer pissed off, and
he glared at his friends, saying, “That lowlife day is numbered on this earth! Do you think a Hayes like myself will allow a punk
shit all over me and continue to have air in his lungs for more than a week?!” “Is that so?” Mr. Bamford‘s voice startled the group,
he came up behind Elmer‘s seat, smiling at Lucas who immediately shut his mouth when he felt the chief constable‘s intimidating
presence, and saw the four officers standing behind him. “At a casino in broad daylight, Mr. Hayes... Isn‘t three o‘clock a little bit
early for playing card
games?” Mr. Bamford raised his brow at him.
Remembering how the chief put him in handcuffs and sided with Elijah, Elmer felt rage and annoyance towards the chief
constable‘s presence and he blurted out, “I am a free man. Bamford. It‘s my damn right to be wherever, whenever I want!”
“I see, ... That‘s the mindset that messed you up and dragged you in this deep, sticky mud,” Mr. Bamford said in a serious and
cold tone.
Pissed off by the chief response, Elmer hit his glass on the table and lashed out, “What the hell is an honorable man like yourself
doing in a casino when you should be playing some superhero for the civilians?!”
“Looking for a dishonorable man like you, so I can be the superhero for a company that is dying because of the accounting fraud
you and the board of directors committed!” Bamford retorted back in a cocky voice.
‘That‘s one way to deliver the news,‘ One of the policemen thought with a faint smile and raised brow.
“What? What accounting fraud?! Why would we cheat anyone out of their money? My family is filthy rich!” Elmer yelled,
slamming his fist on the table causing the glasses to rattle as fear gripped his heart, not letting it go and leaving him restless.
“Well, they might not be rich enough because that didn‘t stop you from getting into this mess.” Mr. Bamford let out, matching
Elmer‘s energy. “What the hell are you talking about?!” “You are under investigation for fraud, conspiracy, and filing false
documents... and there is incriminating evidence against you so far, so you are not allowed to leave the country until further
notice, and if you try to run, we will hunt, capture, and lock you away till the day of your court hearing or bond gets paid for your
release.”

The atmosphere around the table grew cold and heavy, no one wanted to say anything, and Elmer sat frozen on his spot unable
to comprehend the gravity of what happened and all of its consequences. “Who is behind this absurd accusation, Bamford?!
Where is the proof?!” Elmer yelled, his voice growing louder. At this point, everyone‘s attention in the room turned to Elmer,
watching the scene unfold in front of them, and knowing who he was, they were shocked at the fact that such a humiliating
situation happened to him, which stunned many, including his friends. “Elijah Darius, and as I said, he has great evidence to
back his claim... if he didn‘t, I wouldn‘t be poking a bear with a stick... So stay in Syldavia, and make our job easier, okay?” The
name, “Elijah,” hit Elmer like a hammer right in his chest, it felt like being struck by a truck at full speed, knocking every breath in
his lungs along with the last drops of air as reality settled in and he went quiet immediately, his eyes freezing open. Seeing the
look of doom on Elmer‘s face, Mr. Bamford shook his head before walking off with his men, and just like that, the five young girls
and Elmer‘s buddies stood from the couch, hurrying off like he had become a taboo and they should have no business with him
anymore. As Elmer watched them leave, everything about his life felt like it was crumbling in slow
motion for him, his pressure mounting in intensity, and his heart beating fast inside his chest Suddenly, he stood, grabbed a
bottle, and threw it at the wall, screaming, “That fucking bastard!!” Rage consumed him, his whole body shaking as a single tear
rolled down his cheeks as he lashed out, “Fuck, Elijah!! Your piece of shit! I will end – ”
A tap on his shoulders made Elmer turn around slowly, and he realized he was surrounded by five robust bouncers, standing tall
behind him, one of them hand gripping his shoulder. “Mr. Hayes, you are scaring other customers, please pay up and leave.” The
beefiest bouncer spoke sternly.
“This is bullshit!!! Bullshit!!” Elmer screamed, “I am a regular customer of this place! Do you know the thousands of dollars I have
spent in this damn casino!! And now, you are kicking me out for smashing a bottle!?” Elmer blurted in a loud furious voice.
“Slow down, sir!” One of the bouncers said calmly, “You cannot stay here now and cause more trouble! Pay up and leave. This is
your bill.”
Staring at the black book, Elmer hesitated, but the presence of these men was getting to him, and he snatched it from their grab
and opened it, letting out a moment later, “Those backstabbers left their debt for me to pay too! What a bunch of assholes!!”
“Sir, we were told you were the one paying, so please don‘t make this an issue and pay up.” One of the men replied, still calm
and collected.
Frowning, Elmer reached into his pocket and took out his wallet, mumbling under his breath, “Elijah, you piece of –” “Achoo!”
Another sneeze left Elijah‘s lips as he sat in the back of his car, and he rubbed his nose before inhaling deeply.

“Do you need a tissue boss?” Dice asked, eyeing Elijah in the rearview mirror and then focusing back on the road.
After sniffing deeply, he slightly shook his head and said, “I am fine. Maybe it‘s just something in the air that is making me
constantly sneeze.” Then he stared at the ten briefcases, smiling faintly before shutting his eyes and resting back to relieve his
tension.
When the doorbell rang, Butler Gray sighed, feeling sick with the Hayes‘ nonsense and arrogance, and walked down the hallway.
the moment, he opened the door, the boredom on his face suddenly faded with slight anger as Elmer pushed past him, banging
into his shoulder, shouting, “Where is my mother?!” “Good afternoon, sir,” Butler Gray said curtly after a brief silence. “She‘s in
the living room.” Even though her favorite tv series was on, Madam Jewel‘s mind was distracted by one thought, ‘Why?... is it
that he has not killed him yet... Is that why I have not heard Elijah‘s death news yet?‘ Disturb and a bit frustrated, she picked up
her phone from the table next to where she sat on the couch and scrolled through her contacts. But as she dialed Scorpio‘s
number, her sight rested on her son storming into the room like a
mad man, his face contorted with fury, looking like he wished to tear someone apart.
Immediately, she felt uneasy in her own house as her heart started to beat faster, dread and anxiety creeping upon her as she
asked, “What‘s the matter, Elm?”
“Why is he not dead yet?! Why is Elijah still breathing!!” Elmer exclaimed with a harsh growl.
Startled by his question, Madam Jewel stared at him in confusion and fear and asked, “What did that rat do this time?”
“He just declared war on us!! Elijah has the documents... he has all the damn files and he‘s using it to get me behind bars!”
Elmer roared, pacing around the room.
Those words left Madam Jewel speechless and in shock, her eyes widened as doubt forced her to not believe that her family
was slowly getting dragged deeper and deeper into filthy dirt by a so–called, “Nobody.”
Rushing toward his mother, Elmer grabbed her hands tightly as panic raised in him, and he blurted out, “Mother, you can not let
him do this to me... You have contacts, right?! You can get me out of this mess”
Yanking her hands out of her son‘s grip, Madam Jewel raised her arm and landed her palm hard against his cheek, lashing out,
“Pull yourself together! The only way you are going to prison is over my dead body! You are not getting sent to that dirty place by
a filthy rat, who thinks he‘s a lion!”