“Revenge on Nathaniel Sinclair?” I repeated Elijah’s words. I couldn’t believe I was hearing that from someone related to him.
“Yes,” Elijah replied. A sinister excitement reflected on his face. Not even his dimpled smile could maintain the innocence I had seen before. “Doesn’t the idea of revenge excite you? Isn’t it all you ever wanted since Nathan started troubling you? Be honest with yourself and me, Miss Walter.”
“What kind of revenge are we talking about here?” I asked, afraid to learn the answer. Elijah could very well be the secretly evil cousin who had been waiting to bring Nathan down all his life. Since I wanted to see how far his revenge plan would go, I didn’t clarify to him about being against violence.
“Simply revenge. To be more specific, a revenge plan is better than your idea of messing with his food or not listening to his orders right away and less than pushing him off a cliff or down the stairs,” Elijah explained.
“Uh. I will need more than that before saying yes because I am a believer and would like to avoid going to hell at all costs,” I said.
Elijah laughed at my uneasiness at the whole revenge plan. “I may come off as an impish person. But believe me. I am not thrilled about having to go to hell, either. Nathan is my cousin. I would never consider physically hurting him for anyone.”
“Alright. Then what is your plan? Because I have never sought revenge on anyone,” I said.
Elijah’s eyebrows almost touched his forehead. “Well, do you see me as an expert revenge plotter? I am an innocent man living my life to the fullest while handling serious matters as calmly as possible. I don’t have a plan yet, but I’ll think of something. Nathan is my cousin, so I know how to get the wanted reaction out of him. Trust me on this.”
“Okay,” I agreed hesitantly. Of course, I wanted revenge on Nathan. Who didn’t? If Elijah had made the offer to Frank, he would be ecstatic that he wouldn’t sleep for a week straight.
I patiently waited as Elijah thought of something. He walked around the room in deep thought, occasionally stopping to stare at the ceiling or me. Confused by the process, I tried to stay out of his way and let him do whatever he was doing by sitting on a chair.
Elijah took so much time that I feared his plan would be more harmful than promised. “That’s it,” he spoke to me with eerie excitement. He swiftly made his way to me. “I have thought of the perfect plan that fits your situation to make Nathan suffer.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“You must leave Nathan and make him believe that the mafia has kidnapped you,” Elijah revealed his master plan.
“Uh. Nathan is not a child or the hero of a soap opera. I don’t think he will buy it,” I said.
“Seriously? How is this not real when you just said this is what is happening to you? Isn’t the mafia after you? Will they not kidnap you if they find you?” Elijah reminded me.
“Yes. They’ll probably do a lot worse than that. It’s possible and believable, but how will Nathan know they have kidnapped me?” I questioned. “He doesn’t know we have met, so you can’t say anything. Also, he shouldn’t know we have been acquainted because it would raise suspicions.”
Elijah’s confidence in his plan remained unchanged. “He’ll receive a ransom call from the mafia.”
“Why would they call him? I don’t even have his number?” I asked.
“Oh, come on, try to think. The answers are present in your questions. You have no family to contact, so you gave them Nathan’s number. And it’s not impossible to get his number without directly asking him for it. You could have asked his parents or his assistant. It’s not hard,” Elijah replied.
“But I don’t have the resources to put together such a huge act,” I said, knowing very well that he would offer to help.
“Don’t worry about the place or the actors. My friend recently bought a vacation house not far from this mansion. It’s not in the best condition and needs a lot of work. Nathan has never met my friend and never will because I am a very private person when it comes to my relationships. Let’s pretend that the mafia kidnapped you on your way home from this mansion,” Elijah spoke.
“What if Nathan found out that we were lying in the future? You will survive his wrath because you’re his cousin, but he will never forgive or trust me again,” I raised another concern.
Elijah’s confidence wavered. “I can’t guarantee that he will never find out because I am not sure how good you are at hiding things. But what I can promise is that I will not let any evidence be left behind, and I will never say a word to Nathan.”
“Would he even feel bad about it?” I asked the final and most important question.
“Nathan shows himself as a stone-cold jerk, but he does have a heart. He will feel guilty for accusing you and letting you go. I can guarantee that,” Elijah replied.
I hated how he had a logical answer for everything. Elijah’s plan was risky and crazy. Despite everything, I felt compelled to do it as a test of Nathan's care and to prove the mafia's interest in me.
“So what is your answer then? Should I call my friend and prepare for the act of the year?” Elijah asked. “Whether it’s a yes or a no, I will respect your choice.”