Elena woke up to the familiar walls of her bedroom. She adjusted herself to sit up on the soft cushiony bed, shaking off the mist in his eyes that had reduced everything around her to a blur and a blend of indistinct shapes. Noises from a conversation outside her door, strayed into the room. Elena steered her eyes to the door, and found it half-open and through the fissure, her eyes picked on three enormous men before her door.
Elena wondered how Luca was faring. She had been gullible enough to let Raphael trap her in a spot, and fish out their lies. For all she knew now, Raphael might have ordered Luca's death. She had to find out what was happening. She was trying to drop from the bed when a loud familiar voice boomed over the voices outside, rendering them to a trail of whispers.
"Is she awake yet" the voice asked. It wasn't Raphael. It took a couple of seconds for her to realize it was Asher Mancini's.
"We don't know, you can check for yourself" one of the guards returned. From the tone of his voice, Elena figured he didn't think much of Asher. She didn't think much of him either. Asher was the last person she expected to help her out of her predicament. He was a spoiled rich kid and a calculative guy with a repertoire of sly antics, which were usually to complement his handsome features to get ladies on and off his bed. If those antics were directed towards another area entirely, he would be much worse than Raphael.
There was a patter of footsteps and Asher was before her door. He attempted to drum his knuckles on the door, in the tradition of courtesy, but stopped when he spotted her awake on the bed. He traipsed slowly into the room.
"How are you, Elena? I have brought your things from school" he said, his lips stretching in an easy smile. "Raphael telephoned me earlier, telling me that you had fainted, and also ordered me to find a way to bring your things with me from the hostel."
"Thanks" Elena murmured a reply. Completely shaken by the event she had witnessed earlier in the day, she had completely forgotten about heading to her school to fetch her things. That should have given her another reason to leave the estate another day, but thanks to Asher, that opportunity was gone, completely crushed by Asher's unnecessary attempt at kindness.
"So how are you doing now? Are you fine or should I ask Raphael to get you a doctor?" He asked, looking concerned.
"Don't worry. I am completely fine. I don't need a doctor" she answered crisply.
"I wonder what you must be going through, Elena, the mental and emotional torture and stuff. Trust me, I know Raphael can be well over his head and overbearing most times. It used to be pain putting up with him."
Elena said nothing. She realized she had forgotten about Luca. She turned completely to Asher. "Do you have an idea what happened to Luca? Did Raphael punish him or something? Is he still alive" she asked, staring at Asher intently, extremely expectant of an answer.
Asher's expression drifted to a slight frown, he seemed a little hurt that the conversation had shifted. "Luca is very much alive. He should be in his room. Raphael is a bit too sentimental to harm, punish or kill Luca. The two have an ugly history, and please don't ask me what it is because I can't tell you. It is a big secret around here" he pleaded.
She had no interest in Luca's history with Raphael. She was just glad Luca was fine. Whatever past he had with Raphael that led him to murder Enzo and Nico, she was better off not finding out about it.
"But Elena", Asher began, seeming a bit skeptical, "I want to talk about you. I want to talk to you about your plans for now and your future"
She had no interest in pursuing a conversation with him, so she withdrew to lie on the bed, pulling the duvet over her. She dropped her head slowly onto the pillow, raising her bored dank eyes to the ceiling. If that wasn't enough hint for him to leave, then he was an idiot or was rather choosing to ignore it. She almost cried with frustration in her head, when the mattress strained with an almost silent noise, and she felt him sit on the bed beside her legs.
"I know you want to escape this estate and Raphael, Elena. And I can help you, Elena. You see, Elena, I have always loved you. Since you rejected me in our freshman year and chose Pete, I have been living in agony. Your rejection was basically what turned me into a playboy in school. I want to help you escape this place alive with your father, and for me to do that, you have to trust me. Pete cannot help you get out of Raphael's claws, I can. Pete is just a poor, helpless boy who managed to get into such a prestigious college as us because he got a scholarship. Trust me, and I will definitely find a way to get you out of here."
"And I assume that in return for that, I have to become your girlfriend. You dated three of my friends in school after I turned you down, remember, and none of them had one good thing to say about you, Asher."
Asher's adam apple budged in discomfort, as he pondered on a reply, a bit confused. "I am a changed person, Elena. Those were college days, and besides, your blatant rejection was what led me into becoming such a person then. All I ask is that you reciprocate my love, no matter how little you can, and I will find every possible way to get you freed from Raphael and this forsaken estate."
"Now, you are beginning to sound like the Asher that I know. So you want me to agree to date you in return for helping me out of here", Elena inquired.
Asher scratched his head carefully, slightly confused again, and ponderous. "I do not mean that Elena. I am not saying you should trade your heart for your freedom. I am just saying you should consider my love. I love you, and I believe you might love me too, and I am also the only person that can help you get out of this estate. Just listen and trust my sincerity and love for you, and it would be nice for both of us" he leaned closer towards her on the bed, his lips pouted slightly as he attempted to kiss her. She wanted to reel him back with a slap when he came a bit closer to her, but the loud chant of "El Capitan" from the guards outside saved him from it. He jumped away, his eyes shaking in extreme fright in their sockets.