Raphael strode into the room, one hand buried in his pants pockets, the other stroking the edges of his chinstrap with delicate subtlety. He was every bit as proud and arrogant as ever. He said nothing as he made his way further into the room, but his structured quint of the eye in Asher's direction was enough to tell Asher that he wanted him out of the room immediately.
"Here's your cell phone, Elena. Seems like you forgot your phone when you left your dorm. I brought it along with many of your things. The men would bring them in later". Asher leaned towards the bed to hand her, her iPhone, then he turned towards the door. He walked past Raphael, patting him on the shoulder gently. "I'll be in my room, cousin" he said to Raphael, forcing a smile.
"See you later, Elena" he said over his shoulders to her, and disappeared out of the room. The report of his footsteps as he traipsed down the corridor made it to the room, but that was before one of the guards pulled the door shut from outside.
Elena threw the cell phone carelessly beside her on the bed. She would have completely forgotten about it if Asher hadn't brought it with him. She hardly used it, the much she does with a cell phone is make calls, and that she knew she wouldn't be able to do freely here, not with Raphael and his men watching her every movement.
With nobody else in the room, Raphael pranced closer to her bed, one hand still buried in his pants' pocket, the other still stroking the edges of his chinstrap. His eyes were like spears, extending from his face, and piercing hers. Elena wished she could make herself faint again, but repeating the trick might cause some adverse effect on her body's system. Besides, she couldn't evade his questions forever. She had to face him square on.
"Our wedding will be coming up in a week. The wedding dress designer will be visiting tomorrow, so I expect you will be mentally and physically ready to meet her", Raphael said with authority.
Elena had been expecting him to question her about what had happened earlier in the day, and was more thrown off at the drastic change of topic as she was thrown off by the idea of an impromptu wedding. "This was never in our contract, Raphael. The contract says I have to be your girlfriend for a year and not your wife. I am getting involved in no sham wedding, Mr. Arrogant Mafia"
Raphael made a little cynical laugh, prancing along the area of her bed. He'd stopped stroking his chinstrap before, but now, he resumed at it again. "I kinda like the ring to it. Mr. Arrogant Mafia, it fits me well. I admit I am quite arrogant, and I am also a Mafia don. I rule over the Mancini's empire, and I control more than half of Brooklyn. I have the Mayor in my debt and the police in my pockets. Yes, it takes an Arrogant Mafia to achieve everything that I have achieved. But you are forgetting something, Signora," he paused for a moment, both in his speech and prancing, his green eyes narrowed her way. "I am also powerful. I have hundreds of men ready to live and die at my mere command. I rule an empire, a kingdom of vice, and I rule this city. And there is a penalty for anyone that dares to go against me, as I can be quite ruthless when I want to be."
He carried his foot to the bed, his shoes smearing the white bedclothes with sand and dirt. He leaned his arms on his leg, his eyes concentrated on her face. "We both know the story about the Cuzellas attacking you and killing off Enzo and Nico was a flimsy yarn you and Luca cooked up. I don't know why he took a liking to you, but I am sure he wouldn't have killed Enzo and Nico for your sake. I am guessing your boyfriend showed up, and somehow things got heated between Enzo, Nico, Luca and him, which led to Enzo and Nico's death. Your punishment for lying to me is this impromptu wedding, which you have even basically agreed to in exchange for your boyfriend's life the other day. I can still get hold of that foolish youth for breaking into my home, and also have the police pin the deaths of Enzo and Nico on him. You see signora". He paused again as if to think, but he only ended up stroking his beard again for an uncomfortable moment between them. It was an apprehensive recess for Elena, she was still trying to grabble with his threats. "The line between being innocent and guilty as far as the law is concerned is very thin, and it can be easily blurred by power and wealth, both of which I possess. I don't want to know if your boyfriend was involved in the death of Enzo and Nico or not. Should I wish to make him the scapegoat for the murders, I would just have to make a phone call, and the plans to make him the murderer would be initiated. I would let you keep your phone, but if you dared to contact him again, or even the detective, I would have the police pick him up for breaking into my estate and also as the murderer that killed Enzo and Nico. And like I said earlier, Signora, prepare yourself mentally and in any other way, as you have a wedding in a week. I intend to make you pay for your father's debts and your boyfriend's sin of murdering my men" he said, leaning off his thigh, returning his leg to the floor.
He had one last look at her face, now tight with murder, and he steered himself for the door. Elena was speechless throughout his speech and as she watched him leave. He was truly evil, a complete devil, and he was out to ruin her life. She felt a strong urge to kill him, to rid the world of this walking piece of handsome evil. She tried to fight it, but the urge was too great. She snatched the bedside lamp, charging fast to hit him with it.
He seemed to have been expecting her to make the move. He wheeled back on a spot quickly, snatching her hands in the air, just as she raised the lamp to smack him at the back of his neck. He grabbed her waist with his other hand, reeling her fast to the nearest wall. He jerked the lamp from her hand, and it fell to the ground, dancing with a loud cry on the tiles. The glass area of the lamp broke on the floor in a cacophony of shattering cries. She tried to bite and claw at him, but he expertly evaded all of her attempts, moving his head and body away very fast, snickering with every of her failed attempts. It infuriated her more, she longed for nothing else than to wipe the grin from his face. He waited for her to tire of her unsuccessful attempts, then he pulled her forcefully to him, his palm trailed down her waist to her thigh.
He leaned his head, whispering softly to her ear. "You can't get rid of me so easily, signora" He returned his face to her, his emerald green eyes looking straight into the depths of hers. "You are one beautiful woman, Signora. I want to make you the mother of my kids."
Elena wanted to tell him as spitefully as she could that he should never nurture the hope as it wasn't going to happen, but his spontaneous pull of her again, to him, till their bodies were only inches apart, somehow obliterated that thought. His palm firm on her thigh, his touch strangely soothing. Suddenly, she was gazing expectantly into his face as he attempted to kiss her. For some strange reasons she couldn't explain, she wanted him to, she desired his kisses. God! He was seducing her. She pushed him away from her at the sudden realization, before his lips could get anywhere near hers.
He snickered as he staggered backwards a little, his smile triumphant. "The two most important rules of seduction, signora, are to be and trust yourself and dominate whoever you are trying to seduce. Remember that. It might come in handy when you try to seduce me", Raphael snickered again, and he disappeared through the door. Elena threw herself onto the bed in utter frustration, yelling all her grievances into the air as much as her lungs could manage.