Elena jerked in fright towards the door, startled by another presence, her shock exacerbated by her already apprehensive state. The tension in her calmed, and the shock in her eyes eased when she realized it was her father.
Harry Smith rushed to her, taking her small hands in his large ones, his eyes resting pleadingly on her face.
"I heard you are to be married to Raphael" he said, his voice heavy with guilt and resentment. "Please listen to me Elena, don't make the mistake of marrying that monster. Raphael is much worse than his father, who I served. Raphael is crazy. I am making arrangements for you to leave this place in three days, and when you do, I want you to forget about this place and forget about me also. Go and live your life" he pleaded.
Elena sighed lengthily, gently withdrawing her hands from his. She held his instead. "I thought I had made it clear, dad, that I am not leaving this place without you. If your plan doesn't include you coming with me, then forget about it", she dropped his hands, and walked to the large bed, throwing her tired self onto it.
He remained, fidgeting on the spot nervously. "Why don't you listen to me Elena, this is for your own good."
"You are the only family I have left, and I don't intend to have you die soon" Elena replied, already getting bored with where the conversation was heading. She needed practical solutions, not the half-baked solutions her father was proposing. If she was leaving, she would have to leave together with him.
Harry Smith raised his gaze ponderously to the ceiling, concentrating on his thoughts. He brought his head down later and said, "Okay, Elena. It is a long shot, but it is very possible. Just prepare your things, in three days, you and I are leaving this place" he said, determined.
"And would you bother to share those plans of yours, father," she inquired.
He pushed his hands into his pockets firmly, emphasizing his determination and resolve. For some reason, his new-found strength scared her. "You don't need to know Elena, just prepare your things before the day. We are leaving in three days, and Raphael is never going to find us…"
Elena interrupted him, jerking up from bed. "If you want me to go along with your plans, you have to let me in on them, else I am not going", Something about her father's new-found strength scared her. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was going to attempt something rash and dangerous, something that was going to put both of them in danger.
"You are not planning something dangerous, are you dad? Something like murdering Raphael" she inquired cautiously, desperately curious.
Harry's lips stretched in a large grin. "There is only one man that can kill Raphael Mancini on this planet, and that is not me. If his father, Leonardo Mancini, couldn't achieve that with how hard he tried, then I don't see any way that I could."
Elena forced her mind from dwelling on the implied meaning of his statement, that Raphael's father had sometime attempted to kill him. "If you aren't planning to do that, then what are you attempting" she asked again, now greatly disturbed, and sure he was about to attempt something dangerous.
"Don't worry, Elena. You will find out soon" he smiled gently, and turned to leave. She was about to stop him, and question him further, but stopped. The door was pushed in, and Raphael strode powerfully into the room.