Days passed with the wedding gown designer coming to take her measurements, and the rest of the wedding preparations kicking off in full swing. With each passing day, Elena realized her marriage to Raphael was slowly becoming a reality. The idea of getting married to a sadistic, narcissistic and cruel man like Raphael was a torture in itself. Elena lost her appetite many times, and at times, she walked around, completely enveloped in her thoughts.
She could tell from the episode in her room the other day that Raphael knew she was the one that intruded his room and not Luca. That made a further search for Raphael's secret more impossible. She and Luca were under strict surveillance on the estate. Raphael's men were at their every action and reaction. It was impossible to move just ten meters from her room without finding a giant brute behind her or before her.
As Elena sat on the bed, throwing her legs into her jogger's pants, having been summoned for breakfast. Her thoughts drifted to Asher's proposal, perhaps the hundredth time in three days. Without any evidence against Raphael and hope of getting one before the wedding, Asher's proposal was her only way out of this predicament. The proposal might bind her to Asher, another toxic individual, but unlike Raphael, Asher was predictable, and she had a chance of gaining control over him than she would ever hope to achieve with Raphael.
A maid knocked on her door to inform her of breakfast for the second time. She mumbled a reply to announce she was coming, and reports of receding footsteps told her the message was delivered and understood. She showed up in the dining room after. Raphael sat on one of the customized high-back chairs that surrounded the large dining table, his entire concentration buried in a document before him, on the table, or pretended to be buried.
He made no move to acknowledge her presence, even as she took a seat between two of Raphael's closest men, and absently dished herself a meal from the array of foods arranged on the large dining table. Asher sat just across her, Luca beside him. Luca, also like Raphael pretended he had no idea she existed. Asher was the only one who acknowledged her presence.
"Hi, Elena" he said, his boisterous smile finding her. He fed food into his mouth well-manneredly and munched carefully on it.
"Hi" she returned crisply, concentrating on her cutlery.
"How are the wedding preparations coming off from your end, Elena. I believe you are looking forward to the wedding day" he said, then he gasped with exaggerated enthusiasm. "I can already picture Mr. Harry, walking you down the aisle towards Raphael…"
"Would you stop it, Asher" Elena yelled harshly, raising her head to him, her fingers tight on her cutlery. "Would you let me eat in peace?" she didn't know if he was being sarcastic or deliberately mocking her, the shock on his face at her outburst gave nothing away.
He said nothing again, and she resumed toying with her meal, her appetite completely ruined. Asher's voice boomed again. "I have ordered for more invites to be printed, Elena. I am planning to invite some of our college pals to the wedding. What do you think about that, Elena? Won't that be great?"
Now she was sure he was mocking her. She wanted to use the f-word on him, but Raphael beat her to a reply. His authoritative, rich baritone voice seized the room, every sound in the room muted as he spoke. "You will do no such thing, Asher" he said, his eyes lingered on Asher as he waited for a confirmation of his obedience. He didn't need to wait long, Asher nodded in confirmation instantly. "Yes, Raphael" he said, and he shifted completely to his food. And once again, silence reigned supreme.
Elena felt eyes on her, and she looked up from her food, to find Raphael's eyes straying from his documents towards her. He reverted his gaze the instant their eyes met, and she resumed her meal also, trying not to make things any more awkward between them. She felt strangely uneasy, feeling a bit uncomfortable with Raphael's silence and coldness towards her than she does when he was witty, playful, seducing or playing mind games on her. She couldn't explain why, but she was bothered. Just two days ago, he had been trying to seduce her in her room and kiss her again, and today, he was acting as if he didn't know she existed.
Get a grip on yourself, Elena, you should be happy about this, not bothered, she told herself and toyed with her food once more. A minute or two later, Asher and Luca left the table, Elena grew tired of toying with her meal, and of Raphael's eyes constantly, straying towards her while he uttered not even a word to her, she pushed the dish aside. Then she stood up to leave, and even as she did, Raphael said nothing to her. She was aware of his eyes watching her go. She pushed the door to her room later, stepping into the familiar ambiance, but then, she stopped, frozen momentarily from surprise. Sitting at the center of the large expanse of space on her bed, was a large old hard-covered red book. She shook off her surprise and rushed to it, flipping the book open hurriedly. Her eyes brightened with glee with each page she turned, relief washed through her. It was a ledger, Raphael's illegal arm-sales ledger. The purchase and sale of arms were all duly detailed and entered in their appropriate sections. Finally, she had found her evidence.
Then a thought struck her: Who had put the book on her bed? Raphael wouldn't have left such an important book lying anywhere in the house, so whoever took it, must have stolen it from Raphael's secret room, and she suspected, specifically from Raphael's safe. Her only thought was Luca. She had left him in Raphael's secret room the other day and, alone with the safe, he could have taken it and hid it before Raphael got to him. That brought an even bigger question to her mind. Why? Why was Luca helping her?