The silence within the locked room was thick, heavy with the weight of an admission that Leo Kingston had never intended to make. He stood near the door, his chest heaving as if he had just finished a marathon, his mind a chaotic battlefield of self-reproach and confusion. He was a man who lived by logic and strength, yet he had just allowed his guard to drop in front of a girl who was supposed to be a total stranger.
Leo scolded himself in his heart.
"How can I reveal what I feel for this crazy girl?"
"I am not a person who can reveal what actually I feel for others and mostly I don't feel anything for anyone, especially who is a complete stranger to me and also who is a crazy girl to me who kept conditions to me."
"Why do I feel strange emotions and feelings for her?"
"I am a calm and cool person as far as I know and people around who says to me."
"But what made me to lose my calm and control?"
"But as far as I know, I am Leonardo who should keep myself and my feelings to me and should never feel anything to me."
"I am the popular, rich, and wealthy Rockstar who earned everything with my own hard work."
"I am my own boss and I will never let others control me."
Elsa remained frozen in place. She was shocked, her mouth slightly opened in surprise, and she seemed unable to close it. The words he had shouted echoed in her ears, vibrating with an intensity that she hadn't expected from the cold, arrogant man she thought she knew.
Leo saw Elsa giving him that expression of utter shock.
He looked at her and spoke sharply to break the tension.
"What?"
"I just said all those to you because..."
Leo stopped the sentence abruptly and started to think. He needed a cover, a logical reason that didn't involve the messy, uncharacteristic emotions he was currently battling.
Elsa gave him a questioning look and repeated.
"What?"
Leo quickly thought of an excuse and said.
"Because you are my responsibility and I brought you here and you should stay with me and I think you should maintain a mobile."
Elsa's expression changed from shock to fear. The idea of a phone, with its signals and tracking, was something she couldn't accept in her current state.
"I hate mobiles and it's radiation," Elsa said.
Leo looked at her with a mixture of annoyance and disbelief.
"Crazy and weird girl," Leo said.
Elsa, however, was not thinking about phones. She was thinking about the conversation she had overheard between Lucy's father and the younger woman. She remembered Thomas's cunning plan and the way they intended to drain the Kingston family of their wealth.
"Leo, I have to tell you something important," Elsa said.
"I don't want to listen to anything," Leo replied.
"This is important," Elsa insisted.
Leo cut her off before she could finish.
"I know you will praise Lucy and will say Lucy is right for me."
"I can't listen to such things."
"You doesn't know how this world and people mindsets are."
"There are good and even bad people."
"I have no time in arguing with you and I just wanted to go to house and needs some rest right now."
Elsa stepped forward, her eyes urgent.
"But—"
"Just come with me, THAT'S IT," Leo said.
Elsa eventually agreed, knowing that arguing with him in this state was a losing battle.
They began walking towards the exit of the massive estate. As they passed through the crowd, Elsa saw Amy, who was deep in conversation with Theo, Lucy's secret boyfriend. The sight of them together confirmed every suspicion Elsa had.
Elsa just walked away after seeing them.
Leo and Elsa arrived at the cars. Leo turned to his security team.
"Please don't follow me and I need some peace and wanted to drive my car by myself," Leo said.
The group of bodyguards nodded and agreed to his request.
Leo and Elsa sat in the car.
Leo began driving the car through the night. He checked the time on the dashboard and saw that it was already 12:00 at night. The road was quiet, lit only by the passing streetlamps and the moon.
As he drove, Leo was thinking about Elsa in his mind and remembered the words spoken by Henry and Gary.
"I really don't know why I did I punched those guys faces very badly," Leo said in his heart.
"I don't have any girlfriend and will be in future."
"If they really commented on my girlfriend, why did I assume it is Elsa?"
"Whatever, I should never bring this innocent girl into my own plan and don't want Elsa to investigate against Lucy family."
"They are already so dangerous and which is only known by me."
"Even may be they are responsible for the attacks happening on me."
"I don't want Elsa to fall in danger and face insults because of me."
Leo thought he was doing and saying all this because he had a liking for her and might be falling for Elsa for a moment.
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
"No, I don't love Elsa and I just care her the way I care others," Leo said in his heart.
"She is working in my house and also innocent, loyal, and saved me from fire accident."
"THAT'S IT, NO STRINGS ATTACHED."
Leo made sure to say all this only in his heart so that Elsa could not hear or listen to it.
"I would ask Elsa to stop investigating against Lucy family and later I will keep up my promise and will help in getting her a job," Leo thought.
"This could help for her better future."
"She can leave my house and from my problems."
"I don't know why the thought of Elsa leaving from my house and from my life is giving me some pain."
"But it is better for her future and I don't want Elsa to end up in danger only because of me."
"But it is good for you, Elsa."
Leo glanced over at her. She was looking out of the window silently, her face a mask of quiet contemplation.
"I'm sorry, Elsa, for troubling you," Leo said in his heart.
"BUT I WILL MISS YOU SO MUCH AND ALSO YOU IRRITATE ME ALOT"
"I MISS ALL OF YOUR STUPID TALK AND CONDITIONS, MISS CRAZY GIRL."
Elsa noticed that Leo was using a shortcut to go to his house via the bridge. The road was deserted and no other vehicles were present.
Leo looked at her.
"Are you okay?" Leo asked.
"Yes, I am ok," Elsa replied.
When Elsa was about to speak further and reveal the secret she had overheard, the peace of the night was shattered.
Suddenly, three cars appeared from the darkness and attacked Leo's car, causing a massive crash.
Leo's car spun out of control and hit a tree near the bridge and the river.
The sound of twisting metal filled the air, and slowly, fire began to erupt from the engine of Leo's car.
Elsa was jolted by the impact, and as the orange glow of the flames grew brighter, she remembered the haunting words of Leo's mother.
"Fire will cause Leo of his death."
Elsa's eyes widened with terror as she realized the danger.
"No no... IT CAN'T HAPPEN!" Elsa whispered to herself.
"LEO!" Elsa shouted.
Leo had been hit hard against the steering wheel. He had already lost a significant amount of blood, and his vision was fading. He looked at Elsa one last time, his voice a mere breath of a sound.
"ELSA..." Leo said.
Leo then became unconscious, his head falling back.
A few moments later, six men dressed in black came out from the three cars that had caused the crash.
The fire was slowly spreading around Leo's car, threatening to consume everything.
Can Elsa save Leo?
Can Elsa find a way to save him before the fire fulfills the prophecy?