/Elena’s POV/
I make my way to the ground floor and on getting to the ground floor I could see that someone was thoughtful enough to get the ambulance over there while I was trying to explain things to the incompetent bastard in a security uniform.
“What do I do now,” I start to pace around the front of the hotel after trying to get close to accompany the ambulance to wherever my dad had been taken to in vain.
“Let’s get my father's right-hand man here,” I decide as I make a run for the parking lot where my dad's car was parked earlier.
“Liam right?” I inquire on recalling the driver whom I messed with his intelligence just to be able to get myself into the car trunk and he nods.
“What are you doing here ma’am,” he inquires.
“My father was gunned down in that hotel so you will have to take me home so that we can get Austin here ….. that way, I will be able to stay with my dad since everyone around knows him but not a single person knows me,” I instruct.
“Why don’t we just give him a call to come over here while you go in to gather information about where the prime minister is being taken at the moment,” He suggests.
“That is a nice idea…….That I didn’t think about, so just put a call through to Austin and get him here,” I instruct before rushing in the direction of the hotel.
“Good evening,” I greet the security official who is completely different from the one who was rude to me earlier, flashing him a pretty smile.
“Good evening ma’am..how may I help you,” he asks me politely.
“I want to have a word with your hotel manager,” I decide to use this approach so that he wouldn’t deny me access.
“It’s business-related,” I add as soon as I see the hesistance written all over his face.
“Do you have an appointment?” He inquires.
“Not yet….I was hoping to make an appointment today,” I answer him.
“I am afraid that won’t be possible,” he says, shaking his head in disapproval.
“What is wrong?” I ask him as I reach for my purse and squeeze something into his hands.
“I can’t go into details, but all that I can tell you is that we had a major situation that is life-threatening in the hotel earlier, and as we speak, the hotel is under lockdown because they are trying to nab the perpetrators and also extract CCTV footage of the prime suspect of the whole situation so that it can be presented to the police, so I am afraid that I can’t help you,” he says as he tries to return my money.
“You can keep that for your time, but I will need you to answer a few more questions,” I stop him from returning the money, hoping to extract some more information from him.
“You mentioned prime suspect….was he or she caught?” I inquire concerned.
“While they were trying to send the VIP’a body to the hospital, she escaped during the chaos,” he answers looking downcast.
“VIP’s body?” I point out.
“Is the person in question dead?” I ask fishing for the answer.
“I really can’t answer that question, All that I can tell you is that he has been sent to the hospital,” he answers.
“But you just said ‘the VIP’s body’ and a living person is never referred to as a body but a person so that is why I am asking,” I press
“I don’t know….the only thing I know is that the medical personnel that came to get him to the hospital kept on saying the VIP’s body so that was exactly why I said that,” he clarifies.
“Thank you very much… I really appreciate it” I thank him before moving towards the parking lot to continue waiting for Austin.
*******
After waiting forever, Austin stepped out of the car, so I quickly rushed to meet him to feed him the necessary information that he required.
“You are finally here,” I sigh in relief as I walk to Austin.
“Yes I am,” he answers reassuringly.
“The driver told me everything that happened over the phone, so I tried to get in touch with the manager of the hotel but I couldn’t get much from her because they are still investigating but they have a prime suspect in mind and that person resembles you,” he gives me heads up almost immediately.
“Me?” I pause in shock.
“That's ridiculous,” I let an awkward smile.
“It is highly ridiculous, but the description of the prime suspect that she gave me matches everything about you so wait here till I come back, and don’t try to do anything,” he says before dashing off.
“I need to wait again,” I puff out a frustrated breath because waiting around without doing anything is starting to drive me nuts, but at the same time there isn’t much that I can do apart from waiting around quietly like I was told to.
“The news is confirmed, Your dad is dead and his remains have been sent to the mortuary,” he rushes his statement upon returning
“He is dead?” I pronounce.
“Just like that?” I ask.
“And you expect me to believe that?” I raise a question at him.
“I need to go talk to those people myself…. I need to go the hospital to see for myself,” I refuse to believe what he is saying to me but he holds me back.
“You can’t move around right now given that you are the prime suspect of the prime minister's murder unless I can prove your identity as his daughter and also prove that you had nothing to do with his death,” he shakes my shoulder to probably knock some sense into me but it is not working.
“I don’t care if anyone believes me, I just want to see my father and at this point, even the devil can’t stop me from seeing me,” I inform him as I start to move towards the direction of the hotel to have a conversation with the people that know something about the hospital that my dad is, only for someone to pull me back roughly and give me a tight slap on my cheek
“You slapped me?” I pronounce in astonishment
“Yes I did,” he answers me sharply.
“Why?” I query.
“To snap you out of your delusional state,” he answers calmly, and that fuels my anger.
“You have no right whatsoever to raise your hands on me,” I warn him sternly.
“I know that I don’t, but that slap that I gave you is for your father and If Have to do it again and again, I will gladly do it,” he answers without the slightest hint of remorse on his face or his voice.
“You can slap me on behalf of my Dad, but can you answer the multiple questions that I have in mind for my dad concerning why he hid me away for fifteen years, why he arranged my marriage to a prince I know nothing about, and why he ended up being dead after meeting the crown prince of the nation,” I pour out my rage in front of him.
“Can you?” I press him for an answer desperately because I am sick and tired of being the only person in the dark while every other person is well aware of the situation at hand.
“I can’t answer all your questions at the moment, because if there is one thing being your father's assistant for years has taught me, it is the fact that there are questions you should not ask because knowing the answers will not make your life any better,” he tries to discourage me, but I don't look convinced in the slightest way possible.
“If you can't answer my questions, then at least link me up with the crown prince of the nation since he was the one my father left the house to meet,” I suggest thinking it will be a win-win situation for us both.
“If I were you, I would do my dad a favour by getting into that car and going home while I allow people that have a proper knowledge of the situation to sort things out,” he advises as he drags me towards the direction where Liam parked.
“Why should I just sit back and do nothing while my father's body is being wheeled to that cold mortuary and his murderer is gallivanting around,” I question Austin, disengaging my hands from his as soon as we approach my father’s car.
“You should sit back and do nothing because your father tried his hardest to keep you safe so don’t make him worry about you in the afterlife okay?” he says looking me in the eye.
“Stop trying to dig up what you don't know anything about okay?” he admonishes, but I shake my head in disapproval because I am not satisfied with the utterances that are making their way out of his mouth.
“I know that whatever I say now won’t make you feel any better, but I want you to be safe because your father loved you so much and he would have given his life to ensure your safety, so hold on to this in case anything happens to me,” He says passing me a blue velvet box.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask him visibly confused.
“I just lost my dad, I can’t afford to lose you too,” I plead in desperation.
“I will be fine, we will all be fine, so go home with the driver,” he emphasizes as he opens the car door for me. You
“Okay,” I agree as I get into the car, giving in without a fight.
“News confirmed…..he is dead,” echos in my head as I step into the car and hot tears roll down my cheeks