With Love, Elena

28

Elena had been shocked to get a call from someone unknown, sounding panicked.

"Please leave right now," the woman cried into the phone.

Elena frowned. Who was this?! How had the woman found this number?! It was not listed! Elena's heart raced.

"Please, Elena!" the woman cried. "You got to go, please!"

"Who are you?"

Elena quickly started throwing clothes into her bag, stretching the phone cord as she hastily looked for her secret stash of money. What was happening?! Who was on the phone!! What the heck was going on?!

"Look, I can't be long...the police want to talk to me but I need you to run as far away as possible because someone died, Elena. And you...you're wanted for murder."

"Who are you?!"

"A friend." The call ended and Elena quickly grabbed her bag and locked up the cabin.

She started trekking south, intent on getting as far away from Vaal City as possible. But she needed to see Osam about Charlie's affairs first before disappearing. It was important to expose the lies and deceit of the Francis family! She was going to avenge Charles!

The woman on the phone had sounded hysteric as someone in the background announced the death of someone from the office. Who was dead?!

What felt like years later, the tired Elena was finally at Osam's printers, knocking on the door, dressed in baggy clothes and her head covered to conceal her, despite the fact that it was dark.

She kept knocking but no one was answering the door and the watchman across the road was becoming suspicious so she started walking away, heading in the direction of Charlie's house.

She knocked on the door after she got there, legs swollen from all the walking and tired as a dog.

The door was opened by a blonde woman Elena had never seen before. She was old enough to be Elena's mother's age.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked, trying to peer into Elena's face.

Elena changed her accent to sound more white. "I am looking for Mr. Charles?" she said through her nose.

She knew that Tommy would be showing up. She needed to sort out a few things with him before she left, that's if she didn't leave with a sheet covering her body after what she had done to him.  She was hoping against hopes that Beatrice was nowhere near. Elena had learned to fear the young woman. Beatrice was nice and calm on the outside but if she had managed to get brothers to go at each other's throats...there was no telling what could happen. Elena had come here to reach a compromise with Tommy because she now had a baby to look out for.

The blonde woman opened the door wider. "Oh, my darling, I'm afraid there's been..." The woman started sobbing and Elena awkwardly stood at the door. "Charles is dead."

The color drained from Elena. "What!"

"Someone sent a poisoned cake to Osam Wilde's office and he and Charles ate it. Unfortunately Charlie didn't make it. But Osam is under intensive care at the hospital. Who should I say came to see him?"

Elena stared in shock at the woman. In as much as this was good news, she couldn't believe that someone had killed Tommy! Why after all this while? The target may have been Osam...but...something did not feel right and she knew very much that she wasn't going to like it when she eventually found what it was.

She was just about to reply when a car made its way into the driveway, Beatrice getting out and walking over to the two women. She stopped short.

"Elena?" Beatrice whispered in shock, recognising the woman straight away despite her layers of cloth.