Not again!
It took a while for them to question me about it.
I glare at Nicco, Sandro, Leonardo, and Ângelo; only they knew I'd met with Silas.
What else did they tell me about those days?
"What do you want to know?" I ask, standing in the doorway.
"How did you find him? Why didn't you tell us?" Dante asks with cold calm.
I take a deep breath and run my hand through my hair.
"He found me the day after Fernando returned," I say, remembering that day perfectly. "He told me what happened, showed me he was still the same boy I knew."
The boys stare at me; they can see I'm dazzled by the idea of having my friend again.
"I didn't tell you because you were, and still are, involved in the American Mafia situation, and I know you would keep me away from Silas," I say, looking at the floor.
I feel bad for keeping this from them, but the possibility of losing Silas again would destroy me even more.
"Elena, we won't stop you from seeing him, but I want you to let us know so that when you find him, you'll have protection," Vitório says softly.
"You promise?" I ask, needing to be sure.
"We promise, Sorella," Lorenzo replies, conveying sincerity.
I clutch my backpack tightly, clinging to their promise.
Giorgio and Giovanni enter the classroom with their backpacks in their hands.
"Shall we go or not?" Giorgio asks, dejected.
I grab his arm and smile.
"Yes, let's go," I say, pulling him toward the entrance.
I say goodbye to everyone, and Lorenzo follows us, along with Dante and Nicco.
The walk to school is made amidst the twins' constant complaints, which distracts me, as the anxiety of being in a car suffocates me.
As soon as Lorenzo leaves us, I run to hug Anabela; she smiles, happy to see me and our other friends.
Only Anabela knows the real reason for my disappearance; the others think my family is away.
Giorgio and Giovanni give us space to talk; they walk with their own friends, watching me the whole time.
The day passes incredibly quickly. I'm leaving my last class when I bump into someone.
"Watch your step," the person starts to scold me as the sentence trails off.
I look at Chris, who smiles at me.
"I missed you," he says, brushing a strand of hair from my face.
"Sorry," I say, disconcerted.
"Don't apologize, princess. It's an honor you found me," he says softly.
His hand is still on my face when I hear someone clear their throat behind us.
I turn to find my cousins glaring at us angrily.
"We already warned you, Sinclair, stay away from our family," Giorgio says angrily.
"Elena knows I would never hurt her; I'm not like the other members of my family," Chris says angrily.
I pull away from him, not wanting to worsen the fight between them.
"Chris, don't argue, go away," I plead, and he hears my plea.
"See you later, princess," he says, kissing my cheek before leaving.
This boy is bold!
The twins stare at me, and I can't hide my red cheeks.
We get into Bruno's car, and the silence between us is enough to tell us something is wrong.
As soon as the car stops in front of the house, the twins get out, furious.
Oh, not again!
Is having some peace in this house a problem?
I go inside and go straight to the living room, throwing my backpack on the table.
"I want everyone here now," I say, my anger reaching astronomical levels.
It takes a few minutes for everyone in the house to come in and settle in.
I pick up my phone and call Lorenzo, who's in the office with Nicco, Dante, and Lucas.
"Elena, is everything okay?" Lorenzo asks, answering on the second ring.
"Stay on the phone, we're having a family meeting," I say, still irritated.
I look at the twins for a few moments before taking a deep breath.
"Today I ran into Christopher on the way out of my last class. I ended up bumping into him, and the twins saw us talking." My words come out quickly.
"Elena, didn't we warn you about him?" Lorenzo asks irritably into the phone.
"Yes, brother, but I can't control other people's choices," I say, taking a deep breath. "It wasn't my fault I bumped into him, and it could happen again."
I run my hand through my hair, exasperated.
"The point here is that you can't control this, and I don't want to have to endure angry looks for things that aren't my fault," I finally say.
Everyone stares at me thoughtfully.
"And don't even try to stop me from going to school," I finish brusquely.
I see Nonno stare at me. He takes a deep breath before standing in front of me.
"Promise me you'll try to avoid that boy, and I'll trust your word." My grandfather's voice is low but authoritative.
"I promise," I say sincerely.
Chris may be kind and very handsome, but I don't know him well enough to know his true intentions.
"Elena will continue to attend school. I trust she'll keep her word and avoid Christopher Sinclair," Nonno announces, and I hug him.
For the first time, I've won an argument with this family.
Everyone accepts Grandpa's word without question.
He's the highest authority in the family, followed by Grandma, and if they say yes, then it just happens.
I admire our family hierarchy, but I'm a little worried about how much it might cost us all.
I go up to my room feeling a little relieved.
The hours pass quickly, as I divide my time between talking to Silas and Anabela and finishing my pile of schoolwork.
My head feels like jelly when I finally finish my calculations.
"Hey, Elena?" Vitório is standing in the doorway.
I look at him with a desperate expression.
"You guys are part of the mafia, why can't I just buy a diploma?" I ask, feeling exhausted.
Vitório laughs at me and walks into the room.
"Need help?" he asks, and I shake my head.
"I finished a few minutes ago," I say, closing my notebook for emphasis. "What brings you here? It's not dinner time yet."
Vitório sighs and sits on my bed. I turn my chair to face him.
"You're already here," Giorgio says, entering my room with Giovanni.
I look at the three of them with obvious confusion.
"What's going on?" I ask seriously.
The twins sit up and stare at me.
"Elena, I need you to tell me about the time you spent with Edgar," Vitório says, and I feel like a hand is closing around my throat.