"Could it be, that Mr. Arendelle isn't ready to meet you yet, Elsa?" Jack asked cautiously when they were finally on their way back to the city. Even though she looked very disappointed and sad at first, because her meeting with her father didn't go well, now Elsa seemed to be thinking seriously about something until her brow furrowed.
Elsa glanced at Jack, still frowning. "He's not ready?"
"Yeah?"
Elsa looked back at the road ahead and shook her head slowly. "If that is the reason, it doesn't make sense, Jack. The problem is that Mr. Arendelle and I have met several times, we've even talked about a lot of things. If he's not ready, why now? There must be something else. I'm pretty sure that there must be something else. And I have to find out what it is."
Jack glanced at Elsa as he concentrated on driving. He had hoped that the meeting would go well, but seeing the reality now, he felt they had to be patient a little longer and find out why Elsa's father was acting so unexpectedly.
"Or maybe you should talk to your mother again about this. About why your father behaved like that."
Elsa didn't answer. Because she was curious about it too and she wasn't sure her mother knew why. She only hoped that once she found out the reason why, she could have a good talk with her father and they could unite as a family. Or, if that was too much, at least she could have a good relationship with him.
His heart broke.
As soon as he closed the door, his mask cracked. Imagining how disappointed his daughter was, made his heart shatter into pieces. On the one hand, he didn't want to disappoint his daughter, or Iduna. But on the other hand, he felt very unworthy to be her father. He didn't deserve that privilege.
He walked limply to the small bar in the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. He didn't notice as he tried to open the bottle of whiskey, as he walked to the couch in the living room, a single tear falling from the corner of his eye. The first tear in who knows how long.
By saying that he couldn't be a father to his daughter who even though he'd only known her for a while, made him feel like he was the worst person in the whole universe.
And somehow, as the alcohol ran down his throat and the tears kept flowing, he wanted to turn back the time and hug his daughter tightly for the first time, saying that, yes, I am your father.
Feelings of regret began to creep into him for behaving like that, but feelings of guilt at having left Iduna just like that without knowing that she was pregnant with Elsa, and a sense of unworthiness took over again.
He was a complete mess and he was sure he would stay on that couch until the bottle he was holding was empty. He didn't care about Anna's warnings not to drink too often, or too much.
"How could your father act like that, Elsa?" Iduna was beyond confused to hear that Agnarr didn't want to admit himself as Elsa's father. As soon as Elsa got home she was already hoping for some good news. But in fact her daughter's long face told her otherwise.
Elsa just shrugged and leaned desperately on the couch. Recounting her father's rejection left her physically and mentally exhausted.
"This confuses me." Iduna thought hard about the various possibilities why Agnarr was behaving like that. "I don't understand."
"I don't understand either, mom. He just said that he can't be my dad, that he doesn't deserve to be my dad." Said Elsa, she couldn't even believe that her father actually said that.
"No, sweetheart." Iduna couldn't bear to see her daughter disappointed. "He is really your father. Agnarr Arendelle is your father. It's just that I don't understand why he would say such a thing. There must be something. Something that made him say that he can't be your father." She tried to convince Elsa that there was no way Agnarr would do that without a reason.
Iduna then let out a long sigh and looked down at her lap. "I had hoped that meeting your father would make you happy, Elsa. But it turns out that-"
"Mom." Elsa cut Iduna off. Just as her mother said, she was sure that there was something behind all this. And she was determined to find out what it was. Even though she had to collect all the energy she could possibly have to do that.
"I will find out why. I will bring dad to you. And I will make our family, as a whole family. You, me, dad. And a sister." Elsa added, smiling. She was very close to her dream of having a complete family. So she wouldn't give up that easily.
Elsa then took her mother in her arms. The two of them hugged each other for a while though both of them were still trying to think of the reason why Agnarr was behaving strangely. Until something crossed Elsa's mind. She pulled away from the hug and looked at her mother seriously.
"Is it possible that, this still has something to do with Manny?"
Agnarr was trying to wipe the tears from his face when he heard his phone ringing. The bottle of whiskey was half empty and as long as he drank that half, he couldn't stop crying. He felt very sorry for what he had done to Elsa, his own daughter.
He grabbed his cell phone and when he saw who was trying to reach him, he wiped his face again because he wasn't ready to talk to her yet, but he answered the call anyway.
"Hello."
"Agnarr. Why didn't you want to accept Elsa as your daughter?"
Agnarr did expect the question to come from Iduna and hearing the tone of her voice, Iduna was not happy with what he had done. He took a deep breath and placed the bottle of whiskey on the table, then held his head in his hand.
"I beg you for now, don't bother me with your questions, Idun."
"I ask you nicely, Agnarr. Why did you tell Elsa to leave your house?"
Agnarr had to hold back his tears and looked around the room. Iduna's question made his regret increase. "Idun. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He whispered over and over again.
"Answer me, Agnarr."
Agnarr took a deep breath and looked straight ahead. "It's just that for now, I'm not in the mood to be bothered with your questions, Idun. Please give me a break."
"Why is it so hard for you to answer my question, Agnarr? Why did you tell Elsa to leave your house? What is your reason?"
Agnarr straightened his back and tried to be patient because at the wrong time, he did not admire Iduna's tenacity.
"Idun, please. Don't bother me for now, okay? Give me some time."
"I'm not bothering you, Agnarr. I just want to know why you didn't want to accept and admit Elsa as your daughter. Answer that."
Iduna's persistence made Agnarr even more frustrated. He still didn't want to talk about this matter just yet. Even so, he still tried to restrain himself. He then rose to his feet and paced the room.
He tried to find the right words to express his doubts. That he still doubted whether he could be a good father to Elsa after what he had done to her and her mother.
"Uh..." Agnarr sat back down and took a deep breath. "I just thought that this, is my decision."
"What decision? What are you talking about, Agnarr? Decision about what? Agnarr?!"
Iduna kept asking because Agnarr never answered. And that made Agnarr finally lose his temper.
"For God's sake, Idun! I told you not to bother me with question!!"
And with that, Agnarr hung up. What he didn't know was somewhere else, Iduna tried to guess what was really going on with him and what decision he meant. One thing that immediately crossed Iduna's mind was the question Elsa had asked before. About whether his father's strange behavior had anything to do with Manny. At first Iduna tried to get rid of that thought but when she talked to Agnarr herself, she started to think that it might be true.
Meanwhile in the visiting room, Manny was pacing restlessly. He was displeased with the news Bernard gave that for the umpteenth time, Agnarr had thwarted his attempts to teach Elsa a lesson. And he was running out of patience. To say that he was angry, that was understatement.
"Give me your phone!" He stopped in front of Bernard and reached out for a cell phone impatiently.
Bernard complied with Manny's request and gave him his cell phone, which Manny immediately grabbed. And then Manny tried to dial a number combination he knew all too well.
Back at his house, Agnarr who was back sitting on the couch, glanced at his cellphone on the table which was ringing again. He thought it was from Iduna, but when he saw that it was Manny who tried to call him, anger started to get to him.
"Hello, traitor."
Agnarr froze when he heard Manny call him a traitor. But somehow he didn't feel offended by that. He didn't mind that because he had decided not to side with Manny anymore.
"What do you want?" He asked emotionlessly.
"What do I want? Did you really just ask me what do I want?! You know right, that I won't stop until I get what I want?!"
"Enough, Manny. You have to stop all this-"
"I can't stop, Agnarr! I can't stop until I get what I want! Now tell me, why did you protect those bitches instead of taking my revenge?!"
What Manny said ignited a fire that was ready to blaze and made Agnarr finally say something he had been holding back for so long. There was no longer any use in keeping all these secrets.
"Don't you dare call my daughter and my future wife by that kind of name, Manny." Said Agnarr seriously. He was so sure of the decision he took, he would not back down to keep protecting the people he cares about.
"Hang on. Your daughter and your future wife?!"
Agnarr could hear Manny in shock and disbelief at what he had just said. "Yes. Elsa Winters is my daughter and Iduna is my future wife. So now you know everything and I'm going to say this one last time to you. I will do anything to protect them both. From anything. Even from you."
The next second Agnarr didn't hear a reply from Manny, so he just stared at his phone and for some reason feeling very relieved to have told Manny all that.
And back in the visiting room, Bernard stared in shock at his cell phone which was now shattered into pieces on the floor after Manny threw it against the wall. He didn't dare to say anything because he was sure it would make his master even angrier. He just watched in silence his master who seemed to be contemplating a plan.
"We're still getting married right, Jack?" Elsa asked all of a sudden when they were both in her room.
After finishing some of his work, Jack visited Elsa who he knew must still be thinking about the events of this afternoon. And he was right, when he got there, Iduna said that Elsa was still in her room and only out for dinner, and that was only because she persuaded her to do so.
"What do you mean by that? Of course we're still getting married. Soon, baby." Jack couldn't understand why Elsa would ask such a thing.
"But who will walk me down the aisle? I'm not sure about my dad." Said Elsa sadly. And Jack seemed to notice. She could feel Jack tighten his arms around her.
"You think too much. This afternoon you said that there must be something that made your father behave like that and you were determined to find out why. And you're being pessimistic now? You have to stop overthinking, baby. I promise I will bring your father to you and to your mother." Jack kissed the crown of Elsa's head and again, tightening his embrace.
"How?" Elsa looked up and when their eyes met, Jack could see the doubt in her eyes.
"I'll meet him and try to talk with him again. And again, and again, and again. If I have to." Said Jack confidently, failing on the first attempt didn't mean that they really failed, because there would always be a second chance, and so on. They just had to put in more effort, like a rock that would be hollowed out by just constant and continuous drops of water.
Elsa didn't answer. Right now, her mood was unstable, fluctuating and to be honest, it pissed her off. Only she didn't show it. And having the person she loved with her now, kept her calm even if she wasn't inside. At the time like this, she really felt blessed and felt God's love through the people who cared for her.
"Jack?"
"Yes, Elsa?"
"Sing for me." Said Elsa, looking up at Jack and this time with a faint smile.
"Sing?" Asked Jack in surprise, unable to believe that Elsa asked him to sing because it wasn't his specialty.
"Yes. Please?" Elsa adjusted her body so that she was completely comfortable in Jack's arms. She then wrapped her arms around Jack's stomach, who was leaning against the headboard.
And seeing that, Jack couldn't bear to refuse her request. He then arranged the blanket that covered Elsa's body to make her more comfortable, even though he was actually thinking about what song he should sing. And after he found a song, he cleared his throat and looked at Elsa.
"But there are rules. You can't look at me when I sing. And don't laugh when I can't hit the high note." Said Jack, making Elsa giggle.
"I didn't think there would be any rules there. Then what should I look at when you sing?"
"You can look at my toe there." Jack pointed to his socked big toe that wasn't covered by the blanket and it made Elsa laugh.
"Just sing for me already." Said Elsa, deliberately pinching Jack's stomach.
"Ouch, baby! It hurst!" Jack stroked his stomach and then kissed his fiancé who was laughing again. "Okay. I'll sing for you." He cleared his throat and started to sing.
"My heart's a broken place, seeking a state of grace, where love survives."
"Wild in an urban world, come steal my night, make heaven mine."
"Say when we catch the light, we're gonna flame so high, only way to burn."
"We're passing wonder why, to the other side, where ever hides."
"A firefly, you glow."
"Where I can only go."
"For every storm that breaks, every sky that wakes, I'll be at your side."
"For ever and a day, take you in every way, feel a love divine."
"We hold the hand of time, just you and I, feel a love divine."
"Because when we burn, we flame, a carnival of light, reaching for the sky."
"A firefly, you glow."
"Where I can only go."
"For every storm that breaks, every sky that wakes, I'll be at your side."
"For ever and a day, take you in every way, feel a love divine."
"So to the end we blaze, and every cloud we chase, you're my alibi."
"Above the darkest sky, we found a way to fly, a love divine."
"A love divine... "
And when he finished singing and looked down, he found Elsa already fast asleep. He smiled seeing how peaceful that beautiful face was. And to be honest, he never liked it when someone made that beautiful face frown, or looked sad. He then kissed her forehead and looked up straight, thinking how he could meet and talk to her father, and made everything right.
"Bernard." Said Manny, puffing out cigarette's smoke from his mouth. The next day, he finally came to a decision as to what he would do to his enemies.
"Yes, Sir." Said Bernard ready to listen whatever his master wanted to say to him.
"Now we know why Agnarr always protect those bitches." He sat down on a chair in front of Bernard and then leaned forward. He didn't want anyone but Bernard hear what he was saying.
"Yes, Sir. What should we do now?"
"We can't wait any longer. We have to do it tonight and we have to take a shortcut. One hit, three flies killed." Said Manny, taking a deep sip of his cigarette.
Bernard tried to understand what his master meant by that. "So you want that Arendelle, that crazy lawyer and her mother dead?"
Manny let out an evil laugh. "Of course I want them to die. But not in an easy and fast way. I want them to suffer. I want them to die slowly. Do you know what I mean? You have to terror and threaten them. Make them frightened. Frame Agnarr, make those bitches hate him. And when the time comes, you make a move. BANG! BANG! BANG!"
It was almost evening when Agnarr finished from his garden. This whole day, he spent the time in his garden to calm his mind because he needed time to get him back on track. But when he entered the house and heard his cell phone ringing, his brow furrowed as an unknown number tried to call him.
But he answered the call regardless.
"Hello."
"Tonight, your daughter will not make it home safely." There was a deep, hoarsh voice from the other end of the line and what he said made Agnarr's heart stop beating.
But Agnarr was quick to think. "Which daughters?"
"Your daughter with that bitch of course." And a cruel laugh rang out after that. Agnarr was about to answer but the line was already disconnected.
He gripped the phone tightly and his jaw clenched. He was so sure whose men had just called him and he would never let anyone touch even the tips of his daughters' hair.
He then walked briskly to his room and opened his safe, the place where he kept his gun. The one that bigger than he had always in his car.
He made sure he had enough bullets in it and activated the gun. He was furious that Manny had dared threaten to hurt his daughter and he would never let that happen.
He then came out of the room, grabbed his leather jacket, car keys and with great determination, he went to save his daughter.
"Is she pretty?" Elsa asked as she and Jack were standing in front of her office building. Both of them were waiting for Kai who was taking her car from the parking lot.
"Hmm. Let me think." Jack pretended to be deep in thought as he patted his chin, making Elsa even more curious. "I score her, nine out of ten, for her pretty face."
Elsa didn't have to bother trying to hide her surprise which soon turned into nervousness because of jealously. "Nine out of ten? You score her pretty face nine out ten?"
"Yeah."
Elsa nodded slowly and then looked everywhere but Jack. "She is really pretty then."
"Yeah. But she is not prettier than you. Not even close. Because I score you, infinity and beyond out of ten." Jack smiled widely and wrapped his arms around Elsa's waist, pulling her closer. "You can come with me you know." He added, pecking Elsa on the lips.
And what Jack had just said and done made the nervousness and jealousy that had gripped her for a moment just vanish. She should have known better that Jack would never turn his back on her.
"I would love to, Jack. But I guess I'll go home instead. I'm tired. And I don't want to disturb your meeting with your client. Just call me when you're done, I'll be waiting for you." Said Elsa, placing her palm on Jack's chest and then playing with his tie.
"Okay, baby." Jack kissed Elsa once more and out of the corner of his eye he saw Elsa's car approaching.
"Kai is here." He added, wasting no time hugging Elsa tightly. "I'm feeling like I don't want to let you go. Be safe okay? Let me know when you get home."
"Alright. Good night, Jack." Elsa said, getting ready to get in the car because Kai had already opened the passenger door for her.
"Good night." Jack then turned to look at Kai. "Drive a bit fast, Kai. But be careful. Take another detour." He instructed. He started doing these kinds of things because he still felt that Elsa's safety was still in danger.
"Alright, Sir." Kai nodded obediently and then got into the driver's seat.
Jack took the time to knock on Elsa's window softly and wave at her before the car finally drove away. He stared at the car until it finally exited the office area before finally walking towards his own car.
Meanwhile, Agnarr kept cursing the other driver for being so slow and blocking his way. Now he kept asking himself why he had to live in the suburbs and it took hours to get to his daughter.
It was only minutes away until he reached his daughter's office. He hoped that Elsa was still in the office and that he would prevent anything or anyone from hurting her while she was on her way home. He would make it right this time.
He could hear his own car tires screeching as he turned into Elsa's office area because he didn't apply the brakes properly. He didn't care, he only cared how he could see his daughter was safe and kept her like that.
He didn't bother to close the car door and immediately tried to get inside but a security guard blocked him.
"I'm sorry, Sir. The office is closed for now." The security guard said, politely.
"I need to meet Elsa Winters. Is she still in here?" He asked, dreading for what the security would say to him.
"She just left about twenty minutes ago." The security guard answered. He had no idea why his sudden guest looked so anxious and worried.
"Twenty minutes?" Agnarr rubbed his dry lips, as he thought about what he should do. "Did she go with the man she used to go with?" He asked again, his worry was increasing.
"Mr. Jack Overland?"
"Yes, him."
"No. She left with her driver."
Agnarr didn't need to answer. He had to catch up with his daughter before Manny's men hurt her. So he quickly got back in the car and left from there.
He didn't think that all his time, he had been living in a dream and now he had to drop out of his bed and wake up with a bolt.
"Target has already left the office building. I will follow him. What about that lawyer?"
"Robert just told me that she is taking a detour. But she will be home in about half an hour. Robert is still following her."
"Perfect. Standby at your position. As soon as she is seen, let me know. I will call the police."
"Got it."