The Phantom's opera

Phillippe

*Phillippe's POV*
I walked briskly down the hallway, focusing solely where I was heading and giving no mind to the people walking by. If a person greeted me or a woman batted her as I walked by, I simply ignored them and a continued to walk hastily towards the ballet practice room. As the main patron of the opera house, I prided myself on knowing everything about the opera house, from the gossip to the very layout of the opera house. The memorisation of the layout was especially useful know, as I was able to know where the ballet practice room was despite having never have been to it before. I didn't bother knocking before I entered the room, I never knocked before entering any room in the opera house since I practically owned the place. I was glad to see that Madame Giry, the woman I had wanted to see, was inside as I was told, however it seemed she was in the midst of a class with a couple of little girls.
"Madame Giry, I would like a word with you." I announced to her, but also making it loud enough so that the little girls could hear as well. The little girls started whispering amongst themselves when they realised I was in the room with them.
"You may after I finish my class. You can wait in the corner while we finish up, we won't be long." She told me.
"I didn't realise that a couple of girls were more important than the Count De Changy." I remarked while looking at her dead in the eye. Madame Giry sighed and dismissed the girls. All the girls left except one, who stayed, staring at me with me with big eyes.
"Move along Sorelli." Madame Giry prodded the girl. The little girl checks flushed and she quickly lowers her head and scurried out.
"What do you want Count De Changy?" Madame Giry asked, clearly forcing fake politeness.
"I wanted to talk to you about Alina." I revealed "I know you are close friend hers and some what of a confident for her."
"I will not persuade her into accepting your proposal." Madame Giry interjected sharply.
"That's not what I'm asking about. I wanted to talk about Alina's suitor. I think she called him Erik." I revealed "I think she is hiding something from me. I care deeply about Alina and I want what is best, but I can't help but believe that she is being forced into a courtship."
"What makes you think this?" Madame Giry asked, clearly showing worry on her face.
"I saw him at the masquerade, and I saw his face." I reasoned.
"And you believe that Alina doesn't love him because of his face?" Madame Giry questioned skeptically:
"If it was just that, then I too would not have a problem with it. However, I did want to see if Alina would marry me, so I asked. I saw her face full with alarm when she heard my proposal, and I fear that it was because she was worried about my safety in proposing to her. Why would she worry about my safety unless she truly cared for me and there was something to be afraid of." I furthered my argument.
"It was less than a week ago when Alina was talking to me about her feelings for Erik." She recalled.
"What were her feelings?" I insisted.
"She wasn't sure." Madame Giry revealed "she thought she liked Erik, but she didn't know exactly."
"How can someone go from being unsure about a person courting without some meddling done by the other person?" I pointed out.
"They're engaged now." She informed me.
"When did this happen?" I asked both confused and shocked. Had Alina already been engaged to when I proposed?
"Last night she said." Madame Giry answered.
"that only adds to my point, how can such a development happen in such a short time? I hate to think the worse of this Erik fellow, but it feels to me that he is somehow manipulating or blackmailing poor Alina." Madame Giry now seemed to be double guessing herself, which is exactly what I wanted.
"But she seemed so happy when she told me about the engagement." Madame Giry doubted.
"We both know Alina is a great actress when it comes to hiding her problems." I asserted.
"There was that time when Alina and I went shopping when she came back after I hurting her foot. The whole time I thought she was fine, but the next day Erik came to me, absolutely furious that I hadn't been considerate of Alina's foot. I claimed that she hadn't had a problem wen we went shopping, but Erik revealed that she wasn't going into work that day because it was so painful." She testified.
"This is exactly my point." I agreed. Madame Giry's worry began to show on her brow.
"I wouldn't put it past the opera ghost to be manipulating her into marriage." Madame Giry commented .
"The opera ghost?" I repeated. I was certainly hoping to find out more about Erik, but I had never expected to find this out. It was almost to good. "Erik, Alina's fiancé is the opera ghost?"
"Yes," Madame Giry clarified "and if Erik is manipulating her, then we better stop the wedding from happening."
"When is the wedding?" I asked.
"Exactly a month from yesterday." She answered "I had wonder how they were engaged in one night and yet were able to get there whole wedding sorted. I would not be surprised if Erik had been planning everything for months."
I didn't stay for much longer talking to Madame Giry. She had given me all the information I needed to hear.

"Alina, we need to talk." I announced as I entered her work room.
"If this is another proposal, than my answer is the same as last time." She responded, as she continued to sew, not even bothering to look at me.
"It's not about that." I assured her. "It's about your Erik. I'm worried that your not safe around him." I walked towards her and gently grabbed her hand and held it.
"What makes you think that?" She asked sceptically, pulling her hand away.
"Madame Giry informed me that your fiancé is actually the opera ghost." I revealed, searching her face for signs of shock as I spoke. To my own surprise, her face remain the same, except for the raising of one eyebrow.
"Is this meant to be news?" She mocked "I've known that from the day I met him."
"And you still agreed to marry him?" I was getting more and more confused by Alina. I didn't understand why she would accept this man's proposal over mine.
"How do you that he proposed?" she asked with her eyes wide showing a mixture of annoyance and confusion. I realised my slip up and knew I had change the subject subtly to get the heat off me.
"Madame Giry told me. Neither of us have an ill will against you Alina, we are both care about you deeply and do not want you to be hurt, which we are beginning to believe will happen if you stay with the opera ghost." I smoothed talked.
"Thank you for your concern, Erik has never hurt me and I strongly believe he never will." She informed me.
" you may think that now Alina, but this man has almost killed people, it's not much of a step to actually murdering people. Do you want to be married to murder?" I stressed. At this point I was grabbing at straws. I was truly desperate.
"He wouldn't." She defended stubbornly. I realised that I wasn't getting anywhere with Alina, so I gave her a farewell, which she returned half heartedly. I quickly made it out of the opera house as my mind ticked, coming up with other ways to stop Alina and Erik's wedding.