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Chapter 12: Ella's Pursuer
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2024-10-29 19:42:56The strong headlights of the black car illuminated the dark alley where Ella found herself trapped. She had not gone to that part of the city before and in her haste to get away from her pursuers, made the wrong decision to enter the narrow alley, only to find herself cornered. She raised her hand over her face to lessen the glare of the headlights as she stood helplessly at the end of the alley.
In a moment, she heard the door of the black car open and a man got out. Ella could not see well because of the powerful beams of the car, but she could discern from the man’s movements that he adjusted his coat before slamming the door shut. He then walked in front of the car as he approached her.Ella got hold of her pepper spray and readied to defend herself. As the man walked closer, she tried to see his face but the light coming from behind him meant that his face was darkened.“Stay away from me!” shouted Ella. “What do you want?”TheRelated chapters
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 13: On the Way to Elisa's
Their driver stopped the car upon reaching an intersection and waited for the cars in front to move. They were near the center of the city and the traffic had become quite heavy even at that late hour.“How are you feeling now, Dr. Garcia?” asked Red, his handsome face slightly lit by the streetlamps outside. He moved closer to Ella to see her more clearly.Ella could almost feel Red’s warm breath as he leaned his body closer to him. She was glad to have left her handbag between them which acted as barrier between her and the attractive man beside her. She felt uncomfortable and wanted to look away, but Red’s intense gaze held her and she felt that she could not move. Sensing that her body was only reacting to Red’s magnetic personality, Ella blinked her eyes and broke her connection with him. She managed to look in front of her at the translucent privacy screen through which she could barely see the outline of the driver and the red tail ligh
Entice the Moon to Fall Prologue
Water descended from the sky in minuscule drops that mirrored the light of the waning moon. Each tiny drop was a microcosm of the universe of alternating light and shadow, of shifting energies and swirling galaxies, gleaming like diamonds at one instant and then absorbing light and color in a moment. But in her eyes, the raindrops were the color of milk, like little pearls that floated in the night air and danced in the breeze before finally touching her skin. She felt the coldness of the raindrops and the chill brought about by the gentle breeze... and she shivered. Her breath formed a thin cloud above her face that quickly dissipated. Icy air entered her lungs as she inhaled, causing her to cough uncontrollably and making the pain on her left flank almost unbearable. She wanted to feel her side with her hand, but the rope that bound her wrists prevented her from doing so. She opened her eyes wide as she waited for the pain to subside and looked at the sky and its looming clo
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 1: Morning Run
One week earlier…The mornings had become noticeably colder, Ella thought, as she felt the rush of cold wind on her face. The sun had only started to rise, but it was bright enough for her to proceed with her daily running routine. Just a few minutes ago, she had started her morning run around the campus after leaving her bag at the laboratory where she worked. The night guard was still there, waiting to end his shift and gave her the usual salute before greeting her politely.There were people already walking outside, mostly with their hands in their pockets to keep warm. She met a few early morning runners like her and exchanged smiles with them along with a slight nod. She knew some of them, at least from their appearance, as they passed each other almost every morning, but she never really engaged them in conversation outside the usual ‘hellos’ and ‘how are you doing’.The sound of her shoes hitting the pavement were quick and even
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 2: Ella Enters the Lab
“Can you let me pass, please?” asked Ella politely but with a slight edge to her voice. She looked at the man in black suit who was blocking her. He was wearing a black coat over a crisp white shirt that made him look like he was attending a business meeting.“Sorry, miss. The building is off limits for now,” said the man, not moving from where he stood.“What do you mean off limits? I just came here barely an hour ago,” said Ella, the tone of her voice rising slightly.“You’ll have to wait, Ma’am, like the other visitors.” The guard then pointed to a man and a woman, standing patiently at the side of the driveway under the shade of the trees. Ella did not recognize them and assumed that they have transactions with one of the offices in the building.Ella returned her gaze to the man who was still blocking her way. “But I work here,” she said.The uniformed man did not flinch and just lo
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 3: The CEO
“But I haven’t properly introduced myself,” said the man in the swivel chair. He rose smoothly from the chair, showing his tall frame, and stepped in long confident strides towards Ella. “Mohred Kazor, CEO of Wyvern Minerals,” he said and almost simultaneously extended his right hand for a hand shake.“I-I don’t know what to say,” said Ella, feeling her face warming up. She looked at the man who was offering his right hand and found his hazel eyes mesmerizing. His dark brown hair was slicked back and neatly cut around the ears while his chiseled chin was smooth and clean-shaven.“You don’t have to say anything as your reputation precedes you,” said Mohred, still staring into Ella’s eyes. Ella could not help but blush as she locked eyes with the CEO.“Your hand, Elle! You can shake his hand,” suggested Matt who stood there bewildered at Ella not shaking the CEO’s offered hand.
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 4: An Accident
Ella gave Red a quick tour of the laboratory. At first, she spoke quickly and tried to shorten her description of the equipment they were using, thinking that the CEO did not have enough time. She also thought that Red might not appreciate the scientific concepts behind each equipment. However, Red turned out to be genuinely curious and asked her some detailed questions that sometimes also made Ella stop to think and remember.“I didn’t realize that you would be so interested in the works of a pharmaceutical scientist,” remarked Ella after describing how the laboratory equipment worked. “I hope I didn’t bore you talking about my work.”“On the contrary, I find you quite intriguing,” said Red, locking eyes with Ella.“You mean my work,” said Ella, bowing her head and looking away. She swept a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “My work is quite intriguing.”“I meant what I said,” r
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 5: The Specimen
Water streamed from the hand shower that Ella held over Red’s feet. Ella had the CEO sit on a stool and place his feet inside the catch basin under the emergency shower as she washed any acid off. Ella ran the shower head over Red’s exposed feet and she noticed that his feet seemed to be unharmed despite the acid seeping through his shoes and damaging his socks.Matt watched Ella with amusement as she washed the CEO’s feet. He approached them with a faint smile on his face while still holding the thermal bag between his hands.“Sorry to disturb you, but would you know what I should do with this?” asked Matt, raising the thermal bag.Red raised his gaze and looked at the thermal bag. “I had that brought in because I want you to look at the specimen and tell me what you think,” he said. He uncrossed his legs and brought both feet on the catch basin. Ella realized that she had washed Red’s feet adequately.“Let m
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 6: Nancy
The plump woman slowly came down the stairs, with a cup of coffee in her left hand and a handbag in her right hand. She could have gone down quicker but chose to take her time as she reflected at the scene outside her building. She wondered why there was a row of sleek black cars as well as a small group of private security men. As senior researcher and deputy head of the Biotech Laboratory, she often got emails and reminders from the university as well as the building administrator if there were important events that would take place in the building. The building’s spacious auditorium was often used by the different colleges or even government agencies to hold special programs and events such as conferences and symposia. Recently, the building administrator permitted students to rent the auditorium for their own functions such as when conducting inter-university competitions and special film screenings. The university, however, was very careful in holding events that mi
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Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 13: On the Way to Elisa's
Their driver stopped the car upon reaching an intersection and waited for the cars in front to move. They were near the center of the city and the traffic had become quite heavy even at that late hour.“How are you feeling now, Dr. Garcia?” asked Red, his handsome face slightly lit by the streetlamps outside. He moved closer to Ella to see her more clearly.Ella could almost feel Red’s warm breath as he leaned his body closer to him. She was glad to have left her handbag between them which acted as barrier between her and the attractive man beside her. She felt uncomfortable and wanted to look away, but Red’s intense gaze held her and she felt that she could not move. Sensing that her body was only reacting to Red’s magnetic personality, Ella blinked her eyes and broke her connection with him. She managed to look in front of her at the translucent privacy screen through which she could barely see the outline of the driver and the red tail ligh
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 12: Ella's Pursuer
The strong headlights of the black car illuminated the dark alley where Ella found herself trapped. She had not gone to that part of the city before and in her haste to get away from her pursuers, made the wrong decision to enter the narrow alley, only to find herself cornered. She raised her hand over her face to lessen the glare of the headlights as she stood helplessly at the end of the alley.In a moment, she heard the door of the black car open and a man got out. Ella could not see well because of the powerful beams of the car, but she could discern from the man’s movements that he adjusted his coat before slamming the door shut. He then walked in front of the car as he approached her.Ella got hold of her pepper spray and readied to defend herself. As the man walked closer, she tried to see his face but the light coming from behind him meant that his face was darkened.“Stay away from me!” shouted Ella. “What do you want?”The
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 11: Followed
Ella glanced behind her and saw that the two men who had stood beside her at the intersection were walking purposely towards her. She had already turned a few corners and it would be highly improbable that the men were following the same route. Ella felt the reassuring presence of the pepper spray inside her pocket and decided to quicken her pace. She jogged some distance and turned another corner, hoping that her pursuers would quit following her. After walking a short distance, she hazarded another look behind her and saw that the two men were back. They too had quickened their pace and from the hunch of their shoulders and their purposeful steps, Ella knew that they were indeed following her. She felt her pulse quicken and decided to jog the next several meters.Up ahead, Ella saw two people who seemed to be talking to each other under the streetlamp. She felt some comfort seeing other people on the street. It was short-lived, however, as she saw them stand up straight to lo
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 10: Walking Home
Ella passed under a streetlamp and was temporarily enveloped with yellow light. She walked with a steady pace, her footsteps hitting the pavement becoming the only sound in the night apart from the soft rustling of the leaves from the tree branches overhead. After a while, she saw the walking green man of the pedestrian traffic light ahead and walked briskly, hoping to cross the street before the light changed. She was a few steps away when she heard a click and the pedestrian light changed to red. The stationary red man replaced his dynamic predecessor, instructing similar bipeds on the sidewalk to remain still. Luminous numbers on the LED display underneath turned red as well and started counting down the seconds remaining before pedestrians were allowed to cross the street.Slightly disappointed, Ella slowed down before completely halting her steps. She had hardly stopped before the curb when a car came hurtling past, its horn blaring and its headlights full. It disappeared
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 9: After Work
Having made her decision, Ella was able to take off the burden of thinking about Red and his proposal to have dinner with her that night. She had a lot of work to do. There were samples to prepare, experiments to run, and reports to file. The least that she needed were distractions to prevent her from accomplishing everything that she had planned to do that day. Nancy and Matt had been nice enough not to bring up the topic of Red inviting her to dinner or the grant that Wyvern Minerals had hinted on giving. Ella knew that research grants had been more difficult to find lately and sponsors tend to be more selective in choosing those to which they would provide funding. Still, Ella believed in equal opportunities for everyone and she would not commit herself to activities that she considered unprofessional or unethical just so she could get what she wanted.The day was over quickly and Ella massaged her nape as she started preparing the last batch of samples. She looked at the cl
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 8: Ella's Reasons
“What do you mean you’re not going?” asked Nancy once she had recovered from the shock. Matt bent his head to the side and acted like he was hammering himself with his fist.“Exactly what I said,” replied Ella. “I’m not going to dinner with him tonight.” She said it too plainly and without emotion that made it even harder for Nancy to comprehend what she was saying.“I don’t understand, Ella. He’s an extremely wealthy man and definitely not lacking in the looks department. What more do you want?” asked Nancy. She could not reconcile Ella’s objection to going to dinner with probably the country’s most eligible bachelor.“Goodbye, multimillion research grant!” Matt raised his hands as if in surrender, but did not look at his colleagues.“What is it, Elle? Tell me what’s bothering you,” said Nancy, a look of concern on her face.“Nothing&rsquo
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 7: Ella's Decision
Ella did not expect the call from the CEO so soon and was even more disarmed by the fact that he was asking her for dinner that night.“Oh! I’m not sure if I can make it tonight, Red. I have to look at my calendar,” Ella replied. She knew she had nothing to do that night but found it hard to decide if she should have dinner with the wealthy CEO.Matt was listening closely and then made an exaggerated frown when he heard Ella’s reply. He spun around in his swivel chair and then placed both hands over his face.“Yes, Red…. Let me jot that down,” said Ella. She then grabbed a pen and wrote a series of numbers on a piece of paper. “Yes, I will. Thanks!” She replaced the phone on its cradle and turned to her colleagues who were all staring at her wide-eyed.“Well? What did he say?” asked Nancy, anticipation clearly evident in her face.“He asked me for dinner tonight,” said Ella slowly
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 6: Nancy
The plump woman slowly came down the stairs, with a cup of coffee in her left hand and a handbag in her right hand. She could have gone down quicker but chose to take her time as she reflected at the scene outside her building. She wondered why there was a row of sleek black cars as well as a small group of private security men. As senior researcher and deputy head of the Biotech Laboratory, she often got emails and reminders from the university as well as the building administrator if there were important events that would take place in the building. The building’s spacious auditorium was often used by the different colleges or even government agencies to hold special programs and events such as conferences and symposia. Recently, the building administrator permitted students to rent the auditorium for their own functions such as when conducting inter-university competitions and special film screenings. The university, however, was very careful in holding events that mi
Entice the Moon to Fall Chapter 5: The Specimen
Water streamed from the hand shower that Ella held over Red’s feet. Ella had the CEO sit on a stool and place his feet inside the catch basin under the emergency shower as she washed any acid off. Ella ran the shower head over Red’s exposed feet and she noticed that his feet seemed to be unharmed despite the acid seeping through his shoes and damaging his socks.Matt watched Ella with amusement as she washed the CEO’s feet. He approached them with a faint smile on his face while still holding the thermal bag between his hands.“Sorry to disturb you, but would you know what I should do with this?” asked Matt, raising the thermal bag.Red raised his gaze and looked at the thermal bag. “I had that brought in because I want you to look at the specimen and tell me what you think,” he said. He uncrossed his legs and brought both feet on the catch basin. Ella realized that she had washed Red’s feet adequately.“Let m
