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 clock and knew that she would need to extend another hour to finish. She could blame the disturbance early that morning for causing her not to finish during her work hours, but she knew that she would extend an hour or two anyway even if Red did not come. Somehow, work always had a way of piling up and there was always something urgent to do, something that would derail well-planned schedules.

“Aren’t you going home yet, Elle?” asked Nancy. Like Ella, her friend stayed a few hours to write her reports and then continue with her ongoing experiments. She had finished washing the glassware that she used and was drying her hands on a towel.

“No, Nance. I just need to finish this last batch of samples. I missed a sample for some reason and had to rework the whole batch with this new formulation,” said Ella, inoculating the samples with a measured volume of the serum they were working on. “I’ll go home in a bit.”

“Try not to stay too late,” said Nancy. She looked at her friend and was about to say something but decided not to.

“Thanks, Nance!” said Ella, raising her head for a moment to look at her colleague. She smiled at her friend and quickly went back to work. Nancy waved a hand and smiled back.

When Nancy had left, Ella found herself alone again inside the laboratory. Matt had left earlier, just as the clock struck the hour. He had his reasons for leaving early though. He lived in an area far from the laboratory and traffic could get quite heavy if he left just a few minutes late. Good thing I live close by, thought Ella.

After some time, Ella finished inoculating the samples and placed them inside the incubator. She bent her head sideways and tried to ease her tired muscles by gently massaging her nape. She quickly washed the instruments she used and got them ready for the next day before patting her hands to dry. Then, after making a final sweep of the laboratory to see if she forgot anything, she flicked off the lights and went out.

As Ella left the building, she felt the cool wind blow and hugged her coat tighter. She bid the night guard goodbye and walked along the curved path with her bag. It was then that she heard her phone vibrating and realized that she had placed it on silent mode. She stopped by the side of the road and quickly fished her phone from her bag.

Looking at the glowing screen, she was surprised that there was an unknown number calling her. She always screened her calls and would just drop calls from unknown callers, but seeing how many times the number had tried to call her, she decided to take it.

Ella heard a familiar voice speak from the other side. “Dr. Garcia… It’s Red Kazor. I’ve been waiting for you to call,” said the CEO.

Ella was surprised to hear Red’s voice on the phone. She had pushed the CEO out of her thoughts that she totally forgot to call him back. At once, she felt ashamed for being unprofessional towards Red although disrespect had never been her intention. It took her a moment to recover and spoke to Red.

“Oh, I have to apologize, Mr. Kazor. I was just too busy at the lab that I forgot to call back,” she said.

There was an awkward pause from Ella as she thought of something else to say.

Red replied, “That’s alright Dr. Garcia. I have to admit that my invitation had been quite sudden and you may have had prior plans.”

Ella bit her lip. She was presently walking to her apartment where reading a book or watching TV would be her only plan for the night.

“If you are still free tonight though, I can still fetch you from Cedar Hill,” said Red.

Ella stopped in her tracks upon hearing Red’s words. How did he know she lived in Cedar Hill? Ella felt anger rising within her as she realized that the CEO had probably had her background checked. Stalked was probably a better word.

“I take your silence as a ‘yes’,” said Red. “I’ll come over in a while.”

“No– ” Ella started to say but Red had already dropped the line. Well, that was quite presumptuous! Ella thought. This man with all his wealth had probably never experienced rejection in his life. Such overconfidence that he thought I would come with him if he asked! Let him come to my apartment. I’ll show him what rejection is! I’ll tell it to his face!

Ella dropped her phone in her bag and walked on the pavement with purposeful steps. There were fewer cars on the road as most workers had already gone home and only a few vehicles passed Ella as she walked. The path Ella was following was dimly lit with many of the streetlamps busted and needed replacement. However, Ella had walked the same route every day and she had always felt safe in her familiar surroundings.

Cold air blew from above and there was a rustle of leaves from the trees. Ella felt so much anger that she barely noticed the coldness of the night air. She also failed to see the dark figures waiting in the shadows.