So much in common

Lilith’s Pov

I couldn’t stop thinking about Ian. No man had ever done for me what he had done for Leah and I. Although we were technically strangers, he stood up for us. The fight had almost got bloody but security came just in time and separated the two men, all exuding alpha male energy. Later, Ian had dropped us safely, first Leah and then me. Moreover he had not demanded anything in return except my number which I happily gave him.

Being a junior reporter meant my life was full of work that the higher ups didn’t want to do. It was always piled on us. While we worked as slaves, doing everything handed to us, the bosses chose only what was convenient for them.

Ian lived in my mind rent free the whole of the next day and night. On the day after that, I had an assignment to travel to New Jersey where I had an interview with a producer of a small budget reality show. He was an eccentric man so Leah and I were both going to see him. 

Sexual harassment and assault was a big problem for us, women in the media. Everywhere we went, men looked at as like pieces of meat that were waiting for the right man to devour us. While some women had intentionally booked interview fithy rich and famous in order to lobby for a chance, not all of us were like that. They had ruined the reputation. Not wanting to get groped by the aging man who was known for it, we decided to go with an only male camera team. If anything happened, they would defend us. 

The man was currently in his villa which was situated near a lake. We were ushered to the backyard. He was lying in a hammock wearing nothing but shorts. He didn’t even bother to get up when we arrived but we didn’t mind because we were used to the disrespect. As long as he ended up giving us the answers we wanted, we were good. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Parker.” Leah said after we had been introduced by the butler.

“Hello, my beautiful peaches.” He said. I cringed inwardly but maintained my polite smile. If I got a better paying offer outside journalism, I would gladly take it. Not having to deal with fvckers like Parker would be great.

“Hello.”

He got up and stood up. Picking up a robe, he wrapped it around his body. I sighed in relief. He was old, and didn’t not have the kind of body that was very aesthetic to stare at. “Follow me.”

He started walking towards a flower garden. Leah and I glanced at each other, raised our brows, shrugged and followed. It was supposed to be an indoor interview so our guys were setting up their equipment in the living room. Leah had a small camera meant for random photos that may prove useful later.

Hoping he did not have dirty plans, we followed. His flower garden was actually impressive. The air had a sweet floral smell, the kind that made you want to stay there forever. “Aren’t they beautiful?”

We nodded and smiled politely, standing near him. 

“They’re beautiful,” Leah said.

“It smells heavenly here,” I commented.

“Not more beautiful than the two of you,” he added.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Flattery didn’t work for me. People who like using flattery are usually very manipulative, which makes them quite dangerous. They know what people want to hear and use it against them. 

After telling us about his flower garden and describing almost everything we could see, he led us further away. We came to a small enclosed fish pond. There was a net fenced around it. 

“Why is there a net over the pond?” I asked. I had never seen a pond before, having grown up in the streets of New York. 

“That’s too keep the birds away. As the smaller fish swim up and down, they may attract bigger birds to grab them. Also in case of animals like squirrels that may be tempted. Have you never seen one before?”

“Not really.”

He chuckled. “Where do you live, under a rock?”

Leah laughed as well. I nudged her when Patrick turned away. He continued to tell us all about the breeds of fish growing in his precious pond. When we had finished the tour of his villa, we went back to the house and started the inteview.

Few minutes into the interview, the sound of a gunshot froze us all. Leah and I immediately ducked under the table while Patrick left the room. One of his guards entered the house. Wounded on the leg, he limped in while I covered Leah’s mouth to prevent her from screaming. Behind the guard, a masked gunman followed.

“Where is he?” he asked.

Leah and I were shaking so much afraid we would be discovered. 

“I don’t know,” the guard said before another shot rang out. Small lumps of dry concrete fell down near our hiding spot. He had shot the roof, thankfully.

“Where is the safe?” the gunman asked.

“In the master bedroom,” the guard said.

“Take me there.”

The limping guard led the way to a short hallway on the lower side of the house. A few seconds later, we heard another shot. Leah and I scooted closer and hugged each other, our bodies shaking so hard I was afraid we would fall over and overturn the table.

“You can come out now,” a voice said. Patrick. Sighing, we let go of each other. 

When we got of our hiding place, we saw a dead man on the floor. It was the robber. He was quite skinny. Even though I couldn’t see his all of his face, I could tell by the soft features and clothing that he was just a kid. The way he had done things was a sure sign that he was an amateur.

Leah and I were so shaken that we couldn’t continue the interview anymore. We instead used the chance to take pictures and get the first story as we waited for the police. Before long, we had already sent the information to our social media team to provide updates. Patrick said he was not going to keep the news of the break in private so it was okay for our company to write about it. After our interviews with the police, we were finally able to get back to New York. It had been quite a day.

It improved greatly when I saw the message from Ian. He was honestly the only person I wanted to be around at the time.