In His Refuge

Chapter 1: Horrifying

"Ria you were supposed to proofread the Harland book today and send it to the publication department today, we have a deadline for tomorrow" Ellie complained to the intern who stood in front of her with lips pursed.

"I know and I am sorry but you know I have this whole thing going on with my boyfriend and there is just so much pressure on me, he needs me to help him out with stuff because of all the chemotherapy he has been under and I have to juggle work with all that, you know"Ria says with dramatic hand gestures.

Ria's boyfriend has had cancer for six months now and she has been playing the cancer card on his behalf since that time.

She claimed to be taking care of him and being worried about him and maybe she was deep inside but Ellie had seen her flirting with the manager just this morning, she was all over the guy.

However, Ellie did not want to be labeled the un-sympathetic b***h when some of them were already calling her a w***e due to the same manager who had inappropriately groped her behind yesterday in front of some of the other editors.

Ellie had spent a good fifteen minutes crying in the bathroom about the crude comments she received from her colleagues after the incident.

Not all her colleagues were bad though. She had Debra, Lilly, Dan, and Simon who were her good friends, they got her through on her bad days.

"It's okay, just do it right now before going home" Ellie said and Ria made a face resembling a flinch.

"Ruben has a minor surgery today, they are going to try to remove some of the cancer from his stomach, he'll need my support so I'll have to go" Ria said making Ellie sigh in frustration.

"Fine, go I'll do this but this has got to be the last time Ria" Ellie said, doing her best stern look.

Ria just quickly nodded before scampering away leaving Ellie with all her work.

Ellie had her own pending burden but now she had Ria's as well. It seemed like she was going to have to pull late hours at the office.

Ellie took refuge in the fact that she just have to do all this scut work till she gets her masters degree. After that she'll get promoted and have a great salary with people working under her.

She couldn't wait for that day when her talent and expertise would be put in the right place.

It was six and everyone was leaving the office after putting in their hours while Ellie was still sitting, nose deep into papers.

"Hey Ell's, let's go, we're gonna grab dinner before going home, Simon's treat" Lilly said, her purse hanging from her shoulder as Debra came in behind her as well.

"Sorry, I can't you guys go, I have a deadline for tomorrow and this book is only halfway edited, I have to stay late to get this done" Ellie replied with an apologetic look.

"You took someone else's burden on you again didn't you? because the last time I checked, you had sent all your work to the publishers" Debra asked, her tone accusing.

Ellie gave her a guilty smile.

"Oh come on Ell's, you have to stop being so nice, you can't let them walk all over you like this" Lilly scolded.

"I know I know but it was Ria, you know her boyfriend has cancer and she said he had surgery today so he needed her with him and it would make me a horrible person to not let her go" Ellie explained, all the while her friends gave her looks of disapproval.

"That girl is a bad human being, she is using her boyfriend as an excuse for months now and I highly doubt it's genuine concern at all considering she was all cleavage to Mr. Sanderson this morning" Debra said shaking her head in disappointment.

"Yea, she has been slacking off for a while now with that same excuse, you have to reprimand her or else she'll just keep doing that" Lilly added.

"Hey come on guys, the cab's meter is running!" they heard Simon calling out from the elevator area where he was standing with Dan, both waiting for them.

"You really can't come then?" Lilly confirmed and Ellie shook her head giving them an apologetic look.

"Well alright, take care hun, I'll see you tomorrow " Debra said giving her a smile so did Lilly before they left.

She could hear Dan and Simon asking about her from a distance and smiled. She loved her friends.

By the time Ellie was done with her work, it was 10 at night and her stomach was grumbling in need for food. 

She wrapped up all her papers in a file and left them at the publication office with a post it note informing them that it was all completed.

She stepped out of the Elevator and exited the Grendale building, glad to finally be heading home. Just the thought of the Lasagna her mother made sitting there waiting for her in the refrigerator, calling out her name to heat it up.

She walked down the street to the metro station deciding to save money and take the metro instead of the cab.

She opened her handbag trying to fish out her metro card that was somewhere in there while walking down the street.

The next thing that happened made her life take a one-eighty degree turn.

Ellie's head snapped up as she saw something fall in front of her in her peripheral with a loud thud and she was met with the horrifying sight of a woman splayed out on the ground, head facing up, eyes wide open and mouth gagged.

There was blood pouring from her head and it was pooling around her fast, crimson and horrifying.

Ellie's eyes widened, her scream choked in her throat as she looked up to the balcony of the apartment building from where the woman had fallen from out of the blue.

Ellie was met with dark, cold, dead eyes of the man standing at the balcony with a knife in his hand and he was staring right at her.

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                                                                  SAFEGUARDING ISLA

        Isla Moon Gambino, daughter of the mafia crime lord Richard Gambino has led a sheltered and caged life due to all the dangers that lurk around the mafia family members, now when a rival mafia family threatens the Gambino family's safety, she has been appointed a personal bodyguard.

Alexander Rossi, Ex-Marine seal with demons of his own is the appointed bodyguard to the sweet and sheltered girl who goes out of her way to befriend him and make him talk to her.

Will she be able to penetrate his ice-cold exterior?

Will he be able to free her from the caged life she leads?

Will their forbidden love last?

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