"The weather is nice." Ella sighed in content, closing her eyes briefly to appreciate the warmth that bathed her free skin. For today, she hadn't put on any makeup on. After being bare-faced for two weeks, returning to that task had been harder for her than she had anticipated.
"It is." Damien nodded, checking a few emails on his phone.
"How have things been around the office?" She took a sip of her iced tea, waiting patiently for him to wrap up his business.
"Fine." Damien rubbed at his dark stubble, ignoring the throb of a small headache approaching. "What about you? How have things been at home?" He dared to ask, putting his phone back into his blazer's jacket.
Ella shrugged, her smile dimming a bit. "As well as can be." She stretched out her arms, looking around the cafe. "I'm sorry I left during the Parker evaluation. That was rude and unprofessional of me."
"You were busy. It's not really your fault or your responsibility." Damien reassured her, leaning back to observe her. She still seemed concerned and sad, but she also did seem like her little time off refreshed and calmed her a bit. Last time he had seen her, she left the building in tears, so at least she wasn't outwardly crying now. "Mr. Kim told me your parents stopped by." Damien mentioned after they had placed their orders.
"Yeah," Ella smiled a bit happier now. "They're the best." She tucked a few wavy tresses that were blowing in the wind from being in the outdoor cafe.
"Are you planning on returning with them to their home?" Damien awkwardly asked, mentally discouraging himself from sounding so inquisitive.
"No," Ella was quick to respond, shaking her head firmly. Her fingers lingered over her straw, mixing the beverage slowly. "Like you said, 'their home.' I like it here and... I don't know." Ella licked her lips, suddenly making Damien aware of them too.
"You don't know?" Damien asked, forcing himself to look away from her red-tinted lips.
Ella was surprised that Damien had been so chatty. She had expected that when she returned, he would work her to her bones, no time for chit chat, but quite the opposite had happened. He had welcomed her back, offering lunch in order to catch up on a couple of work details, but now they had ventured off into their personal lives. Ella didn't mind; she had nothing to hide. Besides, it seemed like Damien was beginning to warm up to her and talk a lot more. She had decided that she liked it. It made her feel warm; the way he listened and paid attention to her, those forest green eyes trained on only her sometimes when she didn't notice.
"There's a saying: don't stress about what hasn't happened because if it later happens, and you stressed beforehand, then you go through the stress of the situation two, unnecessary times." Ella winked, watching as Damien blinked in surprise. She laughed, and in response, Damien chuckled, noting the validity in her words.
"Alright. Fair enough." Damien agreed, changing the topic back to work related things for the rest of lunch.
Back at the office, they returned back to their routinely schedule with Ella stepping out of Damien's office to help the others around. Those moments were barely allowed, though, since Damien was obviously working her hard to make up for the all of the times she wasn't available.
"Okay," Hope was almost panting as she leaned against a wall after having to get Damien multiple documents from what seemed like were all over the place except in the place she looked in. "Can I just say that I'm glad Ellie is here?" She walked over to her seat and collapsed in it, checking the time on her watch before realizing it had run out of battery. "Dang it." She leaned over, tapping on Ella's phone. Ella had left it earlier after catching up, to check the time. "It's almost time to go."
"Maybe for you. Everyone else is probably going to work overtime." Joselyn groaned, rubbing her eyes, tired.
Ella was already on her way out, too. She had promised Fransisco to have dinner with him this evening even though she knew that it was just his way to check up on her. "Bye, ladies. Don't let Jihye overwork you guys." Ella joked, eager to leave since she was running a bit late.
Hope chuckled, waving bye to Ella who quickly stepped out into the elevator. Ella checked the time on her watch while descending down to the basement. As soon as she stepped out, her hand digging into her purse to pull out her phone to text her brother, she accidentally bumped into another person.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Ella dropped her keys, looking up to see a young man decked out in all black with a cap. She quickly noticed his brown eyes staring back at her, surprised.
Cautiously, she stepped back twice, surprised at their proximity. He stepped closer, his head dropping before he sighed, "I'm sorry, too." With that said, his arm shot out, punching Ella in the stomach, successfully knocking her down. With a gasp, she quickly realized the situation she was in.
With her hand in her purse, the quickly dug out a pen, clicking it on as he descended on her, his hands wrapping around her neck despite her struggles to get him off her. Left with no other choice, she stabbed into his body with the pen, successfully distracting him as she elbowed his face.
The man, angered now, grabbed the back of her shirt, harshly yanking her backwards, backslapping her to keep her shocked and still for a moment while he resumed his previous position, pinning her arms under his knees. Her watch cracked under pressure, and Ella ignored the throb of her busted lip and her arms numbing under his weight as he rewrapped his fingers around her neck, squeezing.
Thrashing under his hold, Ella was quickly losing the battle, her vision blackened just as she managed to slip one hand away from his grip. In her last effort to redeem herself, she clutched his wrist, just barely managing to take off his watch with whatever strength she had when a loud, wailing scream was heard. Frantic, the man squeezed tighter, but heels were quickly clicking in their direction, and the man let go of Ella, running away just as Ella gasped for air.
"Oh my God!" It was Hope.
After realizing Ella had left her phone once it began ringing with calls, Hope had rushed down in hopes to return it to her before she left, but she would have never even imagined that this would be what she would encounter.
After Ella's vision returned, with the help of Hope, she stood up on wobbly legs. Her head and heart were still pounding from the lack of oxygen; Ella just wanted to lie down and rest for a little while.
"Lean here for just a little bit, yeah?" Hope waited until Ella nodded against the elevator wall, too tired to speak as Hope rushed to collect the dropped items. "I can't believe this!" Hope had tears in her eyes as she returned to help Ella stand. The poor young girl looked as if she would collapse at any given second. "We're almost there, Ella. Okay?" Hope watched in relief as the elevator doors opened. "Guys! Guys, please! Help!" Hope was crying out, still clutching onto Ella, unaware of Ella's bruised ribs. "Guys!" Hope wailed even louder upon seeing Ella's eyes flutter open and close, her body beginning to weigh more on her.
"What? What?" Joselyn was the first one to approach, and upon seeing Ella's messy clothes and busted lip as well as her pale color, she quickly dropped her coffee mug, leaving it to shatter onto the floor as she rushed over, also helping to keep an almost unconscious Ella up. "Mr. Kim! Kim!" Joselyn was yelling now too, and soon, everyone was out of their offices with all of the commotion.
"What happened?!" Mr. Kim thundered angrily as Damien also rushed forward, his heart pounding in concern and anger.
"Get some alcohol, she's passing out." Damien grounded out, bending to wrap his arm around Ella's knees, sweeping her off her feet and into his arms and he wrapped another arm around her back.
"What happened, Hope?" Katherine frantically rushed forward, scared to know the details. Ella looked bad.
"I don't know! I don't know!" Hope cried, following Damien who was already in his office, setting Ella down, extremely gentle with her. "Some man was on top, choking her." Hope was also shaking, adrenaline running through her veins.
"Who was it?" Joselyn passed a cotton ball that had been soaked in alcohol over to Damien who was kneeled by Ella's side, checking her injuries.
"An ambulance is on their way." Oliver entered the room, standing at the foot of the couch where Ella was. "We need to save those security tapes." He shook his head in disbelief before leaving the room. He, too, could not believe that someone would ever do this to Ella.
"Ella?" Damien gently prodded at her, holding her hand tightly as she slowly came to. "It's okay, we're all here." He was quick to reassure her, running his thumb over her bruised knuckles, careful to not harm her more.
"The watch..." Ella murmured, her eyes closing after seeing the bright lights.
"Christ, Ella. I'll buy you another one!" Kim huffed out, upset that that was the first thing Ella thought of.
Ella shook her head slowly, barely before smiling a little. She winced, realizing her lip had been busted. "I took his watch off. It seems to be-" Ella coughed, her throat aching. "-one of a kind. Check." She waved at Hope who instantly went through Ella's purse. Hope, after picking up the tossed items in the basement, had tossed everything in Ella's purse.
"It is." Kim noted, nodding in appreciation, moving closer to her. "You did well, Ella. Thank you." Kim reached to gently caress her hair.
"Ambulance is here." Oliver announced, and Damien nodded, moving to step out of the way for the medics to enter and take Ella safely, but Ella clutched his hand tighter.
Damien, seeing the discomfort clear in her eyes, nodded silently. "I'll carry her down." Damien reached for her, still as gentle as ever as he leaned her against his chest.
Ella clutched Damien's tie in her hands, her eyes wide and alert as they got into the elevator by themselves, the medics staying behind to give the patient space. She clearly seemed frightened and appeared to be more comfortable with the tall and dark-haired man near. The rest of the medics met them down in the basement, where Ella quickly scanned the place. Her eyes staying stuck in the corner of where everything had happened.
"Ella?" Damien's low voice caught her attention back, his hand under her knees squeezing tenderly to also call to her attention.
"Sorry," Ella's eyes flickered off the corner and to the medics that were waiting patiently for her to get on the gurney. "Thank you." She let go of Damien's tie, leaving the garment wrinkled. "Oh, sorry."
"Lie back, will you? Let them check your vitals." Damien sat to the side as the medics began to swarm around her, checking her ribs, eyes for any concussions, and asking her multiple questions. Once they were finished, Ella was leaned back, and she held her hands above her stomach, trembling.
"I'm sorry for the fright that I caused everyone." Ella was quiet, her voice still very hoarse from her neck and vocal chords being harassed.
"Trust me, I think Ms. Ines scared everyone more with her alarm-like wailing." Damien chuckled, relieved to have his joke work because Ella cracked a smile, albeit a very small and tired one, but it was better than having her face marred with straight fear. Ella released a silent breath, the tears accumulating in her eyes as she clutched her own hands tighter. "You're safe here, Ella." He dared to reach over and gently take one of her hands in his, encasing her frigid one in between two of his own warmer and larger ones.
Ella nodded, a tear managing to escape from the corner of her eye. Deciding that it was better to close her eyes to avoid any more tears from spilling, she found comfort in someone familiar holding her hand, being with her in these times.
While she prided herself in being strong, mentally and emotionally, everything had happened so fast and she had had absolutely no time to even assess the situation or take it in. She had been in shock, and now that she had a few moments of silence, the only things she could think of was that man and how he had been adamant on hurting her.
After being settled into a room and having Damien fill out her paperwork for her, a knock on the door was finally heard from the doctor coming in to check up on her. As soon as the man entered, though, Ella took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was to come.
"So, Miss. It seems as though you've been-" Fransisco raised his head from her chart that the medics had given him, one without her name that had been filled out with only her injuries in the ambulance. "Ella?!" His bellow was heard even outside in the halls. "What is the meaning of this?!" He quickly rushed over, placing his clipboard on the bedside table before reaching to lift her chin, shining a light into her pupils.
"It was an accident-"
"This was not an accident, Ella Cortesa." Fransisco growled, checking the fingerprints on her neck as well as her busted lip. "Jesus Christ," he huffed, grinding his teeth as he grabbed her chart, furiously writing down many things.
"Would you stop and actually inspect me? Don't just write down for a bunch of tests to be done." Ella raised a hand to stop his own writing one from continuing to mark the paper.
"These are important, Ella." Fransisco moved away, continuing to write on the paper.
"I'm okay, Fransisco. It was more a fright than anything." Ella denied, not wanting to concern her brother.
"I, the doctor, will decide if it was more of a fright." Fransisco sighed, stopping his writing to run a hand through his hair in frustration when he caught sight of Damien. He paused, tossing his sister a questioning look.
Damien, upon realizing the attention had shifted to him, stood up, extending his hand to Fransisco. "I'm Damien Petrotti, a prosecutor at JKC."
"Prosecutor Petrotti?" Fransisco was intrigued now. He knew of a guy whose name was that. That same man was actually quite well known in Fransisco's hospital since they themselves had been the victim of a scandal due to their incompetent General Director who had been guilty of insurance fraud. "Nice to meet you." Fransisco nodded in approval. He wasn't too sure as to why he was with Ella, but the guy was decent looking and seemed to be a good man if Ella let him hang around her.
"Fransisco?" Another two doctors that Ella had briefly seen before entered, both wearing concerned and confused faces. "We heard you yell..." they explained, looking at Ella before looking back at Fransisco.
"Marshall, Shawn, meet Ella, my sister." Fransisco pointed at Ella, who was still uncomfortable due to the jabbing pain on her side. She hid her grimace with a fake smile.
Damien saw right through it, though. "Does it hurt?" He frowned, unintentionally shooting Fransisco a pointed look.
"I'll take care of her." The woman doctor declared, quickly rushing forward and snatching the clipboard from Fransisco unsuspecting hands. Despite Fransisco's complaints, he lost. He couldn't treat family anyway. Finally, after tormenting Marshall about how to do her job, he left with the promise that he would return before Ella was discharged.
Ella, after having only one of the tests out of the six that Fransisco had written down, and answering more questions followed by more papers to sign, was spent when the police officers had entered the room. By now, her adrenaline rush had run out and she wanted nothing more than to just succumb to her body's desires and fall asleep. Luckily for her, Oliver had retrieved the security tapes, and Ines was also there to answer any questions.
"You guys should leave. It's so late." Ella coughed, seeing that it was already one in the morning. Everyone from the law department had gathered in the room, giving her more attention than she felt comfortable with. Damien had also stayed right by her side the entire time. It was almost as if he could sense her discomfort whenever he made a move to create distance between them because he would then retract right back to her side.
"Everyone can have a paid leave for tomorrow. I think it's safe to say that police officers will be investigating everything and we'll all get in their way acting like sleep-deprived zombies anyway." Mr. Kim clapped his hands, ushering many people out. Ella thanked each one on their way out, sending them grateful smiles even through her busted lip.
Damien stayed behind, and surprisingly, Mr. Kim didn't say anything. If anything, Mr. Kim left the room willingly. It had been a while for the old man to see Damien act in such an... emotional way. It pleased Jjhye to see that Damien was breaking out of his comfort zone a little. While Kim didn't particularily like that it was little Ella that was doing it seeing as how he was afraid that Damien would hurt her, he didn't think it was the moment to speak up.
He knew both Ella and Damien for a long time now, and he knew that they weren't compatible people. It had genuinely surprised him to see Ella relax in Damien's tense mood as well as Damien become more open and friendly thanks to Ella. Kim also knew that it would be no time before Ella really did move away, and then things would return to how they were if not worse.
Everyone was seeing firsthand what Ella's kind and warm personality was doing to them, and when she leaves... he didn't even want to think of it.