Chapter 44

44. An Invitation Coraline spent about thirteen days in the hospital, but even after she was released, she was instructed to attend physiological therapy for her leg for two weeks, three times per week. In addition, she was given. plenty of exercises to do daily in order to strengthen her leg. The flesh wound had healed, but the bone. had not. So, there was still a cast around her thigh, and she needs to use a crutch to move around.

But she looks considerably happier now she’s been released from the hospital, her eyes regaining that glow that makes them sparkle. Her parents are also relieved to have her home.

Two days after Coraline comes home, I get a call while I travel to Zelt Tech after a particularly grueling day of exams.

“I wanna get back to work,” she says before I can even greet her.

“Coraline, there’s no rush, I can handle it here until you get healed sufficiently,” I argue, “seriously, Gerald and I doing quite alright.”

We were not. Gerald was not doing badly, but I was plain overwhelmed with all the exams I was facing, and all the studying I was doing combined with my responsibilities as the COO without Coraline’s help. Truly, had Coraline been in my position, she would’ve managed it all without a hint of complaining.

But I will be damned if I let my incompetence get in the way of her healing.

“No, you don’t understand. I have to get out of the house, it’s driving me crazy being stuck in here. I’ve done nothing but read and watch movies for two days straight and dammit I feel antsy. I’m not used to this!”

“Coraline, it had been only two days,” I insist, “you still can’t walk ten steps straight without sweating as if you’d run a marathon.

You need to get better.”

“But you guys have to be absolutely floored over there,” she retorts, “admit it, Jace, you need my help.”

“It doesn’t matter. You’re not stepping foot inside the office until the doctors give you the green light.”

I can almost feel Coraline gear up to protest, but then in the last second, she huffs.

“Fine. I won’t step inside the office. But that doesn’t mean I can’t work.”

“Coraline-”

“Don’t you Coraline me, Jace,” she yells, “I may be physically invalid for the time being, but I’m mentally sound. More than sound, and pretty fricking bored. I might even go crazy here without having anything to do. So, send me everything I can do with a laptop while sitting down, Jace. I can handle at least that kind of work, don’t you think?”

If I were a better person, I would’ve held my ground. But as it were, there were about twenty unanswered emails in my inbox with more analytical charts and reports than I could count.

So, I sigh and agree to do as she says, and send her a good portion of work to keep her occupied.

Gerald tells me that I did the right thing.

“Some people are just not meant to take a vacation,” he provides.

“I would kill for a vacation right now,” I groan, feeling the weight of yet another set of books that I need to cram in about four days.

“You will be getting a vacation soon. The biggest break of them all.”

“Yeah, don’t tell me you’re not fully planning to monopolize my time once summer vacation rolls around,”

I shoot a dirty look at Gerald, who doesn’t even have the decency to look chastised. “Well, young master, you don’t need me to give you a special notice, then.”

I sigh a long-suffering sigh and get back to eating my lunch.

***

The semester finals end, and I feel like I can breathe again. By then, Coraline had gotten the green light. from the doctor and proudly limps back to the office. I firmly declare that we are not taking any walks out. of the office premises whatsoever until the shooting menace had been eradicated. Whatever traveling we will be doing, we’re taking a goddamned vehicle.

Coraline rolls her eyes as she is wont to do but doesn’t argue. Because behind the bluster and the bravado, even she knows about the risk to our lives.

And then another shooting happens. Another Zelt Tech employee.

My father is still out of the country, and by now he’s gone to Europe for some business dealing. Unfortunately for us, we can’t contact him via a call because he’s in some area lacking the relevant signals, which is of course, typical. The police scrambled to find the perpetrator behind the shooting because the tapes they’d managed to get from the establishments surrounding the location of Coraline’s shooting comes out with nothing. Someone had hacked into all the cameras around them when they. were painting the graffiti on the wall.

The search for Aiden was still ongoing. According to his father, Aiden had told him that he was taking a vacation and had disappeared. His last known location was somewhere in Puerto Rico. After that, his trail had gone dark, and his parents filed a missing person report with the local police.

I admit this makes me wary. Had Aiden fled in order to become a cold-blooded killer, or was he a victim of a cold-blooded killer?

Or does his disappearance have nothing to do with the shootings? All three options were entirely possible, and I admit, I wished that the real case was the latter. It gave me no pleasure to wonder if a man I had known had become a killer.

Even if it’s killing me, the only thing we can do at the present is to ensure our safety and somehow stay alive, all while carrying on with our normal lives.

No pressure, of course.

The day Coraline arrives at the office, Gerald calls us to his office.

“Miss. Granger, I cannot say in words enough how delightful it is to have you back with us,” he smiles. paternally at my friend after we take our seats across him at his office, “your presence has been sorely missed by well, almost everyone who works here.”

“That is gratifying to hear,” Coraline replies just as cordially, “I missed being here as well, “I hope that we can put this behind us and go on forward. Now, the reason I called you two here today is that I got news.” Gerald announces, making me quirk a brow at him.

“Good news or bad?” I ask, and he smiles.

“Finally, it is some good news. We have gotten an invitation, which I have forwarded to your respective devices,” our iPads ping, “take a look.”

We both open the newly sent emails, and I hear Coraline gasp, “I can’t believe it.”

“The Annual North American Business Forum,” I breathe, “we’ve been invited to the ANABF!”