She did her normal simple morning routine and left home saying goodbye to her family members.
Took a bus at the bus stop and off she was to the institute. When she got there, she met an aura of seriousness and commitment to work. Everyone was busy with what ever thing they had going on. She rushed to meet her team.
Getting there, she meets the smiling faces of Christine, Isabel and the others. It was a refreshing moment just before she turns to meet the cold stare of Ron. His eyes looked like he could see straight into her soul and it sent shivers through her spine. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten he would be here today. Lost in thoughts, her eyes were locked in his. She couldn't stop staring.
"Lila" Christine called waking her up from her little trance. Lila snapped out of her daze, and suddenly became aware of the fact that she had been staring at Ron for what felt like an eternity.
"What were you thinking about" Christine asks.
Christine's question catches Lila off-guard, and she fumbles for a response. She doesn't want to admit that she was staring at Ron and lost in thought, so she brushes it off with a vague answer.
"Oh, it's nothing" Lila replies.
Christine gives her a knowing look, but doesn't push for more information. Instead, she turns to the work at hand and starts explaining what Lila will be doing for the day.
While Lila is busy with her work, Ron approaches her.
"Why do you keep staring at me" he asks her unexpectedly.
Lila is surprised at his question and realises she's busted but in a bid to defend herself….
"I wasn't staring at you Ron" she tells him.
"Of course you were" he says back.
"Even if I was, how would you know I was staring if you weren't staring at me the whole time?" She slams him.
Ron pauses for a moment, as if he hadn't considered this possibility. He looks a bit stumped, and Lila feels a sense of satisfaction having turned the tables on him. After a moment, he responds, "Touché. I suppose you've got me there. Congratulations little lady."
"Little lady" Lila repeated with a look of disgust.
Lila was taken aback by Ron's words. She thought he was being playful at first, but his tone sounded almost condescending. She narrowed her eyes at him and said, "Don't call me 'little lady'. I'm not a child." Ron held up his hands in mock surrender, "I didn't mean to offend you, I was just trying to be playful." Lila wasn't sure if she believed him, but she decided to let it go for now. After all, they had work to do. But the conversation had left a bad taste in her mouth.
Lila's work was suffering because she couldn't stop thinking about her exchange with Ron. Now she had a second Shane to tease her every second. Every time she glanced in his direction, he seemed to be watching her. It was unnerving, and she found it difficult to concentrate. The hours dragged on, and she began to feel more and more agitated. Finally, she decided she had to say something. She walked over to Ron's desk and said, "I need to talk to you."
"Yes, what's the problem. Make it fast" he commanded.
Lila bristled at Ron's tone. She took a deep breath to calm herself and said, "It's about the way you talk and act towards me. From the first day I met you, you've been so rude and unbearable. You called me 'little lady", and I find it disrespectful. I'm not little, and I don't appreciate being treated like one. I need you to show me the same respect you show everyone else here." Ron looked surprised, as if he hadn't realized the impact of his words.
"Is that all you wanted to say?" Ron asked, a note of impatience in his voice. "When you're done spouting your nonsense, get out of my sight. I've had enough of your lip."
Lila was stunned by Ron's words. She couldn't fathom why he would be so hostile towards her. Had she done something to offend him? Or was he just a difficult person to work with? She tried to make sense of the situation, but her thoughts were jumbled. She didn't know what to say next.
After a moment of silence, Lila gathered her courage and said, "Ron, I don't know what I did to upset you, but I'd like to clear the air. I want to be able to work with you, and I don't want any bad feelings between us. Can we talk about this?"
Ron's expression seemed to not change. He gave a a deadly glare and said nothing. The only thing she could do was walk away. She swore she was going to avoid him from that day. But that did not stop her from wondering why he was like that towards her…though he had a cold nature he tried his best to get along with everyone except her.
First he wanted to dance with her at the party and now he doesn't even want to hear her breathe.
Such a confused being she thought.
Ron's POV
"Is that all you wanted to say?", "When you're done spouting your nonsense, get out of my sight. I've had enough of your lip." I told her.
I did that in a bid to make her go away. The fact that I found her attractive was already enough distraction. Getting close to her would be a huge risk I couldn't imagine taking.
My attempts to push her away had worked, and she walked away. I tried to focus on my work, but my mind kept wandering back to her. Why was she so intriguing? I've never been so drawn to someone before. And yet, I knew that I had to keep my distance. She was a distraction I couldn't afford. That didn't stop me from thinking about her. I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something special about her but why would I care, it may all end up with her in my bed and that's it, nothing more.
Despite my attempts to rationalize my thoughts, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her than met the eye. I still couldn't help noticing how beautiful and intriguing she was. She was clearly intelligent and capable, but there was something else about her that drew me in. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it was something that I couldn't ignore and even though I knew it was a bad idea, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if I let myself get close to her.
As Ron was lost in his thoughts, he was startled by the sound of the team leader's voice calling out to everyone in the room. The leader had a stern and commanding presence, and it was clear that everyone respected him. But what would he want now? Ron braced himself for whatever news the leader was about to share.
"I can see we're all working very hard" Mark says to the team. "I have some bad news, some of our members were attacked by those unknown men again and we are not sure of their real motives" he added.
"Ohh someone said Lila's father is the mind orchestrating the attacks" Shane says looking at Lila.
Lila's blood ran cold as she heard the words come out of Shane's mouth. Her father? How could that be? She'd never seen any indication that he was involved in anything nefarious. But then again, she hadn't seen him in years. He is even believed to be dead. Could it be true? Could he really be behind the attacks? She felt her heart racing as she tried to process the information.
"That's ridiculous," she said, trying to sound confident. "My father is a good man. There's no way he would be involved in something like this."
"Your father ditched the quove and started a rival organization and you think he is a good man"? he asked. "You might be an accomplice" he accused.
Lila felt like the floor had dropped out from under her. She was being accused of being an accomplice to her own father? This was getting out of hand. She had to put a stop to it before it got any worse.
"I'm not an accomplice!" she cried. "I don't know anything about my father's organization. I didn't even know he had one!" Her voice was loud and desperate, and she could feel the eyes of the whole team on her.
"Are you sure about that?" Shane asked, his eyes narrowing. "You may think you know your father, but how can you be so sure?" Shane retorted. "He's been keeping secrets from you for years. What else could he be hiding?" He was pushing her buttons, trying to make her doubt her own memories. Lila felt her resolve slipping away.
"I don't know anything about my father's organization," she said, her voice rising in frustration. "I swear to you, I had no idea!"
"Shane stop it," Isabel shouted at him.
Isabel's outburst caught everyone off guard. She was usually so calm and collected, but she was clearly agitated by Shane's interrogation of Lila.
"This is out of line," she continued, glaring at Shane. "We're supposed to be working as a team, not interrogating each other."
Shane looked taken aback by Isabel's outburst. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.
"Just stop it, okay?" she said, her voice shaking with anger. "You're not helping anyone by questioning Lila like this."
"We've known Lila for years now and she couldn't possibly be an accomplice" Christine said.
"Lila has been so loyal to the quove so I have doubts about what you are saying Shane" Mark added.
Ron who had been observing the whole drama for a while watched in shock as all these things were revealed to him. The only person he knew who matched the description of starting a new organization was Frank Meyer.
"She's the daughter of Frank Meyer". he muttered to himself. "She is the one" he added.
As Ron studied Lila's face, he could see the hurt and sadness in her eyes. She was clearly struggling to hold back tears, and he felt a pang of sympathy for her. Though sympathy was not his thing, he suddenly saw himself in her, and it struck him that she was probably dealing with a lot of the same issues that he had faced in the past. It was a strange feeling, realizing that he and this girl, who he had barely spoken to before today, had more in common than he could have ever imagined.
Christine, seeing the look of hurt on Lila's face, walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"You don't have to say anything, Lila," she said gently. "Just know that you have us here. We're your friends, and we're here for you no matter what."
Lila looked up at Christine, her eyes shining with tears. She nodded, and a small smile began to form on her lips. It was a small gesture, but it meant everything to Christine. She knew that Lila would be okay.