FILE.18

"Can you prepare the materials for the meeting this afternoon?" Maribel asked Rosie as she handed some documents. "Here are the original files, dear. Ask for help if you think you can't handle this much work yet."

Rosie smiled. "There's no need for that. It's not much so I can finish all of this by myself."

"I just don't want you to overexert yourself," the older woman said with a frown.

"But I'm completely fine. I know my long absence has burdened you with extra work and I want to make it up to you. So why don't you just let me take care of this as well as the distribution?"

Maribel waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, don't you beat yourself up over that. You got terribly hurt and you needed the time to recover. I'm well aware that you're a hardworking girl so there's no need for you to make it up to us." Her face turned hard when she went on, "That mugger deserves a special place in hell for what he's done to you, you know. How dare he hurt a sweet girl like you?"