Exiled (AmBw)

Chapter 27

Layla: "Okay, thanks, I'm not going anywhere. As of 10:30 last night, I am too broke to leave this house." I joked.

Naoto: "Oh, yes, I forgot." He said, walking back to me before he put his hand in his pocket. Taking out his wallet, he ruffled through the bills before trying to hand them to me. "Here."

Layla: "Woah, wait, no." I said, stopping him. "Thank you, but no. I'm good. I don't need any money. This little sugar an I have a full day together, and he's a little reckless with money so, it's probably not the best idea to leave us alone with that money." I kidded. "I'm fine, all I need right now is Mochi and your laptop." I smiled, hoping he didn't insist on me taking the money.

Naoto smiled, then put away his wallet.

Naoto: "Alright, if you say so. Enjoy your day with this terror." He petted Mochi then stepped closer, swiftly putting his hand behind my head, casually kissing me on the forehead before turning to leave. "I'll see you tonight."

Without looking back, he was out the door. Thankfully he didn't look back because I'm sure that even with all my melanin, he would have been able to tell I was blushing.

Layla: "Mochi, my love. Your dad's going to be the death of me." I said, smiling way too hard.

A can of puppy food, two slices of buttered toast, and a cup of coffee later, I was ready to tackle the plethora of emails patiently waiting for me. In my inbox were 38 unread emails there to greet me. 'You know what, that's not too bad.' I thought shocked that I didn't have more. Throwing my hair in a quick bun, I put on my game face and got to work. Rummaging through a few emails, I came across an email that almost made my heart stop. The email was from Chris, and it was addressed Mandatory: Skype Call @11:15 am. Scanning the email, picking out details I needed, like what the call was going to be about, and who was supposed to be on the call. I glanced at the time and flew out of my seat when I saw it was 10:56. "Holy hell!" I exclaimed before dashing into my room. After working a miracle, I got myself ready and look professionally decent in less than ten minutes. Slightly shaken from rushing, I sat in front of the laptop, backing a white wall, waiting to receive the call.

I jumped out of my skin when the request came through. After taking a deep breath, I straighten my clothes and hair then accepted it.

When the call connected, the team greeted me. Chris thanked everyone for making the call and started the ball rolling with recognitions and deadlines for the upcoming issue. After reviewing a few urgent matters, we moved on to everyone giving a full rundown on how their articles were coming along.

Chris: "So, now Layla, it's your turn to let us know what you've been up to in Japan. Hopefully, it hasn't been all sushis and sake fo you," he said, cracking one of his unclever jokes, but because he is in the position he's in, everyone laughed.

Layla: "Although that sounds lovely, I've had an even better time than that."

Chris: "Is that so? Well, I guess that explains your lack of responding to the emails I've sent you. If that's the case, we are all eager to hear your report. Go ahead."

Taking his invitation, I laid out what I had accomplished and how far I had gotten in my articles. Going into detail on my interviews, mentioning how I was networking for the company at events and casually name dropping Katsuhiro to earn brownie points. That's what Katsuhiro gets for stressing me out with his riddle. The least he could do is make me look good in front of my coworkers and show Chris that I'm not as incompetent as he thinks I am. After finessing a few words, I managed to pull off a banging report. Some of my co-works seemed impressed, especially Caroline, our Copy Editor, and Evan, our Fact Checker. They were the ones I wanted to impress the most since I hadn't gotten to work with them before. Hopefully, this meant they would be more willing to ask me to work with them in the future. The one person who did seem too pleased with my report was none other than our favorite asshole, Chris. He wore an expression that, to the untrained eye, made him seem pleasant, but I'd seen that look too many times not to know what it meant. He was pissed, and for the first time, I didn't care one bit.

Chris: "Wow, well done, Layla. It seems like you are doing a better job than you do when you're in the office." He laughed after giving me an underhanded compliment. Well, I guess we know now how to motivate you. Hopefully, you don't lose that fire you have when you get back to New York. We're going to need you to work when you return." He slid one in before moving the conversation to another employee in London. Luckily, the call didn't last too long after my report, so in no time, I was back to finally breathing.

Layla: "Mochi! I need your emotional support." I said, scurrying to my room where I put him with his toys while I was dealing with work.

Changing back into what I was wearing before, I went back out front with Mochi to make food, start responding to my unread emails and attack my articles.