Lauren's POV
The morning came. I took a shower and put on my clothes. I always went with a smart casual style. Most of the time, I would wear black pants and black or white shoes. I just played a little with my tops. I did not have many variants, only simple tops. One thing for sure, there would always be a black color in my outfit, either my pants, my shoes, or my suit. Sometimes, I wore my hair in ponytail sometimes I just wore it down. After feeling fresh, smelling good, and looking good, I left my apartment so I could arrive thirty minutes earlier in the office. This way worked better for me.
I reached my new floor and went straight to my office. I did not use the VIP lift although I had the access. I was five minutes earlier than my schedule and nobody arrived yet. I got myself a cup of coffee from the coffee shop downstairs. I turned on my computer and sipping my coffee. I always let my door open unless I needed to concentrate and did not want to be disturbed. I liked my new office. It was not occupied before, only Mr. Cabello used it sometimes when he did not want to welcome them in his office.
Ten minutes passed and I saw Hailee was here. "Good morning, Ms. Steinfeld!" I greeted her with a smile. She was Mr. Cabello's secretary for two years and had been helping Ally since he passed away. It was almost three years now.
"Good morning, Ms. J!" She greeted me back. Some people called me Lauren, some called me Ms. J. I let them choose. "You're early, Lauren." She said.
"Yes, I like to come early," I stood up and went out to talk with her. Her desk was located in the hall that led to the CEO's office. She had to pass Ally's and mine before getting to hers. Our offices including the CEO's occupied half of the floor and another half was for the executive team led by Ally, a meeting room, and the kitchen and leisure area for the team which was so pleasant.
"Do you need a coffee or tea, Lauren?" Hailee asked.
"Thank you, Haiz, I've got mine. This floor is cozy." this floor was quiet but cozy.
Hailee laughed, "... and fancy, but... can be full of pressure sometimes." She took her phone, "Are you sure, you don't want anything? Ally is getting us breakfast."
"Ally?" I was not their boss but it was not Ally's task.
"Yes, she loves to feed us," Hailee said. That made sense. It was Ally. "and Ms. Cabello is here, Ally wanted to make sure she eats."
"I see." Ms. Cabello seemed to have eat issue.
.
I saw the team was starting to arrive and I got back to my office.
"Morning, Lauren!" Ally arrived ten minutes later, she greeted me before she entered her office.
"Morning, Ally!"
She came back with hands full of things, "you want some cakes?" she offered me.
"Thank you, Ally, but I'll skip." I rejected it politely.
"I knew it, you only have coffee in the morning. Hailee told me you've got your coffee already?" she said.
"Yes, regular, from downstairs." I showed her my coffee.
"or banana?" she asked again.
"No, Ally. Thank you. Since when you eat fruit for breakfast?" I asked her as she always had a coffee and a cake.
"It's for Camila." She said.
"I see. Kind of you." I replied to her short.
.
"Good morning!" Ms. Cabello greeted everyone as she was walking to her office at ten past nine. Mr. Statham was following her to her office. He was Mr. Cabello's number one bodyguard. He was back. I did not see him for a while.
I saw Mr. Statham was leaving the CEO's office passing mine, "Jason." I called him.
He stopped, "Hey, Lauren! Long-time no see." he said.
"Yes, long-time no see. How's it going? Are you back? For good?" I asked him. The last time I saw him was at Mr. and Mrs. Cabello's funeral.
"Yes."
"Great." I liked him. He taught me how to fight as well in the past.
"Great you are here, Lauren. I will feel more at ease. How are you? New role, huh?"
"Yes. I am good. You can stay in my office if you want. It's big." I offered him. He usually would just stay outside by the entrance.
"It's fine Lauren, I can wait outside." He said with her British accent.
"Okay, but don't be hesitant, you can stay here if you want. You are very welcome in my office, anytime." I said.
"Okay, sure. If I got bored and want to disturb you, kiddo."
I chuckled, "Great!"
"See you later, Lauren."
"See you, Jason."
.
The half-day passed by. I was in my office doing my job. Ally was busy with Ms. Cabello. Ally sometimes would come to me and asked things. I spent my lunch break with the executive team. I slightly knew them and I wanted to get to know them. We had our lunch at our company's cafeteria which was located on the whole eleventh floor. The first floor until the tenth floor was for other small companies, offices, and restaurants. Cabello Corp occupied from eleventh to thirty-third. The rest was a condominium and the last floor or penthouse belonged to the Cabellos.
After lunch, I went to Ms. Cabello's office. I took the new phone with me. I knocked on her door and she was there reading something. "Good afternoon, Ms. Cabello."
"Good afternoon, Ms. Jauregui." she looked at me once and closed her document.
"You can call me Lauren or Ms. J," I said smiling at her but she did not smile back.
"Okay, Ms. J. Let's start. Here or there," she pointed at the small meeting table, "or there." she pointed at the coffee table area. I knew she would choose Ms. J as she addressed every one formally except Mr. Cooper.
"It's better there," I referred to the meeting area.
"Okay."
The mentoring session was going well for almost three and a half hours, with a few breaks, and Hailee or Ally would come for Ms. Cabello. Ms. Cabello was very attentive and serious in learning things. She did not smile at all, probably it was her nature. I tried to make the mentoring light with some jokes but she only smiled thinly, at least it was not a forced smile.
We ended the mentoring session at four-thirty. I looked at the time, "I think it's enough for today, Ms. Cabello. If you have any questions about anything, you can call me anytime." I said and gave her my affiliate smile closing our session for today.
"Ok, thank you, Ms. J." She said and went back to her desk.
I was collecting my stuff and went to her.
"Ms. Cabello," I put the phone on her desk in front of her, she looked at the phone and looked at me with her serious face, "I'm sorry, I can't take iy. It's too much." she did not say anything, "I mean, I appreciate it, but It was an accident."
"It's okay, you can take it." She replied to me and she took her phone typing something.
"I... no, it's too much, Ms. Cabello."
"You don't like the phone?" She asked with her eyes still on her phone.
"No, it's a great phone. It's just... you don't have to. It's an accident," she looked at me once and back to her phone. She did not say anything. I spoke again, "okay, if you insist, you can just cover the service fee, you don't have to buy me a new phone. I don't need it."
"Okay, just tell Ally how much the service fee, and you can take the phone as well." She said still not looking at me.
"No, I don't need the phone. I will tell Ally's the service cost. Thank you and see you tomorrow." I did not like it when I talked to someone and they did not look at me. I turned around to leave her office.
"Ms. J," she called me and now she was looking at me, I turned around. "I don't need it, too. Take it and you can give it to somebody else if you don't need it." She said.
"I..." I could tell she did not want me to say no and rejected it again.
She made a phone call, "Ally, could you please come here?"
Ally came within seconds, "Yes, Camila?" She looked at me and then Camila who was looking at the phone on her desk.
"Ms. J does not need the phone, please give it to somebody else who needs it and tell me later how much it cost to fix her phone." She spoke to Ally.
I sighed internally. Ally looked at me, and then back to Ms. Cabello, "Okay." Ally took it. "Let's go, Lauren. Let's find out how much it will cost." Ally asked me to leave with her.
"Okay..." I was speechless and it was awkward. I followed Ally out of the room.
.
I was back to my office and Ally came to me, "Lauren, just take the phone."
I sighed, "Ally, it is too much."
"I understand, Lauren. It's for us, but not for her. She also felt bad for breaking your phone." Ally said.
She should have said sorry if she felt bad, not being cold like that. I sighed again. It was really too much and unnecessary. I did not like to owe people in this way.
"Come on, Lauren. Take it. It will make me easier, too. I don't know what to do with the phone if you don't take it."
"Give it to somebody else, as she said."
"Who?" Ally asked me back.
I did not know as well, "Hmm... Mr. Statham or Hailee..." I said when Hailee was walking past our office.
"Yes, me?" she stopped and joked.
"Hailee, do you need a new phone?" I asked her.
She was confused, "No..., why?"
"We have a free phone here," I said with a sarcastic tone.
"Lauren..." Ally looked at me annoyed, "Lauren here did not want to take the phone that Camila gave her, since she broke her phone." she explained to Hailee.
"Wow... it's a great phone, I won't reject it." Hailee said after she took a look at the phone.
"It's great right, you can have it," I said again smiling.
"No, I have mine, it's from Mr. Cabello. It's a good memory." Hailee said, "she gave it to you, and she broke your phone anyway, just take it."
"See..." Ally got an ally. "It's up to you. I don't want to be responsible for it. You can give it to anyone you like if you don't want to take it." by saying that, Ally left me followed by Hailee and they were laughing.
"Hey..." Girls...
.
The week passed by. I finally took the phone. I fixed the old one and gave it to the daughter of the street vendor near my neighborhood. Her mother also helped me to clean my apartment once a week. They were a good small family who always helped me as well. I knew them since I was still in college. I used to live nearby their house but I moved to a new apartment when I managed to buy one when I got promoted to a sales manager, which I no longer was.
I missed my previous sales job as it was more fun, but I was okay with my new role. In the morning, I would prepare the material and sometimes helping the new sales manager as we were still in transition. In the afternoon, after the lunch break, I would spend my day in Ms. Cabello's office mentoring her.
The mentoring went well so far. Ms. Cabello was a quick learner and she knew many things for someone inexperienced. She was very attentive and professional, but too serious. She seldom smiled, when there were funny things she would only smile thinly. During the break, she would be busy with her phone and ignoring me. I tried to make a small talk to break the ice, but she would change the topic back to the job-related things. I took it as she wanted to keep things professional. I understood and I did not want to cross the boundary. I saw it as her nature and did not want to take it personally.
Another week passed; things went well so far. I invited once the manager from the finance department to join our mentoring session so we could get more details about the topic. Ms. Cabello appreciated it. She did not say it directly but I could tell she felt more comfortable for a one-on-one coaching environment. She was an introvert. I decided to change my plan back to the previous strategy. If I was not sure about a topic, I would just learn from them before I mentored our CEO. I did not invite others anymore unless it was necessary.
Everything went well until this third week, except for one thing. It bothered me and it made Ally worried. Ms. Cabello barely ate. She did not have a breakfast that Hailee or Ally prepared for her. They would prepare her favorite bananas, cookies, and milk as she did not drink coffee, still, she barely touched them. She would leave them there and took them when she was really hungry in late afternoon. She was unhealthy both physically and mentally.
We once went out for lunch together with Ally and Hailee in the second week. We chose an Italian restaurant as Ms. Cabello loved pizza. She only ate one slice. We never went out again since then. Ally told me that it seemed Ms. Cabello's did not like food anymore as she used to be when her parents were still alive.
Ally also told me that Ms. Cabello always stayed late. Jason said she always stayed in the office until nine or ten. I was sating late as well but not that often and not that late. We suspected that she probably skipped her dinner as well. Jason, Mr, and Mrs. Harris who were the butler and the nanny confirmed that to Ally and me.
I did not know how she stayed alive with that little food. She was beautiful but she was too skinny. She was not a model and she was a CEO. She did not have to be that skinny, even skinnier than a model. She was five feet two inches with probably only eighty-eight or ninety pounds, not more. Eating little and working late, she was unhealthy. I started to think she was wearing all the makeup to cover her dark circles and tired face, not only to look older and covered her teenage or adolescent face.
She was beautiful but too skinny. She could be more beautiful if she ate more healthy and smiled little bit more. She had a natural beautiful curve which I noticed from the very first day even though the dress was a bit too big because she was way too skinny, still it was noticeable. I was not a pervert. I was just stating the fact. Furthermore, her brown eyes reminded me of Delilah. The difference was hers were not shining and heart-warming like Delilah's. I just realized Delilah still resided in the back of my mind. Normani sometimes would tease me saying Delilah was waiting for me at home if I stayed too late in the office, but I never really thought of her that much anymore.
It bothered me and I was annoyed when people did not take good care of themselves. Ms. Cabello had to eat more healthy and didn't have to stay too late. She had thousands of employees who could do the work for her. She could be skeletal in three months if she kept on doing it. Ally had tried many ways to convince her to eat but she did not listen. It made me anxious to see her like that which I rarely got anxious. Mr. Cabello took good care of me, I had to take good care of her now. If she let met. I hope she would.