The A-hole Next Door (completed)

SIXTEEN

"Lauren Jauregui!"

Luigi nudged his friend who was sleeping with her chin resting on her hand. Lauren's face almost hit the table, and she was shocked to see pairs of eyes staring at her.

"Lauren ? Are you even listening?!" Avan asked angrily, his pissed eyes fixed on hers.
That's when Lauren realized that she was actually inside the conference room, not in her bed. She genuinely thought she was in her room, sleeping.

"Sorry, Sir." Lauren mumbled, her face turning to different shades of red.

Avan sighed loudly. "Meeting adjourned." He then turned to Lauren. "Stay here. We'll talk."

Luigi gave Lauren's shoulders a squeeze. If only he could stay with her, he would.

When the room became empty, Lauren couldn't even feel her own heart beat. She was too scared, and everyone knew that their boss was still in a bad mood.

"Lauren. You never fall asleep in our meetings. What's happening?" Avan asked her cartoonists while adjusting his glasses.

"I'm really sorry, Sir. I-I just didn't get enough sleep last night." She said, which was the truth. She spent the whole night taking care of Zayn, and she only slept a little after midnight. Lauren woke up at four in the morning, finding herself squeezed beside Zayn on the couch, her head resting on his arm.

But the good thing was, he woke up feeling better again. Zayn's joints and muscles hurt less to, and his fever was gone. His cough though, was still there, so Lauren made him some ginger tea. She almost shoved it on Zayn's throat because he didn't want to drink it.

"Lauren, I know I've been giving you a hard time and pushing you to your boundaries." Avan said, looking at Lauren with his serious eyes. "But trust me, I'm doing this for your own good. You're the only person in this team who's qualified to take my position when I leave."

Lauren lifted her gaze from her lap to her boss. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm not supposed to tell this to you. And please don't tell anyone else."Avan uttered, straightening himself in his chair. "But you've been pretty disconnected lately and I guess you need a motivation. Lauren, I'm going to leave this team to join the higher board. You're the one who I want to take my place, and the board actually approves. My resignation will be effective before this year ends, same as your possible promotion."

Lauren gaped at Avan with her mouth hanging open. "Uh...I've been here for just a year, Sir."

"I told you, Lauren. It doesn't matter and it will never matter. It's always about the performance and talents, and you're the most qualified person in this team."

Her mind was overwhelmed with what she heard. She never saw herself as an editor, neither dreamed about it. She was already feeling lucky and happy to be seated behind her desk, because she knew very well that not everyone had the opportunity to be part of Zap Comics.

Avan stood up, collecting the folders in front of him. "It's going to be an amazing milestone in your career, Lauren. I hope you'll be more motivated with your job now." He told her, then headed to the door. "You can go back to work."

Lauren was left alone in the conference room, in the middle of her thoughts. She's not going to lie, she was flattered that her talents were being recognized. But being an editor sounded too much for her. She didn't know if she could handle the pressure and demanding deadlines.

She stood up to head to her desk. She decided to not dwell much on what Avan said, because there was still plenty of time to think about it. Besides, it wasn't a hundred percent sure yet. Her boss could still change his mind.