3: Dream Team

I was bombarded with questions from my female co-workers, the moment I sat back down on my cubicle. At first, they were very discreet and hushed with their interrogation, but as soon as Mr. Mitchel and the woman in red left the office, they began crowding at my desk like moths to a flame.

"Who is she?" Belle asked pushing her chair from her desk to mine, acting like we were close.

"I don't know." I quickly answered her without taking my eyes off the sketches I was working on.

"Is she Mr. Mitchel's girlfriend?" asked another one who just popped out of nowhere in front of my cubicle.

"I don't know!" I answered again as I saved the files and started taking out my wallet from my bag.

"Can you guys quit bothering Cath? Clearly, like us, she also doesn't have a clue on who she is." Andrea said then she started pulling me away from the crowd to have our lunch out of the office.

"Thanks, Dre. I needed the help." I said to her as I was munching on the salad that I ordered.

"Those vixens just want to have the latest gossip inside the office. That Belle, the nerve to act all buddy with you. It’s disgusting!" She said as she angrily munches on her greens.

"Whatever. It’s not like it has anything to do with me. I don't even know her name." I shrugged at her and we both finished our lunch on a good note.

My intercom started ringing as I was doing finishing touches to the comic book edition that is due to be sent to production today. I answered it immediately without taking my eyes off the monitor or looking at the caller id.

"Hello, Catherine Aragon, Creative Department." I greeted the caller.

"Hello Miss Aragon, can you come by my office?" my eyes widened as soon as I heard the raspy voice from my receiver. I looked at the called id and my hunch was confirmed.

"Sir Mitchel! Sure thing sir. I'll be right there." I answered then waited for Sir Mitchel to hang up. I immediately went to his office as soon as I put down the phone. Kyla just gestured for me to go in so, I knocked on the door before quietly peaking inside.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" I asked as I saw him through the small gap.

"Ah, come in Miss Aragon. Sit down." He said to me as he gestured to the meeting table inside his office. I sat down on one of the chairs and waited for further instructions. I looked around the office and noticed that other than the work board and lack of pictures and awards the place looks the same, but somehow, it feels more comfortable.

"I've looked through the templates that you gave me earlier. And I'm honestly very impressed with the new comic series that you guys prepared, but if you don't mind, there are a few things that I would like to do a bit differently from the proposed template." He said as he sat down on the chair opposite of mine with the templates at hand.

"Of course sir. I'm all ears." I answered and he started suggesting things, from the plotline to the sketches and dialogues. And I can't help but be amazed at how passionate he is with his work. He's very hands-on, unlike our previous boss, and honestly, all his ideas match perfectly to the concept of the whole story of the comic. He didn't want that much of a change, just minor details that my team overlooked and I still can't believe that he was able to piece all of these together within just a couple of hours.

"I'm on board with everything that you suggested, sir. Still, I think it's best to also see what the team thinks about the changes that you're proposing." I said, hesitantly to him as soon as he finished walking me through his suggestions. I braced myself for a backlash because of what I just said, but instead, he smiled at me.

"Okay. I do have a meeting in ten minutes. So, can you schedule a meeting with the team, maybe five in the afternoon?" he suddenly asked me and I nodded in response.

"Sure sir. I'll inform them right away." I said to him and went out of his office.

I went back to my cubicle and immediately issued an announcement to my team through our company emails.

"Guys, Mr. Mitchel wants to have a meeting this afternoon at five in his office. It's regarding the final templates for our new comic. He has some suggestions that he wants the whole team's opinion about the matter."  I said and my team immediately replied in agreement to this.

Honestly, this team is the best that I've worked with in my three years in the company. Axel is the character artist for the new comic and is one of the best if not the best in the company. He's a very efficient worker and his work is awesome, but he can be quite cold and indifferent sometimes. Andrea always says that his cold attitude is somehow his charm. Let's just say that Andrea has a thing for him and you can't blame her, Axel is not a bad-looking guy.

Charles and Janice, on the other hand, are a couple. Charles handles the background of the comic while Janice works on the plot and dialogues. They both are very professional and so cute as a couple that you can't help but ship their relationship altogether. The only thing that's missing in their relationship is marriage, and I'm crossing everything I can cross in my body, to wish that they would be end game.

I looked at the time on the computer and noticed that it was already five minutes before five in the afternoon. I quickly saved the files on my computer and started preparing for the meeting.

"Cath, let's go?" Axel asked as he leaned over my cubicle.

"Where's Janice and Charles?" I asked him as I stood up from my chair.

"Present Cathy!" Janice said as both she and Charles approached my desk.

"Let's go then!" I said and started leading the team to the boss's office.

"Where are you guys going?" Andrea asked as we passed by her cubicle as she was gathering her things.

"Oh, right. Forgot to tell you, Dre. We have a meeting with Sir Mitchel. I still don't know what time we'll finish. So, you should head home first." I said to her and her shoulders just drooped.

"Fine. What else can I do? See you guys tomorrow." She said hugging me.

"See you later." she flirtingly said to Axel, giving him a nudge with her shoulder and topping it off with a wink before walking out of the office.

The three of us looked at Axel's reaction but were disappointed with the lack of it. I don't even know what we were expecting from him. I just shook my head in amusement before heading to Sir Mitchel's office.

"Sir?" I called as I opened the door. I heard him speak up but I don't think he was talking to me. I peeked inside his office and saw him near the window while talking to someone over the phone. I knocked on the glass door to get his attention and I did. He turned around and gestured for me to come in and so we all quietly entered.

"Yes, Gracie. I'll be at dinner. I just have to finish something. Okay, I'll pick up ice cream on the way home. Bye, bye!" He said as he ended the call. I guess it was his girlfriend. I can't help but smile at how sweet he sounded as he talked to his girl. 

"Sorry about that. Sit down, guys. I haven't had the chance to know everyone in the office, I hope I'm not taking too much of your time." He said as he sat with us at his meeting table.

"No sir. It's refreshing to get great feedback from our superior." Charles answered as he flashed a big smile on his face.

The meeting began and the team looked more enthusiastic than before. All of our ideas flooded out as we brainstormed throughout the meeting.

"Can you guys revise everything before Friday?" Sir Mitchel asked after we finalized all the changes that we will go through for the project. The three of them answered a variety of yes to SirMitchel's delight.

"Just pass your works to Miss Aragon so we can finalize the templates together before sending it to production on Monday. If there are no more questions, I think all of us should go home." All of us stood up from our chairs and began heading out to get our stuff from our cubicles. As I reached my cubicle I realized that I haven't had a chance to sort out my things.

"We'll get going Cath. See you tomorrow." Janice said as she walked hand in hand with Charles, Axel following right behind them.

"You sure you'd be fine alone?" Axel asked, stopping in front of my cubicle as I rummaged through my things, looking for my phone.

"I'm going to be fine Axel. I'll be right down after I get my things together." I said smiling at him. He nodded his head before rushing to the elevator before it closes on the couple.

I continued rummaging through my bag, but I still couldn't find my phone anywhere. I started taking all my things out of my bag to get a thorough look through them, still nothing.

"Still not going home, Miss Aragon?" I heard Sir Mitchel's voice echo through the office.

"I'm just sorting through my things before heading home, sir." I answered him with a polite smile on my face. He looked down on his watch before turning his attention back at me.

"I'll head out first, Miss Aragon. Someone is waiting for me to get home." He replied with an apologetic smile.

"No problem sir. I won't be staying for too long."

"Okay. Good night then. Have a safe trip home." He said to me before walking out of the office.

I continued looking for my phone, but it was still nowhere to be found, I guess I left it at home. I sighed in defeat as I started putting my things back in my bag. My stomach began rumbling as I looked up at the wall clock in the office. It's almost seven in the evening and the last food I ate was the salad I had with Andrea at lunch. I should just grab a take-out on my way home.

I grabbed my bag and all the things I'll be bringing home when I suddenly heard the elevator doors open. Looks like someone forgot something. I looked at the entrance of the office to see who came back at this time and was so shocked at the sight of the person that suddenly appeared in front of me.