Broken Bond: Between Vices and Virtues (BL)
Chapter 220 - 6: Airing his grievances

Chapter 220: Chapter 6: Airing his grievances

Killian leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the spreadsheet in front of him. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, but his mind was far from the numbers and payrolls he was supposed to be calculating.

It had been two weeks since his meeting with Dr. Park, and his thoughts kept circling back to one man. Temporary Deputy Director Steve Williams.

Fated mate?

Killian scoffed at the idea. How could that possibly be true? He couldn’t get past the fact that the alpha seemed to be targeting him.

Sure, Dr. Park had presented that as one of two possibilities, but the thought that the deputy director might be purposefully bombarding him with pheromones felt more real.

Why? It’s because that blasted superior kept calling for him! He had been asking for him more often lately, requesting that he "check this" or "review that" from the Payroll Division.

Am I the only employee in this division?! Killian grumbled inwardly. His ears already burst from the constant voice of his manager asking him to go over to the deputy director’s office. In the end, the manager just hit him up in the company’s chat.

But because of this, everyone was wondering why he was always getting called.

At first, it was small things—cross-checking employee salaries, calculating leave deductions, and ensuring bonuses were accurate. But then, it became more tedious and arbitrary.

The deputy director wanted reports on late salary payouts, verification of transfers, and even audits of the department’s smallest transactions. Each time he called; the tasks piled higher.

To everyone in the office, it seemed like Killian was being punished. His colleagues would shoot him pitying glances whenever he was summoned to the superior’s office. They whispered behind his back, guessing at the reason for his apparent fall from grace.

Had he screwed up something major? Did the new director have it out for him?

Killian was beginning to get sick with their pitying gazes that he just wanted to explain. But what is he going to say? That the deputy director was looking for him because he was acting out of instinct wanting to see his fated mate all the time?

That would be hilarious.

Or, tell them that the deputy director was actually harboring feelings for him and targeting him intentionally?

Now, that would be ridiculous.

Argh! I don’t know anymore! Killian screamed in his head.

"Poor Killian," one of his coworkers, Julia, murmured one afternoon when she thought Killian couldn’t hear. "The temporary deputy director’s really riding him hard. He must’ve really messed something up. It’s like he’s been on his case since the first day."

"I heard he had to redo the entire payroll audit for last month," said another, shaking his head. "And now he’s back in there again."

Killian sighed, rubbing his temples. It was true—he’d been called to the deputy director’s office almost every day. But it wasn’t just the work. Every time he stepped into that office; he felt the pull again.

The unsettling feeling of being too aware of the alpha, of every breath, every movement. His heart would race, and his palms would sweat.

But wasn’t it just because of the pressure?

Because the deputy director, with his cold gaze and impossibly demanding nature, intimidated him? Or was it something more? Something that went beyond the tension of work? Killian shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought.

"I’m not some omega easily swayed by an alpha’s presence," he muttered to himself, though he wasn’t so sure anymore.

It was during one of those particularly grueling days that Killian finally snapped.

Nathaniel had asked him to audit the last three years of employee benefits—an absurdly complex task that would take days, if not weeks, to complete.

The email came through just before lunchtime, and Killian stared at his screen in disbelief. Three years of benefits? Was this some kind of joke? His heart pounded in his chest, frustration bubbling up.

This had to stop.

His suspicions about Nathaniel targeting him had reached their peak. If the man wasn’t trying to manipulate him with pheromones, he was definitely using his authority to wear him down. But why?

What had Killian done to deserve this treatment?

He stood abruptly, his chair scraping the floor loudly as he pushed it back. His colleagues glanced up, startled by the noise, and a few whispered again as they watched him storm toward the deputy director’s office.

When he arrived, he didn’t knock. He pushed the door open with a little more force than necessary, and there sat the deputy director—Steve Williams, behind the desk, as usual, his sharp eyes flicking up from the documents in front of him.

The man’s expression didn’t change, but Killian could see the slight lift of his brow—the only indication of surprise.

"Mr. Arden," Nathaniel said calmly, "I don’t remember calling for you. Do you have something to say?"

Killian sighed deeply. He reminded himself that this man was his superior. So, despite his boiling anger toward the guy, he had to swallow his spiteful remarks and speak as calmly as possible. "Sir Williams, do you hate me?"

Nathaniel’s hand froze. His movement paused, but after blinking twice as if checking if he heard Killian’s words right or not, he slowly lifted his head from the documents and met Killian’s brown eyes. "...come again?"

Killian must have looked like he blurted that out without thinking, but he didn’t. "Sir Williams, do you hate me?" He even emphasized the words ’hate’ and ’me’.

Nathaniel leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he regarded the omega with interest. "What made you think that way?"

Seeing the alpha’s calm demeanor, Killian was a bit annoyed, but he wore a respectful mask because the man was still his superior. He calmed himself and took a deep breath, before firing away the words he wanted to speak, without hesitation.

"I don’t think it’s normal that you always put all the work on me. I asked my coworkers and their workloads are just the same as before, but mine, not only doubled but quadrupled, and now you’re asking me to review three years’ worth of reports...which led me to think that you’re bullying me, sir."

Nathaniel’s eyebrow twitched. His lips parted to defend himself, but Killian did not give him any chance to.

"What have I done to deserve this? Is this punishment for something I did? If I’ve made a mistake, please, just tell me. If I offended you in some way, please, tell me. Or is it because of that time? I normally wasn’t careless like that, but because of a female colleague who went into heat, I was affected. It won’t happen again, but I don’t regret it." Killian’s voice was louder than he intended, and he quickly glanced at the door to make sure no one was listening.

"I mean, sir, I don’t regret helping my coworker. And my heat, was really not intentional, and please, don’t misunderstand that I made it happen because you were there. But this—this constant workload, the endless tasks, the ridiculous demands—it’s too much. I know I haven’t done anything wrong, so why are you treating me like this?"

Killian huffed. He panted for air after speaking without rest, but then, everything he said registered in his head, mostly the last ones, and realized his delivery didn’t make sense.

Nathaniel’s eyes darkened slightly, but he remained silent, watching Killian closely.

The silence only irked Killian more, so he forced himself to continue.

"I don’t know what your problem is with me, sir, but I deserve to know. Everyone in the office thinks I’m being punished. They all look at me like I’ve screwed up something huge, but I haven’t. I’ve done my job—above and beyond, even—and yet you keep piling more on. Is this about control? Is this how you assert dominance? Or is it something else entirely? Please, enlighten me. I hate jumping to conclusions, but this went on for weeks already, and I can’t simply just ignore it. I’m already losing sleep because of you and..."

Nathaniel, "...?"

Killian, "...I mean, I’m losing sleep because I’m having nightmares about...numbers and symbols dragging me down the ocean..."

The silence that followed felt like an eternity.

Killian stood there, chest heaving, his frustration laid bare. He had never spoken to a superior like this before, let alone someone like Nathaniel—powerful, commanding, and intimidating.

But Killian couldn’t back down now.

Nathaniel, however, remained motionless, his expression unreadable.

Killian’s heart sank as the seconds ticked by. He had expected anger, maybe even some kind of reprimand, but the alpha just... stared at him, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Finally, Nathaniel uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, his elbows resting on the desk as he clasped his hands together. His gaze softened, just slightly, and he spoke in a tone Killian hadn’t heard from him before—calm, almost considerate.

"Mr. Arden," he began slowly, "I apologize for your nightmares, it does seem that they’re catching up to you, but...do you really believe I’m doing this to punish you?"