Broken Bond: Between Vices and Virtues (BL)
Chapter 222 - 8: Jealousy

Chapter 222: Chapter 8: Jealousy

The restaurant buzzed with laughter and the clink of glasses as the company celebrated its successful deal with a new client.

Every department that had played a part was invited to the celebratory dinner, turning the usually quiet upscale restaurant into a lively gathering place.

The entire staff had shown up, eager to unwind after weeks of hard work. One of the departments included in the gathering is the Payroll Division, thus, despite his unwillingness to come, Killian Arden had no choice but to attend.

The spacious venue, brightly lit with lights, was packed with tables, each filled with employees, their chatter merging into a soft cacophony of voices.

At the head of the room sat the executives, including Nathaniel Horace—the real chairman of HZ Finance Solutions—sitting inconspicuously among the directors, pretending to be Steve Williams, the deputy director overseeing the company’s affairs.

Despite his position, he had requested to sit with the Payroll Division tonight, citing a desire to connect more with the employees directly involved in the deal.

Everyone welcomed the idea, though many didn’t understand why Steve—a man they considered a temporary deputy—was so interested in the Payroll Division.

After all, his role was more managerial, overseeing operations rather than diving into specific departments.

Nathaniel, in disguise as Steve, had his reasons. His eyes kept wandering to one particular person seated just a few spots away from him, Killian, the diligent payroll employee who had been plaguing his thoughts for weeks.

"Ma’am, can we get another plate of pork belly here!"

An employee shouted, momentarily snapping Nathaniel was his gaze. He looked away and engaged himself in chatting with his table mates, but only a few minutes later, and his eyes would mirror the male omega again.

Killian sat among his colleagues, unaware of the intense gaze Nathaniel kept casting his way. He seemed more relaxed tonight, laughing at a joke one of his coworkers made, his usual tension melting away as the celebration continued.

Nathaniel couldn’t help but notice how different Killian looked when he wasn’t buried under paperwork or dealing with the absurd number of tasks Nathaniel had imposed on him recently.

He seemed lighter, and more carefree—an unfamiliar sight for Nathaniel, who was used to seeing Killian in a state of agitation or stress whenever they interacted.

Nathaniel tried to focus on the conversation happening around him again, the senior staff discussing the deal and its future impact on the company. But every time he tried to concentrate; his attention shifted back to Killian.

Dammit...this is not good, Nathaniel thought to himself. He’s a married man, and yet, letting himself feel that way toward someone. I must have lost my mind.

The thought alone still sent a shiver through him. He hadn’t meant for things to get this complicated. He had been trying to keep his distance and maintain professionalism despite the undeniable pull he felt whenever Killian was nearby.

But the more he tried to create space between them, the more he found himself drawn in, like a moth to a flame. His every attempt to maintain a businesslike demeanor had only made the situation worse, his arbitrary work demands on Killian an excuse to keep the omega close, even when he didn’t realize it.

Nathaniel hadn’t intended to watch him like this, but something about Killian’s presence unsettled him in a way he couldn’t explain.

As Nathaniel’s mind wandered, a sudden burst of laughter caught his attention. He looked up to see Killian being pulled away from the table by a coworker—Emily Bran, from the Accounting Department.

She was laughing, clearly tipsy, her arm slung around Killian’s shoulder as she dragged him toward her table across the room.

"Come on, Killian!" she called out, her voice slurring slightly. "You’re not getting away from me tonight!"

Killian chuckled, allowing her to lead him, though he looked a bit surprised by her sudden enthusiasm.

Nathaniel watched them carefully, his eyes narrowing as Emily guided Killian to sit beside her.

The table was filled with others from the accounting dept., all of them equally tipsy and in high spirits. The atmosphere at their table was livelier than the rest, filled with loud laughter and clinking glasses.

Emily, clearly intoxicated, leaned in closer to Killian, her cheek almost brushing his as they spoke. Nathaniel’s jaw tightened as he watched her gesture animatedly, her hand resting on Killian’s arm in a way that felt too familiar for his liking.

"They make a cute couple, don’t they?" one of the employees at the table joked, nudging another with a grin. "You two dating or what?"

Emily, her inhibitions loosened by alcohol, giggled. "Maybe," she teased, batting her eyelashes playfully at Killian, who looked caught off guard by the comment. "What do you think, Killian? Should we?"

Killian laughed awkwardly, clearly not taking her seriously. "I think you’ve had too much to drink, Emily." She was indeed. He knew her habits whenever she got drunk—dragging people.

But Emily wasn’t done. She leaned even closer, her breath warm against Killian’s neck as she whispered something Nathaniel couldn’t hear.

Whatever it was, it made Killian chuckle softly, and he nudged her away lightly, trying to create some space between them without making a scene.

Nathaniel’s hand tightened around his glass, his expression darkening as he watched the interaction unfold. He could feel the slow burn of irritation building inside him, a feeling he couldn’t quite place or justify.

Why did it bother him so much to see Killian with someone else?

Emily was just a coworker, nothing more. And yet, the sight of her touching Killian so casually, of the two of them laughing together as if they shared some private joke, gnawed at him in a way he didn’t fully understand.

"Mr. Williams," one of the senior managers beside him spoke up, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Nathaniel looked at Steve who was seated on the head of the table with a raised eyebrow. Steve widened his eyes at him and cleared his throat, reminding his master of their pretend play. The senior manager was speaking with him!

Nathaniel cleared his throat and answered, "Yes, Ms. Paige."

The female beta fluttered her eyelashes on him, blatantly displaying her interest in the temporary deputy director. "What do you think about the client’s proposal, Mr. Williams? Any adjustments we should consider before the next round of negotiations?"

Nathaniel blinked, pulling his attention back to the conversation at hand. He forced a neutral expression, clearing his throat before responding. "I think we should proceed cautiously," he said, his tone measured, though his mind was still half occupied with the scene unfolding at the other table. "The terms are favorable, but we should ensure there’s no hidden language in the contract that could come back to bite us later."

The manager nodded thoughtfully, but Nathaniel barely noticed. His eyes kept drifting back to Killian and Emily, his irritation growing by the minute.

Emily, now fully leaning on Killian, raised her glass in a mock toast. "To the best guy in Payroll!" she declared loudly, slurring her words. "Killian’s the real hero here. We should all be grateful for him!"

The group cheered, raising their glasses in response. Killian, looking slightly embarrassed, waved them off with a sheepish smile.

"Come on, Emily," Killian muttered, trying to extricate himself from her hold gently. "You’re making a scene."

Emily giggled, clearly not caring about decorum. "You love it," she teased, poking his side playfully. "Admit it!"

Killian faked a cough. Emily’s words had other meanings. It was when he told her what he did—the ’barging in without hesitation into the deputy director’s office and demanding an explanation’—that she started teasing her like that.

He clearly explained that he did not make a scene, but somehow, everyone in the department learned of it after the manager announced his detachment from their work and ordered him to focus only on the work given by the deputy director.

Emily was slowly slipping away from his shoulder and falling back, so Killian immediately supported her back with his arm, holding her small figure closer to him. This gesture only made their companions squealed.

"Date already! You two! The company had no rules about dating your coworker, anyway, right?" Another employee teased.

Nathaniel’s patience was wearing thin. His gaze sharpened as he watched Emily cling to Killian, and Killian almost hugged the female drunkard.

But what annoyed Nathaniel most wasn’t just the scene itself—it was the way his own body reacted to it. The tightness in his chest, the simmering anger bubbling under his skin, the irrational need to step in and pull Killian away from Emily’s grasp.

Why did it matter to him? He wondered, but when Emily Bran looked up and Killian looked down at the same time as if they were about to kiss, Nathaniel’s patience finally snapped.