Broken Bond: Between Vices and Virtues (BL)
Chapter 61: Worsening work atmosphere

Chapter 61: Worsening work atmosphere

Knoa swung his feet back and forth as he sipped on his juice while observing his father. He frowned after looking at the tray of his father’s food untouched. His small feet tried to reach his father’s legs below to gain his attention, but as he stretched his body, he slightly slid on his chair.

Thud.

The small sound of his glass hitting the table quite loudly snapped Knox’s dazed state.

"Knoa!" He quickly leaned forward to catch the glass that almost spilled its contents over his son’s head. He then whirled over to him after safely placing the glass on the table. "What are you doing, little guy? Why are you slipping out of the table? Do you want to get down?"

Knoa grinned. He successfully caught his father’s attention. Knox swept him up and fixed him on his chair properly, then he knelt beside him and checked his seat. Knoa lifted his small hand and rubbed his father’s head, mumbling in his tiny voice, "Papa looks...not here."

"Not here?" Knox asked, confused. ’Ah, did he mean I looked lost?’ he then thought, realizing how he must have been after that encounter with Kayden. He sighed and forced a smile. Ruffling the kid’s head back, he added, "It’s not ’not here’. It’s called ’lost in thought’ or ’being in a daze’. When you see people staring blankly, they are thinking deeply about something."

The little kid nodded, "Then, Papa, what are you thinking deeply?"

Knox paused momentarily. He stared at his son’s twinkling eyes, waiting for his answer as though he had been preparing for that question ever since earlier. Did the kid realize his troubled mind? His wide, innocent eyes blinking at Knox were like a pair of jade beads, somehow lightening his heavy feelings.

Knox answered, masking his anxiety behind the same pair of eyes, "I’m thinking when your Uncle Franz will be here."

"I’m here now," a slightly feminine voice came from behind Knox. He looked back and saw Franz looking down at him. "Sorry, I was late. I had quite a fight with one of my suppliers so it took me too long to get what I needed. Is this your lunch?"

Knoa waved at him, "Uncle Franz! Hello~."

"Hello there, little buddy," Franz waved back.

Knox stood and sat back on his chair, and answered his friend, "Yes. He said these were all he wanted. Also, it’s fine. I can even walk to the company from here since it’s nearby."

"How’s Shawn, by the way?"

"I left him with his uncle, so...I’m not sure," he was reminded of what he heard from Kayden. Honestly, he was quite shocked after hearing their conversation, but he couldn’t possibly just share that with Franz without Shawn’s permission, especially when he himself looked uncomfortable about the whole situation.

It seemed the two of them were involved in similar circumstances.

After Franz took Knoa and went home, Knox left the café as well. He walked in the streets with his head in the clouds. In his hand was his phone, the screen opened and showed the doctor’s number.

Before he stepped inside the company building, he finally decided to send Kayden a message, asking him for a talk over dinner. He immediately received a reply.

’I’d like to ask you something as well. Let’s meet. See you later.’

The time and place were attached. It was just a small restaurant near the hospital. Knox heaved deeply and soon went to work.

The atmosphere inside the workplace was somehow awkward. Or did it only turn like that after he entered the floor where the president’s office was? He rarely communicates with the other department and seldom exchanges talk with the design department, the department that shares the floor with the president’s office.

Athan was hands-on when it came to their work, so he put his office near them for convenience. Next to his office, was Knox’s office, adjacent to the department’s working studio. So, every time he would come to work, he had to walk past them to reach his office.

Before the scandal happened, one or two of them would at least greet him with a subtle smile, but after it broke out, since then, no one had even tried to look at him. Moreover, from time to time, whispers reached his ears, as though they weren’t even trying to lower their voices and deliberately doing it as he passed.

Thus, he would always hear them talking behind his back.

"The temporary secretary said she clearly heard his name from both of their lips!"

"Oh my, did they really fight over him? I mean, he’s an omega, sure, but his face’s just average! Compare to dominant omegas, geez."

"Ssh, lower your voice! Besides, omegas aren’t all just faces, you know? Who knows if he pulled some strings to get them into him?"

Someone giggled, "Like, maybe, strings of something with ’G’?"

Stifled laughter followed their whispers. Knox furrowed his brows. He wasn’t aware that the rumors had escalated to that extent already. He was only the rumored hidden lover of their boss, but now he had become someone who strips naked for alphas.

He could no longer stand by and let them get worse. So, he walked to the group of people whispering in the corner. The four of them halted upon seeing him approaching. They all avoided his gaze and tried to walk away, but Knox spoke before they could escape.

"Gossiping like that will spread rumors, and bad rumors, if it gets out, will only tarnish the company’s name more. We barely dodged a bullet, so let’s not ruin all our efforts and keep our mouths shut. Be mindful of what you speak to others," he disciplined, sending cold gazes to all of them.

The atmosphere inside the room became even more unbearable. The ones sitting at their tables halted and stopped working on their monitors. The four gossipers looked away, quite taken aback by the dominance the secretary showed. They were somewhat intimidated by his aura, but not everyone felt the same way.

Knox turned away and walked to his office, but before he could open the door, a female voice came out from the crowd, gathering everyone’s attention, "Aren’t you the one who’s tarnishing this company’s reputation?"

Knox stopped. He then turned to look in the direction of the voice and found Rona, the female beta who always scowls just by seeing his presence. The one who clearly has feelings for Athan. Knox sighed.

"I did no such thing, Ms. Rona," he just answered afterward.

Rona scoffed, and some of her coworkers even chuckled maliciously at his answer. She folded his arms and looked at him challengingly, "Don’t deny it. Shermaine was there when the fight broke out. She heard your name. I don’t care about your relationship with the DV’s CEO who ’actually’ had a famous fiancée if you’re not aware," she smirked and looked at Knox disgustingly, "But don’t involve the boss. In fact, stop involving him with you. I don’t even know how you got that position when Shermaine had been working all years here pining for that spot and you suddenly just appeared and swooped in. Don’t you feel ashamed at all?"

Knox clenched his fist. He held his head high as he responded, "I applied properly and passed the exam and interview. If you have complaints, send them to HR. Stop spreading unsupported claims with your unbiased treatment and obvious persecution."

Rona gaped in shock. She hissed, "Persecution?! How dare you accuse me! I was only being nice and concerned about the company! We’ve been working here for years and nothing major like this happened! But after you arrived, the company suffers!"

"She’s right, though," one of the designers chipped in. It was a male in neon clothes and blinking accessories. Knox tried to remember his name, but only his glowering eyes left a mark on him.

The other silent employees began nodding slightly. Of course, they would rather take the side of someone they’ve been working with longer than the new secretary. It seemed that they were all convinced, and that further explanation would only make Knox sound more defensive.

His temple throbbed a bit. The eyes looking at him with scorn and disdain were like long nails digging into his skin. He was already isolated and blamed, yet it seemed that his mere presence wasn’t even helpful in that place.

The designers are the key players in that kind of business. Will their work be affected by stress and discomfort toward him? Knox began to ponder.

"Just resign. Everyone will be happy if you do that."

An indifferent voice snatched all their attention. All heads turned to the door of the office of the creative director, including Knox. Dalia looked at him with a blank expression, unlike the contemptuous look he expected from her.

"Everyone here will surely be happy kicking out someone who had been nothing but helpful and hardworking to accommodate the president’s tiring job and clean after all your messes, just because of some baseless rumors. Go ahead, and pack your things, Mr. Arden, and let’s see who would earn the wrath of the boss after seeing your office empty," the older woman folded her arms and cocked her head toward Knox’s office who was literally next to staff working area with only thin and clear glass panes as partitions.

She then added, "It’s not as if you can’t see what he has been doing inside. I don’t like this atmosphere here; it gets on my nerves and I’m unable to concentrate on work. Cease this immediately."

With that, she spun and slammed the door on them. Knox turned his back and went to his office without throwing another glance at the employees. Even if he was told to resign, he signed a contract. He had enough of breaching or terminating contracts. Besides, it will appear on his records and ruin his credentials. The last thing he wanted was to be reduced to someone incapable of raising a child.

So, he can fight for Knoa, if in the future Azrael finds out and nothing has changed between them.