Soulful (TayNew)

part-22

Author Pov

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As New's internship continued, Gun's jealousy reached dangerous levels. The quiet resentment that had once simmered beneath the surface now burned with intensity. Gun could no longer contain his feelings, and in his bitterness, he found allies among the staff.

New's beauty had never gone unnoticed by the other employees. Many of them, especially those who had secret crushes on their handsome CEO, Tay, couldn't help but feel envious. New had effortlessly caught Tay's attention-something they could only dream of. Gun seized on this, subtly spreading whispers about New among the staff, fanning the flames of jealousy that already existed.

"He thinks he's special just because he's good-looking," one employee muttered to another in the break room.

"Yeah, have you seen how the CEO looks at him?" another agreed. "It's like no one else matters."

"I bet he's just trying to climb the corporate ladder by using his looks," one of the senior employees said with a smirk.

These small conversations soon turned into a wave of gossip and disdain directed at New. Employees who had once been indifferent toward him began to see him as an "attention-seeker," someone who used his appearance to gain favor, not realizing the true nature of his relationship with Tay. Gun's subtle manipulation worked perfectly-he didn't even need to say much. All he had to do was steer the conversations, and soon the office was buzzing with envy-fueled rumors about New.

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At first, the bullying was subtle. New would arrive at his desk only to find his assignments mysteriously misplaced or incomplete files left for him to correct. Some of the employees would snicker as they passed by, whispering cruel things just loud enough for New to hear.

"He thinks he's so special, doesn't he?"

"Look at him, acting like he's better than the rest of us."

"He's probably just waiting for Tay to promote him for no reason."

New did his best to ignore the whispers, but it became harder with each passing day. He tried to focus on his work, determined to prove himself through his efforts rather than the connections he kept secret. But the constant pressure from his colleagues was beginning to wear him down.

Lunch in the cafeteria became a dreaded experience. Once, as New sat quietly eating with Nunew, a group of employees deliberately bumped into him, spilling his food all over the table.

"Oh, sorry," one of them said, not even bothering to hide her smirk. "Didn't see you there."

New, embarrassed, cleaned up the mess without a word. He could feel their eyes on him, watching, judging. Nunew looked furious, but New shook his head, silently pleading with him not to escalate things.

"It's fine, really," New whispered, though his heart ached. He didn't want to make a scene or draw more attention to himself. He just wanted to survive the internship and avoid creating any unnecessary problems for Tay.

But it wasn't just the subtle taunts anymore. Some employees began to intentionally sabotage New's work. Reports would disappear from his desk, deadlines were mysteriously moved up without warning, and more often than not, New found himself staying late just to catch up. The atmosphere was growing increasingly toxic, and New felt like he was walking on eggshells every time he entered the office.

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Gun watched it all unfold with satisfaction. The office's growing disdain for New was exactly what he had hoped for. By now, Gun's own subtle hostility had grown into outright coldness. He barely even acknowledged New when they crossed paths, and when he did, it was only to criticize him harshly for the smallest mistakes.