Soulful (TayNew)

part-24

Author Pov
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The morning had already been tense for Tay. He had reluctantly agreed to let New go to the office, but every fiber of his being screamed that something wasn’t right. As they drove to work, Tay kept stealing glances at New, noticing how pale and tired his husband looked. New was trying to stay strong, but the exhaustion and emotional weight he was carrying were clearly showing.

When they arrived at the office, Tay didn’t care about the usual routine. Normally, they’d agreed to park a distance from the office so no one would suspect anything about their relationship, but today Tay’s worry overruled everything. He drove straight into the company parking lot, pulling into a space right in front of the entrance.

New’s eyes widened in shock as Tay turned off the car. “Tay! We talked about this. You can’t park here. Someone might see us.”

Tay shook his head, reaching over to cup New’s face gently. “I don’t care right now. You’re more important than hiding our relationship, New. I want you to take care of yourself, and I want to know you’re okay.”

Before New could protest further, Tay leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, a kiss filled with love and concern. For a moment, New’s heart swelled with warmth, but the familiar knot of anxiety in his stomach quickly returned.

Unbeknownst to them, an employee had just arrived and parked a few spaces away. The man’s eyes narrowed as he saw the intimate moment between Tay and New, his lips curling into a twisted smile. He didn’t know who New was, but seeing him with the CEO made him believe he was just another opportunist trying to seduce his way into a higher position.

As Tay pulled back from the kiss, he whispered, “Please take care of yourself today. If anything happens, call me. Promise?”

New nodded, trying to hide his nervousness. “I will.”

---

After they parted ways, New made his way inside the office, feeling uneasy. He hadn’t wanted to come to work today, especially with how exhausted and fragile he felt, but he had no choice. His project was important, and he didn’t want to disappoint Tay.

But as soon as he walked into his department, the bullying started again. Gun, who had been seething with jealousy for months, led the charge, and the other employees followed suit. They bombarded New with orders, telling him to run errands, fetch coffee, and handle trivial tasks that weren’t part of his job. Despite being their CEO’s husband, New had always been too kind and soft-hearted to stand up to them, and they knew it.

Throughout the morning, New quietly endured their jabs and insults, hiding his tears behind a polite smile. He wanted to run to Tay, to tell him everything, but his pride wouldn’t let him. He didn’t want Tay to think he was weak or unable to handle the pressures of the workplace.

---

By midday, New had just about had enough. His body ached, his mind was spinning, and he felt like he was on the verge of collapsing. But the work kept piling up. Just when he thought he might be able to sit down and focus on his project, the employee from the parking lot—the one who had seen him with Tay—approached him with a stack of papers.

“Hey,” the man said with a smirk. “Copy these for me, would you? The copier’s in the back.”

New nodded numbly, too exhausted to argue. He took the papers and made his way to the copy room, his heart heavy. He was just trying to get through the day, to finish his work and go home. But as he was feeding the papers into the copier, he felt a presence behind him.

It was the same employee.

“Busy today, aren’t we?” the man said in a low voice, stepping closer.