The Undisclosed Union

Part 35

Published: Dec. 17, 2019---September 30, 2020

"Jared, how many times did I told I would go to your office once I'm done with my work here? You don't need to go down."

"I am just picking up my wife from her workplace so we can eat together. What is wrong with that?" He is right, of course, but the problem is her colleagues.

She returned to the finance department from her sick leave, which lasted for two weeks. Jared at first doesn't want it. His reason, it was okay with him before for her to leave his office as planned as soon as Phoebe comes back from her maternity leave because she was not pregnant. Now that she is, he changed his mind because his child will be the priority, and to ensure everything will be alright, she should be near him.

When she accused him of loving her only because of her child, he immediately consented to let her go back to her old department.

There was tension in the air on her first day of work, and she knew what the reason was.

It was because last Monday, the photos of her and Jared's private wedding had leaked in public and so everyone in the office knew of her status.

She suspected it was Meme's doing because nothing personal about the Steele's family came out unless they wanted it known; besides, the picture was so visible it's inside the mansion. One of the workers had probably taken it when they were signing the contract, with Meme's consent.

As both of them were not celebrities, their marriage became a topic more in the business news. Briefly, in the fashion news too because of Charlize. But it was more about the ending of the on and off relationship of the latter to Jared.

Pictures of Charlize's dating other men even before Jared's marriage and having a relationship came out. This time she asked her grandmother, and the latter admitted to doing it. Her reason, it was her way of imparting to Charlize the basis of why she can't accept her as the future bride of his grandson. At the same time, because Jared is a gentleman. She was sure her grandson would not do anything which will ruin Charlize's reputation.

A hand touched her face, which made her mind returned to the present, and looked at Jared.

"I thought you don't like public display of affection. As I remembered, you had announced it before in the chat room that dating inside the company is prohibited. How come you are behaving like a besotted lover in front of your workers?" She asked.

"I only said, "Dating will be banned within the company if there will be a decrease in the Employees Performance Index." Everyone performs well, including me, so it never happened."

"Oh!"

"Yeah, it's true. Do you want proof? We can go to HR and asked, especially my performance." He told her with emphasis on the last words.

In which she just looked at him, defeat on her face while thinking. "Sometimes, this husband of hers can be conceited too. The problem is she cannot find an excuse to dissuade him from coming to their office."

For the past two weeks, since she resumed working, his presence in her department never fails every time the clock struck at forty-five minutes past eleven. All her colleagues then walked like a robot inside their office, so scared of him. She knew if they can complain, they will tell her to go back to his floor.

"Of course, she doesn't want to go back there. She wanted to climb up on the ladder, not swift up."

The next few days, his routine continues, and this time she let him be, surely he will get tired of it too later on.

By Wednesday night, Jared invited her friends for dinner in their apartment to her gladness. She had not talked to them like they used to because, at work, they were all busy, and during lunch break, Jared picked her up too.