Chapter 35

It was the designated lunch break of the Reyes's accounting department, most of the staff having left their dimly lit, by choice, office to grab a meal and unwind a little. The merger had swamped them with a good amount of extra work seeing as how out of the blue it had been. The members of the relatively small department had the run between different department and collaborate with finance and HR to make sure things ran smoothly both with the merger and regular operations. The only ones left in the office space was Henry and his well-seasoned section manager, Felicity Osei, working whilst eating to avoid any overtime. Today was the day of the dinner, meaning Henry wanted to be on time so Penelope could have an adequate practice. Meanwhile, today was Felicity's husband's birthday, she did not want to break their long-term tradition because she did not finish her work on time.

Unbeknownst to them, the rest of the department had already decided that they would pick up any slack if they did have anything remaining. Felicity because she was such an integral part to the department having started from a single intern to a well-versed manager with a family. Many of them had watched her family grow and none of them wanted her husband upset. He was the sort of person who, upon first meeting, you would want to treasure and protect, the notion only growing as people got to know him; despite being a man in his mid-thirties, he was still considered cute by most. In Henry's case, it surprisingly had nothing to do with his family. The young man was just so earnest and hardworking, he had won the hearts of the whole department, and all of those from the departments he had previously been placed in. His charming personality and youthful smile was a refreshing breath to those he came in contact to at work and they all wanted to cherish him while he was here. Upon finding out the reason he wanted to be on time was because he had made plans with his sister-in-law-to-be, they unanimously decided that they would do everything in their power to make sure he left on time.

The two of them were extremely diligent workers, so they of course put in as much effort as they could to have their part of the work completed. Especially Henry, who felt bad for not being able to run between departments himself despite being an intern.This was why the two of them were still working. That did not mean they were sitting in silence.

"I really am amazed you managed to hide such a boyfriend from all of us. It did not even seem like you were dating."Henry wanted to cry, because he really hadn't been. However, talking with his section manager about the supposed relationship, he found himself a little better at acting. It was different when he was with Joshua, but on his own, he really could act like they were in a relationship, keeping up the bashful and shy act he had put up in front of his older brother. "Well, I do put the effort into keeping my personal life out of my work life. Also, it would have caused a lot of problems if we had been caught, for both companies.""Well, you are not wrong," the woman was not overly optimistic, acknowledging that if the situation hadn't been dealt with as delicately as this, thing could have gone horribly downhill.

The woman looked around for a second before giving Henry a serious look. Felicity had been working within the company to recognise not everything was as it seemed to the public eye; it was too convenient that this was all announced shortly after the Q Group announced its expansion. "Do not take this the wrong way, it is not that I doubt your relationship, but the sudden engagement is related to the Q Group's bold move, right?" Henry could not hide his shocked expression fast enough."We have not known each other too long, however you come off as far too careful to marry someone only a year after having met. So, the only reasons I can think of as to why are either your parents urged you to go public with an engagement to speed up the merger in retaliation to the Q Group or the group found out about you two and were threatening to expose everything. I do not think bad of your parents, they are exceptional people, but I can't help but feel that the marriage was more down to them than you and the second Lore son."

The blond man had to think for a second, he was not sure how to respond. He knew that his section manager was extremely perceptive and experienced with how the company and its employees operate. But this was beyond his expectation. Even if the absurd lie had been reality, what Felicity had said would have most likely rung true. Henry had no problem with one-night stands, and he was severely inexperienced in such deep romantic relationships, but he was certain a year was not enough time to decide to marry anyone.Of course, he had agreed to marry a man in a matter of days of meeting him, but this had been an extreme case. People had been getting hurt. If Henry was not careful about how he responded, it could lead to someone suspecting his fake relationship, which would eventually lead to his family finding out, and then everything will have been for nothing. However, the young man quickly managed to come up with an acceptable response, one that would only work because of what an exception and understanding person his manager was – although it would be a heavy blow to his ego.

"Well, you are not wrong. The merger talks were sudden, in response to the Q Group, and the hacks only happened because of the talks of it. We needed something that could speed along the merger without upsetting the boards of directors, something the Q Group couldn't come between. Joshua and I seemed perfect, so they did suggest it. And it's true that ordinarily we would never not have thought about tying the knot so quickly. But it was our choice. Neither of our parents would have even allowed it if we were unhappy with it. "It is a little fast, but we were the ones who said yes. Our relationship has some way to go, especially now that it is public, but we would have never even considered it if we were unsatisfied with it. It didn't have to be us, we wanted it to be."

Felicity studied the young man for almost half a minute, assessing his words along with his slightly embarrassed expression. In the end she came to her conclusion: he was most definitely resolute. "It is good to hear that. Although, married life is very different to dating, especially at such a young age under the public eye. If you ever need help or want to discuss something or even just need to vent a little, come to me. I will happily lend an ear, even after you move to the next placement."

To both of their surprise, the young man completely locked up.

The sensation Henry was filled with was a bittersweet combination of guilt and gratitude. The prior was no surprise, it was all down the lie that had led to the woman's kindness. The relationship wasn't even a remotely real and he felt horrible about deceiving such a wonderful person who had shown support. This only made it harder when he thought about all the support his family were giving him. He almost felt as if he did not deserve any of it. It was the sense of gratitude that had stemmed from Felicity's kindness that had made him freeze. He felt so touched by her support, it was indescribable. The manager hadn't said anything particularly amazing at all, so he was not sure why he felt such a way, but the notion had filled him with a warmth on par with, or perhaps better than, the sensation he had from Joshua inquiring about his health. It made Henry think there might be something wrong with him. Why did an adult have to feel so touched over such normal things? It made no sense. Why was he at such a loss for words?

As Felicity watched the young man, she suddenly felt a surge of maternal instincts. Henry was generally a capable man and exceptional worker, even with his youthful features and refreshing personality, he had always come off as mature, sure of himself. The first crack she had ever seen in that image had been in the live broadcast, he had been stuttering and embarrassed as well as angry. She know it would be ridiculous to think that the perfect young man would not have such a side to him, but it really did come as a shock to most of the people that had met him, the accounting department especially since they were currently working with him. It had only been a month since he started with them and even if he was unsure of something, he never showed worry, he was always earnest in bettering his skills. It really had been astounding to see such an unseen variation of emotions upon Henry's face.But right now, the man in front of her was not the Henry Reyes she was used to. He really did look like a child. She didn't expect him to be so amazed by mere words of acceptance. The only reason for she could think of as to why was the fact that she had shown acceptance towards the homosexual relationship so readily.

She knew his family only cared for his happiness and wellbeing, that was something everyone within the company knew before the young man had even thought about entering the company. She was also aware that the public engagement had raised a lot of awareness for their country's unseen oppression on the LGBTQ+ community and that it had given rise to a lot of change and acceptance. However, the woman also knew that the world was not a kind place, and that even if the majority had accepted them, it was not the majority that mattered. It was the people in his life. She was not sure how many people he had talked to from his circle of friends, but the upper class could be harsh. There was no telling what sort of reactions he had received. The manager found herself patting the young man's head, slightly tousling the styles, sandy blonde hair. She had to bite her tongue to stop any patronising words of comfort escaping her. Even if he suddenly felt like a child, he was still the presidents' son.

Henry blushed as he realised how he had been acting, infinitely embarrassed and wondering what excuse he needed to leave the office space and collect himself.

Luckily for him, the man did not need to come up with one. The phone sitting on the table lit up, rhythmically buzzing, indicating the incoming call. Without even checking who was calling him, Henry picked the phone up and used the chance to escape. Of course, he was still as polite as ever about this. "Sorry, I have to take this call. I will just step outside for a moment." With a hurried yet sincere shallow bow of the head, the man shot up and rushed out into the bare corridor due to the lunch break.