Chapter 47: All This TimeKanya:Inside her room, Kanya got settled on the bed with N’Som’s help, and the younger woman was so gentle with her, as if she was a fragile egg ready to break at any moment, that she couldn’t help but laugh.“Nong Som, thank you for your help, I can get on the bed myself,” she joked, smiling. “In case you forgot, I actually did not sustain any injuries from the shooting—if you can even call it that, given that it only happened once. If anything, you should pay closer attention to the car, since it actually got hit.”N’Som hit her arm playfully. “Ow, but Phi! You know I can’t help my worrying, especially since you’re carrying my nephew! Most of all, I love you too much not to fuss over you.”Kanya’s grin widened, and she reached up to ruffle Som’s hair, and the latter pretended to huff in annoyance and fixed her hair.Over the course of her stay at the estate, she had gotten incredibly close to Nong Som, treating her like her own little sister since she knew
Chapter 48: A Warning and a DistractionKit:Kit went into his own room, where he sat on the bed, the mattress sinking under his weight.His mind went straight to the earlier incident and he couldn’t help but take a shaky breath. He hadn’t been able to feel the depth of his fear, even when he and P’Kanya had talked about it with Nong Som and P’Kla in the living room because he wanted to keep a strong front, so as not to stress his sister out too much.But now that he was finally alone… He could remember the fast and loud beating of his heart, and the way his throat had tightened and dried up. And worst of all, he could never forget the look on his sister’s face—those wide, frightened eyes, teeth biting so hard on her lip that she drew blood.They had a narrow escape from death itself, and even though Kit had watched several horrifying incidents before, this once scared him most since this was the first time P’Kanya was involved.He remembered P’Kim shooting at those thugs who has trie
Chapter 49: Bare, Bound, and BlindfoldedKim:Kim could hear the slight fear in Kit’s voice, so he smiled gently to reassure him. “My people are already on the lookout for that man,” he said, because referring to that man as Kit’s father felt like a disgrace.He had proven time and time again that some men did not deserve to be fathers.Kim’s eyes went to Kit’s face, his large, gorgeous eyes looking up at him as some stray strands of hair brushed his forehead. “I’ve got eyes and ears everywhere; he cannot come close to us so easily.” Kim used his fingers to brush back those strands.Kit didn’t say anything, but Kim could feel his slight relief as his body released some of his built-up tension.“It has to be Lung Charan,” he continued. “He was the only one who could’ve known that the warehouse was empty—then he set the fire. My Pa and Lung get a portion of the shares I profit from, so they wouldn’t want to severely damage my business as it would be harmful for them as well.”“So the fi
Chapter 50: Spare No DetailKit:When Kit awoke the next day, his body was sore from last night’s activities and P’Kim had already gone to work. Nonetheless, Kit forced himself to get out of bed—the time on his phone read 7 AM, and he still had class at 9. With the finals so close, he couldn’t even dare miss classes, no matter how much his body protested.He swiftly got ready, and by 8, he was ready to go. As P’Aawut was off to duty with P’Kim, it was P’David who drove him to school this morning, and the ride went by fairly quickly.As he made his way to the canteen to meet up with his gang, immediately he sensed that something was off. He hadn’t had the best morning, but he was still in relatively high spirits, so the mood within his circle of college friends was quite glaring, to say the least.He snuck a glance at Prem, who seemed quieter than usual. Since Kit already knew that he had a lot on his mind—especially things regarding Nong Wayo and their fight earlier, so he didn’t both
Chapter 51: An Awful AccidentKim:The pebbles on the fancy driveway of the two storied old Thai style wooden house crunched under Kim’s shoes as he stepped out of his car. With one lazy push, he closed the car door behind him and headed for the entrance where the guards watched the gates like hawks.He was in the outskirts of Thon Buri, Bangkok for a very important purpose and as he stepped onto the foyer, the guards scurried to open the gates for him, bowing to show respect to the Jao Por.He had merely stepped into the living area when the surprised faces of his uncle, Khun Charan Ayutthaya and Pa Chalita greeted him. It was clear that neither of them had expected him to visit; of course, he told nobody that he was coming over.Surprise was to be expected. But the way they exchanged secret, startled glances at each other might as well have confirmed Kim’s suspicions. Still, he smiled at the couple, his hands tucked inside the pockets of his expensive suit.“Kim!” Lung Charan exclai
Chapter 52: No One Other Than HimKim:The first thing Kim did upon returning to their territory was to discuss with Aawut about the coordinates of his uncle and his family at the time of the shooting.Pa Chalita was the designated driver for Aungpao, and they had taken an entirely different route from which Kit and Kanya had travelled, according to the CCTV traffic cams. And the most important factor was that the car had been a light grey in color and with a valid license plate. And they had been able to trace that car for quite some time after the time his own car was shot.As for his uncle, he had been in a country club, trying to get a dealer to work for him, but he had refused him outright, knowing very well what it meant to betray Kim’s trust.“So someone else was behind the shooting,” Aawut summarized. “That makes sense, because you leaving in a different car wasn’t planned at all, and that means whoever was responsible for it was targeting you, and didn’t know that you weren’t
Chapter 53: A Common EnemyKim:Kim swiveled his chair around, waiting for the door to his study to open once again, with thoughts swarming in his head that only Kit could calm.It hadn't been a whole lot of time since Aawut had gone in search for Kit, but Kim had little to no patience when it came to his lover. He couldn’t help but smile as he thought about how surprised Kit had been about their new bondage play in his bedroom the other night.But now, Kim couldn’t help but think that it opened a door to whole new possibilities in bed. Because Kit had liked what they had done, although belts and ties were just the beginning for him. He couldn’t wait to try a whole new array of toys with Kit, because with him, every experience felt new to Kim.Then, the silence in the room broke as his phone rang. Checking the caller ID, he couldn’t help but frown when he saw that it was P’First.“What?” he asked upon picking up, the annoyance evident in his voice. “If you need help for anything, you’
Chapter 54: To Have and To ComfortKit:Kit had been studying when P’Aawut peeked into his room and said, “The master requests your presence.”Usually, P’Aawut wouldn’t need to seek him out to find P’Kim, because P’Kim was more than capable of finding Kit himself. But then he remembered the last time that P’Aawut had come to fetch Kit when P’Kim needed him…and it had been when P’Kim had been in the hospital after being shot.Alarmed, he stood from his seat, instantly dropping his pen on the desk. “What? Why? What happened?” The words came tumbling out of him in a worried frenzy.P’Aawut, taken aback by his concern, but he smiled to make him feel relaxed. “Kar thot khab, Nong Kit. I didn’t mean to make you worry. Nothing bad has happened, it's just that…I believe Khun Kim is a bit stressed right now and he needs you to help him calm down. But that is, of course, if your study isn't being interrupted…”“Oh. Mai na, pom okay.” Kit’s tension eased, as a blush covered his cheeks at the mis
Chapter 80: Above All ElseKit:It seemed that his pleas had the opposite of his intended effect, because instead of sympathizing with him, it was clear that P’Kla was getting frustrated, if the way his brows met in the middle was any indication.“Stop talking in riddles,” he snapped. “If you want me to help you, then give it to me straight. Tell me directly what’s wrong and what you’re hiding.”If only P’Kla knew just how much Kit wanted to tell the whole world about the problems he was currently facing.“You have to promise me first,” he bargained, insistent. “You cannot tell anyone what you have seen.” He gestured to his neck. “Neither can you broadcast what I tell you to anyone else—anyone at all.”P’Kla was still obviously annoyed by these cryptic responses, but Kit knew that he had to be careful above all else.When P’Kla realized that such a thing was non-negotiable to Kit, he sighed, calming down a bit. “You came to me for help,” he reminded the younger man. “And so, I am doin
Chapter 79: I Fear For Those I LoveKit:It took quite some time before P’Kla finally headed downstairs after his guards informed him that Kit was there, demanding an audience. He didn’t really interact with Kit that much, mostly because there was no need for him to do so. Kit was Kim’s lover, and the man was very possessive about Kit, so Kla didn’t want to bother much about socializing.In fact, he wasn’t a people person. Moreover, he still had some leftover grudge on Kit that didn’t really go away—he had been sort of bitter about Kit being the apple of Kim’s eye, instead of Kanya, who was carrying his child, and even though that matter had already been resolved, it seemed that there was still some reluctance on Kla’s part.But since Kit had told the guards that he had something urgent to discuss with the cold and firm lawyer, the man in question managed to force himself out of his room to see what this “urgent matter” was all about.When Kla came down, he saw Kit huddled by himself
Chapter 78: Left with No Other ChoiceKit:As soon as P’Kim departed, shutting his door with a firm hand behind him, Kit was quick to spring up from his bed and lock the door.When he fell back on the bed, he proceeded to bury himself under the covers, fear and guilt churning in his gut for what he had just done. He hadn't meant to expose Ben’s secret to P’Kim, in fact, he had wanted to take that secret to the grave if possible. But circumstances hadn't left him with much of a choice.The only relief he felt was at the fact that talking to P’Kim about Ben had somehow lessened the guilt that he felt towards his friend for not realizing his feelings sooner. But the most prominent guilt remained, and it gnawed at him until he pulled the covers over his head, cowering away from the rest of world in hopes that if he hid away, somehow, everything would be alright.Unintentionally but also quite expected, he soon dozed off and only startled awake when a knock sounded at his door.He was sayi
Chapter 77: Mine AloneKim:Kim called David to his office as soon as he settled into his chair. He could not shake the feeling that something had happened at the restaurant to make Kit severely upset. But seeing as his first move was to go to his sister for comfort, it must have been something really serious, perhaps even something he was afraid of telling Kim.What was it? As Kim waited in the room, he racked his brain of all the possibilities. Did he get attacked while he was out? No, it didn’t seem like he was physically hurt, and if he did, David would have informed him immediately.Did he have a fight with his friends? Maybe. But that would mean that the Chiang Mai trip was off, right? And he doubted Kit would do something to ruin the plans that they had carefully crafted to catch the shooter.Did he just have a flashback of their mom for some reason? Maybe that was making him miss her? Perhaps. But if that had happened, that means something must have triggered his memories of h
Chapter 76: The Plight of Two SiblingsKit:David raced along the hallway, his heart in his throat as he took out his gun, trying his best to keep it from plain sight as he raced towards the washroom.He had been waiting for some time now, for N’Kit to come out of the restaurant, but when he didn’t do so, even after sending him the message that he was done, he couldn’t help but worry that something had happened to the Master’s lover.Reaching the washroom, he didn’t waste any time in kicking the door open, not waiting to check if the door was locked or not. But instead of finding N’Kit in any peril, he found him by the sink, throwing water onto his face.“Is everything alright?” He asked worriedly, out of breath. “What took you so long?”Kit mustered a smile and a nod. “Yes, everything’s fine, P’David.” He tried to look reassuring. “I just came to the toilet..for urgent business..”“Ah, I see.” P’David’s face colored, but he still looked around the room for anything suspicious, but fo
Chapter 75: Long Time No SeeKitKit froze in place, not knowing what to do or how to react. His heart was beating so fast in his chest that for an instant, all he could hear was the sound of his heartbeat as his entire body went numb. His mind couldn’t even come up with anything, it too seemed to have gone numb.He looked up into the mirror in front of him, because turning back wasn’t an option. And almost in slow motion, as if time itself had slowed down to a crawl, he saw the reflection of a man standing behind him, in dark hoodie with the hood covering his face…one of the telltale signs of suspicion that P’First and P’Kim had drilled into him and Ben, but both had failed to notice.And then the man, who was almost the same height as Kit, reached out with his free hand to remove the hood from his head, to reveal the face of his own father—the very same man whom everyone had thought had died a long time ago.Well…everyone had thought he was dead, most of all P’Kanya…but thanks to P’
Chapter 74: A Terrible FriendKit:Earth had guessed it right—Kit was having a hard time with this revelation. He couldn't believe that what he was hearing was real!Surely, it was impossible. Earth didn't know what he was talking about. He was mistaken!“Are you sure about this?” Kit asked again. “Are you sure you’re not making this shit up for keeping secrets from you about the Chiang Mai trip? Because it isn't funny.”Earth’s frown deepened as he looked at Kit. “Does this look like a prank to you, Kit? Do you think I would stoop so low as to make fun of such a thing at Ben’s expense? Everyone, even Prem could tell that Ben liked you.”Kit couldn’t believe what he was hearing. All his life, he thought that Ben was his closest friend, but now it was starting to hit him that Ben had had feelings for him this whole time.And that was quite challenging to accept—Ben was one of his best friends, after all. It was like the ground was being pulled from beneath his feet, making him trip and
Chapter 73: All This TimeKit:It was a while more before Kit and Earth were left alone to enjoy dessert. Ben had left when a car came to collect him for his doctor’s check-up, Kit’s eyes following as his friend disappeared behind the tinted windows of P’First’s familiar car and drove off.One of P’First’s men had actually entered the restaurant to look around as well, while they had come to collect Ben, and after a quick sweep, that man had told Kit that everything seemed to be alright so he could stay a bit longer if he wanted to.Earth followed Kit’s eyes with a sigh. “Ben has really changed a lot in the past few months, hasn't he?”“Hmm?” Kit belatedly returned his gaze to Earth. “Arai na? What exactly do you mean?’“Well, for starters, he’s gotten himself involved with a mafia don,” Earth pointed out with a scoff. “ And that said don just send his car to fetch his boy. They probably have the same relationship that you have with P’Kim. Don't you think so, too?”Kit considered it,
Chapter 72: Extended InvitationKit:Coming Thursday, Kit, Ben and Earth decided to meet up at a fancy café instead of their usual roadside Pa’s restaurant. Not that anything was wrong with the restaurant, but Kit and Ben had discussed that a less crowded place would be a better choice for them at the time. P’David drove Ben and Kit there together, while Earth told them he’d meet with them at the location.They were certain that whoever was spying on them would be there as well, not wanting to pass up the opportunity to observe them “unaware”.P’Kim and P’First had already oriented them on what to do, with P’Kim fretting more than the latter. “Do not engage,” he had said. “Again, you are simply there to observe and take note of anyone who could possibly be spying on you. If anything happens, P’David will be on standby, so just run. Got it?”“Yes, P’Kim, you said that more than five times already,” Kit had said, his patience wearing thin. He knew P’Kim just wanted to ensure their safet