Chapter 57: Unbearable EmotionsKit:His heart thundered uncomfortably inside Kit’s chest. His stomach dropped, the sense of foreboding reaching its full potential. It was difficult for him to explain the mix of emotions raging in his heart right now. He felt awful, excited, afraid, and jealous all at the same time—and in multitudes.Especially when he saw the soft smile on P’Kim’s face as he embraced P’Kanya, before placing a soft kiss on top of her head.Jealousy reared its ugly head, and Kit’s fingers curled around the banister as his knuckles turned white. And he hoped and prayed to all the gods above that his inner turmoil’s weren’t visible on his face, because he didn’t want to be the party pooper at such an auspicious occasion.He had to constantly remind himself that this was all for P’Kim. It was to get his family members off his back and to allow him to hold onto the family business that his father had worked so hard to build from scratch. But try as he might, his heart ref
Chapter 58: Sympathizing with a FriendKit:Kit let his impulses take over and he left the mansion before dinner that night and headed straight to Earth’s house, without informing any of the guards or taking a car.Since the entire mansion had been in an uproar after the news, and the staff had been mostly busy preparing for the feast they wanted to have—understandably so—Kit hadn't been able to take the hushed murmurs and the laughter, the delight filtering into his room through the windows.Kit had felt overwhelmed even when he locked himself in his room, because the news had spread like wildfire and there was no way to suppress the excitement. His heart had felt heavy, so heavy it seemed that the longer he stayed in the house, the more he couldn’t breathe. Even the walls seemed to be closing in on him, suffocating him further.So when he couldn’t take it anymore, he left.As he snuck out, he called his friends, but neither Prem nor Ben picked up their phones. Thankfully, Earth answ
Chapter 59: Sudden Act of ViolenceKim:Kim’s meeting with P’First had been a relatively fruitful one. He had rushed there as soon as he got the call, eager to go through whatever it is that P’First wanted him to see.P’First also seemed to prefer not wasting time because he skipped the pleasantries and guided Kim straight to his garage, where his cars were parked. “This is where it got shot,” he told Kim, pointing at the dent where a bullet used to be embedded. “I didn’t touch it, knowing it might be of use.”Humming thoughtfully, Kim knelt before the dent, and upon closer examination, he realized that they left the same indent as the one on his car. “Were you able to retrieve the bullet?”“Nah.” P’First sighed, his frustration evident. “It dropped off somewhere down the road. One of the downsides of having a bulletproof vehicle. But I did sent it over to your team to check the details of the indent. It matches with yours.”“So that confirms it,” Kim said, getting off of his hunches.
Chapter 60: Bringing the Ayutthaya Name to ShameKim:The mafia don could not speak for a few seconds, stunned by the sheer audacity of his brother—his brother who had placed the burden of authority on his young shoulders just to claim ‘the good life’ for his own… and the same brother who now had the gall to raise a hand against his superior.“Hia Kla,” he seethed, voice sharp and call. “Have you lost your mind?”But it seemed that P’Kla couldn’t care less about overstepping his boundaries and retorted, “Think again. It must be you who’s out of your mind! You are so eager to leave your wife-to-be and go after somebody else, that too when you just confirmed the pregnancy! What sane person does that?”Kim looked at his brother in stunned astonishment, unable to bear his audacity. How can he simply put all the blame on Kim’s shoulders when he knew the reality of the situation? How dare he raise a hand to the Jao Por and forget that his men were all around him, ready to take action agains
Chapter 61: Sudden Turn of EventsKit:Kit’s eyes widened as Earth dumped a bunch of snacks on the living room floor, along with a bunch of plastic cups.“Isn’t that a bit too much for just the four of us?” he asked, eying the fried chicken that was already laid out onto the table. “Actually, make that just three, since Prem confirmed that can’t come.”“He can’t?” Earth wrinkled his nose. “Damn! He’s missing out!”“I have an event to go with my father,” Prem had told them apologetically in another call. “But Ben can come, and he’s headed over there right now. ‘You’d better have all the drinks and food ready when I arrive,’ he told me to tell you.”Kit narrated their conversation, before pointing to the food once again. “Still…this just might be too much…”“Nah,” Earth chuckled, shaking his head. “That won’t be too much once we start drinking. Speaking of which, come with me outside, let’s buy some beer. Or are you feeling some tequila tonight?”In the end, they went for both, a case o
Chapter 62: Surrounded by DangerKit:Kit felt like his entire body was on fire, jolting him out of the alcohol induced stupor that he had been in a few moments ago.What happened? Why was he on the floor? He tried to grapple with these thoughts as his lungs burned for oxygen.One minute he was on his feet, looking out the window and now he was… he was… he couldn't breathe!Ben’s body was on top of him, pressing down on his lungs, groaning.Pushing Ben aside with all the strength he could muster, he sat up so he could better see what was happening around him, and when he noticed the shattered glass, the way Earth too was ducking down as he looked around in fright…he realized that they had just been shot at.“Shiaaa!” Kit cursed before turning towards Ben. “Sabai di mai?”“Yes,” came Ben’s low mutter as he tried to sit up. But Kit could see the blooming red on his shirt. Blood.“Fuck!” Kit looked closely at his friend, only to find shards of glass embedded onto his back from the way he
Chapter 63: Lovestruck, Dumbfounded Kanya:Kanya found herself pacing around her room, wondering why it was taking Kim so long to find her brother. It had been over an hour since they left and still there was no sign of them or at least a call from Kim to let her know that Kit was alright.Oh god…What if something had actually happened? What if…?No! Kanya slapped her cheeks to get her out of this stupor. She couldn’t think this way. If something happened to her beloved brother, she would never be able to forgive herself. He was the only family she had left, the only person she loved the most in this world…Goodness…why had she let him leave the house when she was sure that he hadn't been feeling well? How could she be so dense?Maybe Kim was right to be angry at her…She had thought that P’David would drive him to his friend’s house, but it turned out that he had left on his own. That made Kanya feel even guiltier.She wouldn’t know what to do if she heard that something terrible ha
Chapter 64: Shooter on the LooseKim:The chase hadn’t been successful and Kim had to return to Kit’s friend’s house empty-handed. It was P’First who greeted him at the door and pulled him aside so that the boys didn’t find out what situation they were in.“How’s Ben?” Kim asked, knowing that there was something going on between the boy and the Channarong don, that wasn’t as obvious to most people.“Ben as been taken to the hospital due to his injuries.” P’First sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration. “He has glass embedded onto his back, but since the bullet didn’t hit him, he should be fine.”“That’s good to hear,” Kim nodded. “Though I am sorry to hear about his injuries.” When Kim finally turned his gaze to the rest of the people in the living room, he saw a worried-looking Earth huddled on the floor with Kit, both of them looking confused and frightened.While Earth was rocking back and forth on the floor, his knees pressed to his chest; Kit, on the other hand,
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