Chapter 3 Invading Personal Space

          Dead silence descended over the VIP executive boardroom the second Bhakin’s razor-sharp, freezing sentence ended.

Krit stood frozen. His handsome face, previously adorned with an arrogant smirk, was now completely pale, flashing to a furious, burning red at being so ruthlessly humiliated by a mere department head. But since the other man had officially cited 'personal space' and 'equipment diagnostics' in a professional setting, Krit, in his capacity as a client, couldn't throw a tantrum or show his crude colors.

"Just a damn computer repairman," Krit cursed softly under his breath in frustration. He shot a venomous glare at Bhakin’s stoic face before turning to flash a lopsided smirk at Lita, who was still standing stiffly behind the tall man's broad back.

"See you later, Lita. We have a lot of 'personal' matters to discuss. Hopefully, next time we can talk without any outsiders interrupting."

With that, the intensely selfish ex-boyfriend turned on his heel and strode out of the boardroom, leaving the suffocating tension in the room to slowly dissipate.

The boardroom doors clicked shut. Only two people remained in the spacious room. Lita stood paralyzed, as if her soul had left her body. Her breath came in ragged gasps. Her slender hands, hidden behind her back, trembled uncontrollably. The horrific memories of her past, of being discarded so callously, played on a violent loop in her head like a broken film reel.

Why... why did that bastard have to come back now?!

The young woman took a deep, shuddering breath, desperately trying to summon her senses and her armor of confidence back. She had to be Lalita Preedakul, the untouchable, red-hot PR queen whose feelings couldn't be destroyed by any man ever again.

But before she could even move, the deep, monotonous voice of the man in front of her shattered the silence.

"Are you going to stand there shivering like a drowned bird much longer, or do I need to write a command code to make you move?"

Lita jolted violently. She looked up at Bhakin's broad back just as he slowly turned to face her. The piercing eyes behind those clear lenses scrutinized her pale face with an unreadable gaze. There was no pity in it, no sympathy. Instead, there was a profound, terrifying intensity.

"I am not shivering!" she argued stubbornly, forcing her chin up and plastering on her signature seductive smile. "I'm just... tired from presenting, that's all. And about what just happened... thank you, Khun Head of IT, for stepping up to protect me. My, my... you act so tough, claiming I annoy you, but you actually couldn't stand seeing another man get close to me, could you?"

She purposefully provoked him, hoping to use her usual sassy tricks to gloss over the weakness brewing inside her. She fully expected him to let out a harsh sigh and walk away from her like he always did.

But this time, Bhakin didn't walk away.

The tall man took a deliberate step toward her. Lita instinctively stumbled backward until her hips hit the edge of the conference table.

"I wasn't protecting you," Bhakin stated flatly. "I was just annoyed seeing my own employee standing there like a puppet, letting a client visually and physically harass her without defending herself. You're so bold when it comes to me. So why did you let that bastard grab your hand and arm so easily?"

His blunt, piercing words made Lita’s face go numb. Her anger at herself for displaying weakness tangled with a sharp sting of hurt at his reprimand. She bit her lower lip hard, haphazardly sweeping her equipment and laptop into her bag.

"That is my personal business. You are just the Head of IT. Your job is to manage the computer systems, so stay out of mine!"

With that, she grabbed her bag and stormed out of the boardroom, her stilettos slamming against the floor. She didn't look back at the tall man, who stood watching her retreating figure with a gaze that blazed even darker than before.

At the 30th-floor fire escape. Lita pushed the heavy steel door open, letting it swing shut behind her. The echo of the door slamming against the frame rang through the dead silence. The dim orange emergency lights, combined with the freezing temperature in the stairwell, made this the perfect sanctuary for someone needing to hide from prying eyes.

She collapsed onto a step, utterly drained. Her expensive laptop was dumped beside her without a care. Both slender hands flew up to cover her face as she finally let the tears of frustration and humiliation—tears she had fought to hold back all meeting—spill silently down her cheeks.

'You look absolutely stunning, Khun Lalita. You've grown up quite a bit since back then.' 'I remember you being much more creative and fiery in the past...'

Krit's provocative words and violating gaze still haunted her. She hated it. She hated that she still felt so rattled by the wounds of her past. She hated having to face the man who had made her feel so worthless. But most of all, she hated that a stoic, deadpan man like Bhakin had witnessed her in this pathetic state.

"Jerk. Stupid computer repairman. Why did you have to scold me?" she sobbed, muttering curses at the man who had just ruthlessly called her out in the boardroom.

Creaaak...

The heavy steel door of the fire escape slowly groaned open. Lita gasped, quickly swiping the tears from her cheeks. She shot up to her full height, smoothing out her clothes, ready to throw a massive tantrum at whoever dared interrupt her breakdown.

But her wide eyes stretched even further when the tall figure who had just been occupying her thoughts stepped into the stairwell.

Bhakin stood there. The dim orange glow cast striking shadows across his handsome face, making his sharp features look even more defined and three-dimensional in the dark. He calmly reached up, pulled off his silver-framed glasses, and tucked them neatly into his shirt pocket.

Removing those lenses left his fierce, hawk-like eyes completely exposed. There was no longer a glass barrier containing the raw, predatory danger radiating from him.

Seeing him like this—wild, dangerous, and devastatingly sexy—made Lita swallow hard against her dry throat.

"Why did you follow me?" she demanded, fighting to keep her voice steady, lifting her chin in a blatant challenge. "Are you here to collect an on-site repair f*e? Or were you just so worried about me you couldn't resist checking in?"

Bhakin didn't answer. He slowly descended the stairs toward her. The rhythm of his steps was steady and completely silent, like an apex predator cornering its prey.

Lita backed away instinctively, until her slender back hit the freezing concrete wall. Nowhere left to run.

The tall man stopped right in front of her, mere inches away. The scent of his masculine cologne—a heady mix of cool mint and warm bark—crashed into her senses. It was a scent that made her heart stutter violently.

Bhakin raised his left arm, planting his hand against the concrete wall just above her head, flawlessly caging her slender frame within his territory.

"I came to run a system check," his husky voice echoed in the quiet stairwell. "To see just how badly my disruptive virus... has been compromised by spyware from the past."

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with me!" she shot back instantly, pressing her hands against his broad chest to push him away. But the moment her palms touched the rock-hard pectorals beneath his white shirt, she felt like she'd been electrocuted and quickly yanked her hands back.

Bhakin leaned his face in closer, until his scorching breath fanned across her forehead. His piercing eyes stared deep into her beautiful ones, which were still red and swollen from crying.

"All talk."

He let out a low, dark chuckle in his throat. There was zero amusement in it.

"All talk, yet you're shivering like a baby bird. Did you really think that mask you're wearing could fool me, Lalita?"

"Stay out of my business!" Lita yelled, her voice breaking. The tears she had tried so hard to suppress began to well up again, completely out of her control. "Whatever happens to me is my own problem. You're just an outsider. You have no idea what I've been through!"

"I don't care what you've been through."

The icy retort stopped Lita dead in her tracks.

"But never let that piece of trash touch you again."

His words weren't a request. They were an absolute command, heavily laced with a violent possessiveness.

Bhakin reached out with his right hand and seized the exact wrist Krit had yanked in the boardroom. Lita flinched, preparing to pull away, but his large hand locked around her firmly, though not painfully. His thumb, slightly calloused from work, began to stroke and rub firmly over the soft skin of her wrist. Over and over again. As if he were trying to completely erase the touch and the lingering trace of another man from her body.

His touch was firm and dominant, yet it carried a deep, seeping warmth that penetrated straight to the core of her heart.

Lita's eyes widened. A strange, melting weakness washed over her body. The trembling fear of her past vanished entirely, replaced by a scorching heat that surged through her veins from just a simple touch by this stoic man.

"Khun Bhakin..." she moaned his name softly, a deep flush spreading across her striking face, completely beyond her control.

Bhakin stopped rubbing her wrist. He slid his large hand up, seamlessly interlocking his long fingers with hers. He squeezed tightly, pressing their palms flush against each other.

"If you want to play the seductive flirt with anyone, I won't stop you."

His fierce eyes stared intensely into hers, as if attempting to bind her soul.

"But do not act weak in front of other men. And remember... this territory right here."

He used his free hand to gently tap the spot right over her heart, pressing softly through the sheer fabric of her blouse.

"If you still can't control its system, don't leave it wide open for just anyone to hack into it so easily again. Do you understand?"

Lita's heartbeat skyrocketed, hammering past its absolute limits. The extreme contrast between this man's actions and his words was causing her thought processes to completely malfunction. He claimed he didn't care about her past; he acted cold and spoke harshly to her. Yet, his actions were fiercely protective, blatantly staking a claim on her.

"Lita..."

She fought to find her voice.

"Lita won't let anyone hack in easily. Unless..."

She decided to pull out one last desperate ounce of bravery. Looking up through her lashes, she met the man's gaze with a sweet, sultry look. Her plump lips curved into a soft, teasing smile.

"Unless that hacker happens to be named 'Bhakin.' Then, I just might drop my firewall and let him breach the system easily."

Bhakin's eyes narrowed dangerously at the challenge. His sharp jaw clenched tight. The tall man lowered his face even closer, his deep lips brushing a hair's breadth away from her small ear. His scorching breath fanned against the nape of her neck, sending a violent shiver down Lita's spine that made her shrink back.

"Do not challenge my system, Lalita."

He squeezed their interlocked hands just a fraction tighter.

"Because if I decide to breach your system... I will lock the password. I will seize all territories. And you will never, ever find a way to escape my system for the rest of your life."

That intensely steamy, dark threat ended the moment Bhakin pulled away. He released her hand, leaving her completely free. He picked up his glasses and slid them back on, instantly hiding the danger and the predator's gaze behind the silver lenses. He reverted to the exact same stoic Head of IT, as if absolutely nothing had just happened.

"Stop crying. Then get back to your job."

He dropped the final order, shoved both hands into his slacks pockets, turned on his heel, and elegantly ascended the stairs back to his own floor. He left Lita leaning against the concrete wall, panting heavily as if she had just sprinted a full marathon.

The young woman placed a hand over her left breast. The spot his long fingers had touched was still burning hot. Her heart was pounding even harder and louder than when she had faced Krit in the boardroom.

The virus from her past named Krit might bring her pain and fear. But this deadpan, fiercely possessive programmer named Bhakin was going to permanently crash her heart's system until it was utterly beyond recovery.