Chapter 9 Intercepting the Emergency Command

          The atmosphere in the PR department that afternoon wasn't its usual bright and cheerful self. Lita sat completely still in front of a dead computer screen. Her slender hand, which had just hung up the internal line from the department manager's desk, was so ice-cold it was practically numb.

"Lita, babe, is something wrong? You're as pale as a boiled chicken," Je Mod-Daeng, who had just hurried back from the restroom, quickly asked when he saw his friend staring blankly into space.

"P'Whan called an urgent meeting, Je," Lita replied weakly. "She said it's a direct order from the big boss regarding the fundraising project."

Lita stood up, taking a deep breath to summon her courage before marching straight to the manager’s glass-walled office. The moment she opened the door, she found not only P'Whan sitting there but also the big boss—the Director of Marketing—waiting with a tense expression.

"You're here, Lita. Take a seat," the big boss gestured.

Lita sank into the chair, a heavy sense of foreboding settling in her chest.

"I'll get straight to the point, Lita," the big boss began in a serious tone. "Khun Krit, our VIP client representative, has agreed to sign the phase-one MOU for the billion-baht project. This is incredible news for our company."

"Congratulations, Boss," Lita forced a smile, even as she felt a dark cloud gathering in her mind.

"But it comes with a condition." The big boss let out a long sigh. "Khun Krit proposed hosting an exclusive fundraising gala dinner at a six-star luxury resort in Hua Hin, which is part of his affiliated businesses. To make it realistic and to get a feel for the venue, he requested our PR team to go down for a site survey this weekend. Two days and one night."

Lita's heart plummeted.

"This weekend? And why do we have to stay overnight? We can just go look at the venue and come back the same day."

"The resort is massive, and Khun Krit wants to present the lighting and sound systems at night," P'Whan added, looking deeply uncomfortable. "And the most important part... Khun Krit specifically requested that you, Lita, and only you, go as the company's representative to oversee this project with him."

"I can't go!" she blurted out instantly, abandoning her professional manners. "This is clearly a personal matter! He's intentionally using work to force my hand, Boss!"

"I know you're uncomfortable," the big boss shot back, his voice hardening. "But this is the business world. The value is in the billions. If we cross this VIP client, the project could slip right into our competitor's hands. You are a professional, aren't you? Separate your personal life from your work. Just endure this weekend and get it over with. Consider this a personal favor to me."

The words 'business world' and 'professional' acted as heavy iron shackles locking tightly around her neck. The young woman bit her lip until she tasted blood. She knew perfectly well that as a corporate employee, she had absolutely no right to refuse an order that held the company's vital interests hostage.

"Understood," Lita replied, her voice shaking. "I'll go."

Lita walked back to her desk feeling as though her soul had left her body. Krit was utterly ruthless. He used his connections and business leverage to corner her. Having to stay overnight in another province with an ex-boyfriend who was constantly looking for a chance to claim her was no different from walking into a tiger's cage herself.

Ding!

A pop-up notification from the company's intranet system flashed at the bottom right corner of her screen.

[System Administrator]: My facial processing system detects an anomaly. What happened, Lalita?

It was a message from the same deadpan Head of IT. Lita stared at the text, the tears she had been fighting so hard to hold back welling up uncontrollably. At a time when she felt completely trapped in the dark with no way out, this man was somehow always the only one who noticed her distress.

With trembling hands, she typed a brief reply.

[Lalita_PR]: The boss ordered me to go to Hua Hin for a gala site survey with Khun Krit this weekend. Two days, one night.

The message was read almost instantaneously, but there was no reply from Bhakin. The chat window remained dead silent for over five minutes.

Lita let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. Right. How could he possibly help her? He was just the Head of IT. No matter how expensive his car was or how intimidating his aura might be, in this company, the orders of the big boss and a VIP client were absolute law. He wouldn't want to risk his own career for a PR employee like her anyway.

Ding!

A new message popped up. Lita eagerly clicked it open, a tiny sliver of hope flickering in her chest.

[System Administrator]: Say yes. Pack your bags.

Lita's eyes widened. A surge of hurt and blinding rage rocketed up, choking her throat.

That crazy jerk! This morning he was acting all insanely jealous and scanning her for vulnerabilities, but when it actually came down to it, he was just throwing her to the wolves to spend the night with another man?! She slammed her fingers against the keyboard, typing back furiously.

[Lalita_PR]: You're nothing but talk! In the end, you just let me go with him just like that. You cold-hearted, deadpan jerk!

She waited, fully expecting him to reply with an excuse or at least explain his reasoning. Instead, the chat window was abruptly closed by the admin.

Lita's jaw dropped. She sat there, fists clenched tight in sheer frustration as hot tears dripped onto the back of her hands.

She made her decision. Since no one could help her, she would pack pepper spray, a taser, and double-lock her hotel room door. If Krit dared to cross the line, she was fully prepared to resign and file police charges against him immediately.

Saturday morning. Lita, dressed in cream-colored slacks and a long-sleeved button-up shirt—an outfit she intentionally chose to be as modest as possible so as not to attract any wandering eyes—stood dragging her small suitcase in front of the company lobby. Her striking face was noticeably pale and drawn; she had barely slept a wink all night due to her mounting anxiety.

Krit's fiery red convertible sports car smoothly pulled up to the curb. The ex-boyfriend, dressed head-to-toe in casual designer wear, stepped out with a wide, predatory smirk and walked straight toward her.

"Good morning, Lita," Krit greeted her, his eyes raking over her conservative attire with amusement. "Dressed quite modestly, aren't we? Afraid I won't be able to restrain myself? Come, let me put your bag in the trunk."

"No thanks, I can hold it myself," she dodged his grasp, hugging her suitcase tightly to her body. "We're leaving immediately, right? I want to get this survey done and over with so I can hurry back and write my report for the boss."

"Don't be in such a rush," Krit smirked, reaching out to grab her arm. "The work will only take a moment. As for the rest of the time... I've prepared a highly exclusive dinner by the beach just for you. I guarantee you'll be so impressed you'll forget all about your past anger."

SCREEECH!!

The deafening sound of heavy brakes screeching across the lobby shattered the moment. Krit froze, annoyed, and turned to look. A large white company van emblazoned with the corporate logo had deliberately slammed to a halt right on the tail of his sports car.

The automatic sliding door glided open, revealing a tall, imposing figure stepping out with a raw, ruthless authority.

Bhakin was dressed in a black t-shirt layered under a sporty jacket, paired with dark cargo pants. He looked rugged, tactical, and several times more dangerous than he did in his usual office attire. The piercing eyes behind his clear lenses shot a fraction-of-a-second glare at Krit before he marched straight toward Lita, whose jaw had dropped to the floor.

"K-Khun Bhakin... wh-what are you doing here?" Lita stammered.

"Here to work," Bhakin replied deadpan. He casually snatched the small suitcase right out of Lita's hands.

"What the hell kind of work do you have here, you damn computer tech?!" Krit roared, pointing a furious finger at Bhakin. "This is an executive and PR site survey. IT has nothing to do with this. Get the hell out of here and stop meddling!"

Bhakin was completely unfazed by the barking. The corner of his mouth twitched into a microscopic smirk before he reached into his jacket, pulled out a document folder, and snapped it open right in Krit's face.

"An emergency authorization from the executive board," Bhakin stated smoothly, yet his voice boomed with authority. "Due to the fact that this fundraising gala will feature a real-time digital diamond auction with bids reaching hundreds of millions of baht, the company deemed it absolutely critical to deploy a team of computer engineers and the Head of IT to audit the internet infrastructure of the client's resort. We must verify whether your network is secure and stable enough to prevent hackers from breaching the system during the event."

Krit's eyes bulged. He stared at the document, which unmistakably bore the authentic signature and stamp of the CEO. "What the hell is this bullshit?! Why wasn't I informed?!"

"You are a client, not a company shareholder. You do not need to be informed of every single security protocol," Bhakin clapped back ruthlessly. "And for maximum operational efficiency, my three subordinates and I will be joining Khun Lalita on this site survey. I sincerely hope your six-star resort has enough rooms to accommodate IT staff like us."

Lita stood staring at the stoic man in front of her. It felt exactly as if she had just been yanked straight out of a bottomless abyss. Her heart swelled until it pressed against her ribs.

This was the reason he told her to say yes and closed the chat yesterday? He hadn't abandoned her to face the danger alone. Instead, he went straight to the executive board, fabricated this ridiculous auction system excuse, overrode the boss's command, and inserted himself directly into the mission as her personal human shield.

"You... you bastard!" Krit clenched his fists, his face turning purple with rage. But there was absolutely nothing he could do because the authorization papers were completely legitimate.

"Alright then. It's time to depart," Bhakin turned to Lita. The fierce intensity in his eyes softened the moment he met her large, wide eyes, which were now sparkling with profound gratitude.

"Get in the company van, Lita. You need to brief my IT team on the event's floor plan along the way."

"But Lita has to ride with me! We already agreed!" Krit argued stubbornly.

Bhakin stopped in his tracks. He turned back to face Krit. This time, the dark, suffocating pressure and sheer underworld-boss aura radiating from the billionaire heir were so palpable that Krit actually took a step back.

"Company regulations explicitly state that female employees traveling out of province for work are strictly prohibited from riding in private vehicles alone with external parties, for their own safety." The tall man stared deep into the eyes of Lita's ex-boyfriend. His voice dropped to a brutal, menacing growl.

"And if you still have a problem with that, I can order the entire auction system to be aborted and report to the board that your venue is not secure enough to handle a billion-baht fundraiser. Would you like to test the authority of a Head of IT like me?"

The threat, striking directly at Krit's business interests, wiped the color from his face and silenced him instantly. This project was far too critical to his financial status. He simply couldn't risk letting it collapse over a momentary fit of temper.

Bhakin turned back around, grabbing Lita's wrist to lead her swiftly into the company van. The moment the sliding door shut, locking Krit's vindictive, murderous glare outside, Lita let out a long, shaky breath, feeling as though she had just survived a near-death experience.

The young woman turned to look at the sharp profile of the man sitting in the seat next to her. Her plump lips curved into her widest, brightest smile of the entire week.

"Thank you, Khun Bhakin," she murmured softly, yet the words were packed with emotion from the very bottom of her heart.

Bhakin didn't look at her. He simply picked up his iPad and opened his system checks as usual. However, the corner of his deeply cut lips twitched up into a faint smirk.

"I told you to go," he replied in a flat tone. "But I never said a single word about letting you go alone with him."