Chapter 5: The Boy who got away
Kim:
“It’s done.” Aawut handed his boss the tab that held the cleared out footage of the only surveillance camera that was placed outside the restaurant that the traitor Thong had built.
“I guess traitors are more afraid of being cheated on than the rest.” Kim mused, going through the footage of him taking the boy into his car, followed by his men taking out Thong and the man who was his chef and escorting them to another location. “Did you get the money?”
“Two million.” Aawut confirmed; his black suit and white shirt still without a single wrinkle despite him having working all night long. “The rest he had used to purchase the restaurant, so we confiscated the keys. The papers for the transfer of asset are being prepared. It should be signed and handed to you this afternoon.”
“Good.” Kim nodded. “And the chef? Have you gotten anything out of him yet?”
“Yes, sir.” Aawut nodded, taking the tab from his boss to pull up an information page before handing it back to his boss. “His name is Aun Thanakoset. Twenty nine years old and the only earning member of his house. His mother is dead and his father is suffering from cancer, currently hospitalized to receive treatment. He looks after his grandmother and sister all on his own. As for his relationship with Thong…he had borrowed money for his father’s treatment and in return, works as the chef for lowest wage at the restaurant.”
“So…Thong threatened him to put drugs into the boy’s drink or he would stop paying the hospital bills?” Kim raised his eyebrows, not at all surprised that Thong had used a poor man’s weakness against him to force him to do his bidding.
“Thong also keeps him in check by using his little sister against him.” Aawut confirmed. “The man seemed relieved that we took Thong down. I don’t think he actually had any intention of drugging the boy.”
Kim simply nodded, handing the tablet back to Aawut so he could concentrate on what to do next. The boy who had gotten away from him this morning was still at the back of his mind, however, he had another pressing issue to deal with.
“And did you find out who recommended Kaya to join that website?”
Kim might run several illegal businesses, but he didn’t need local thugs sponsoring his work. Whoever had informed Kaya to register on his website…wasn’t someone he knew, but he fully intended to find out. As for the employee who had entered Kaya’s name without consulting him…well, he had already fired them without even bothering to hear their excuses. He didn’t pity those who hurt his own.
“Our people are still looking out for the man.” Aawut told his boss. “We tracked down the restaurant where Khun Ritthirong worked, but so far, we still need a few more days to get the information we need.”
“Stay on it.” Kim ordered. “I’ll talk to Kaya about the man once she’s settled in the main house.”
“Yes, sir.” Aawut bowed. “Khun Ritthirong and her brother’s rooms have been prepared as per your request. If there is something else you require of me…?”
“I’ll let you know.” Kim waved his hand, indicating that his bodyguard could depart.
Aawut left the Condo immediately, leaving Kim to his thoughts.
Kim knew that his bodyguard was curious about the boy he had brought to the Condo with him last night. He didn’t blame him, because Kim was curious as well. Curious and intrigued about the boy who was beautiful enough to have stolen his breath away. Who had made Kim lose control like he had never done before.
Kim had been gentle with the boy…something he wasn’t used to with any of his lovers. He had taken care of him even after he had fallen asleep close to dawn, finally exhausted after making love multiple times throughout the night as the effects of the drug had finally worn off.
Who was he? Where was he from? Had he been able to get back home safely? Why had he snuck out early in the morning without letting Kim know he was leaving? And why had Kim let him go without a single word, even though he had been awake since the first time he felt the boy stir in his arms?
Kim knew that it was the boy’s first time, because he had told him so. Was that why he was being so concerned about the kid? He was worried that he might regret their time since it was under the influence of drugs and not how his first time should have been…however, Kim couldn’t bring himself to regret it, not after he had been made to feel something that he hadn't felt in ages. Happiness.
He regretted not asking his name, or his age. He had been wearing his University shirt when Kim had picked him up…if only he had noticed then where he studied…
Kim shook his head in frustration. Not only was he getting involved with a kid who was still a University student, he was starting to get obsessed with him only after a one-night stand.
It was what Kim usually preferred. One-night stands that didn’t have any meaning and was only to let off some steam to satisfy his physical hunger. He had given up on forming a long-term emotional relationship with anyone since he took over his late father’s business as the new head of the Ayutthaya family. And he would have continued to keep it that way only if his father’s former subordinates hadn't started to question the future of the clan after him.
Hia Kla, his older brother and the real successor of the clan, had declined the offer as soon as their father had died; choosing to live as a law-abiding citizen instead. And Kim only had one other sibling, their Nong Som, Kohsoom Ayutthaya, the only girl in their family who had just started university last year.
Involving Som into any of the family business was out of the equation and so far, she was well guarded by both Kim and Kla. Som was also a weakness that other clans would gladly exploit, if they became aware that the Ayutthaya clan had another heir; so her existence had been kept well under wraps ever since her birth.
But now that Kim was being forced into producing an heir for the continued growth and succession of his clan; he was going to have one, or more weaknesses in his armor. The thought particularly didn’t sit well with him, but it was necessary to shut up those people who might end up competing with him to take over their businesses.
That was why he had chosen Kanya as soon as he had seen her name on his website for surrogacy. If she was willing to be a mother, then it was better to have him as a candidate rather than having a child for a random stranger. And not to mention that Kim had known her for over four years and felt extremely protective of her.
The phone rang as soon as Kim had finished his shower and was about to change out of his bathrobe. He thought to ignore it at first; that was until he saw Kaya’s name written on the screen.
“Kaya?” He picked up instantly. “Is something wrong?”
“No…I…” she hesitates and Kim heard her take in a deep breath before answering. “Nong Kit came back home just now. He got stuck outside because of the rain last night.”
“You want to talk to him about the surrogacy?” Kim knew that Kit was important to Kaya, just like his siblings were important to him. “Do you want to see his reaction before making a decision?”
“Yes.” Kaya breathed a sigh of relief. “I know it sounds illogical, but…I want him to be involved in the decision as well. I’ll try to make him understand as best as I can.”
“Do you want me to come over?”
“No!” Kaya instant refused, unable to keep the panic out of her voice. “No…not yet. I need him to understand where I’m coming from first, Kim. I can’t dump everything onto him and hope he understands. And it’s best to do it alone, just the two of us. He’s already suspicious since I told him that I found a way to pay off the debt.”
Kim couldn’t help but feel a little irritated at her choice of words. “Kaya…you know it’s not just because I want to pay off your debt. You’re my best friend and I know we haven’t seen each other in five years, but I still think of you as my closest friend. If only I knew how bad the situation was, then I would’ve helped you long ago, even without bringing the surrogacy into the equation. And you do know that I’d still help you anyway, right? Even if you refuse the offer?”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry…I didn’t mean it in that sense.” Kaya apologized immediately. “But Kit is far too young. He just turned twenty one. I’ll need to explain to him step by step. I only hope that he understands the situation.”
“I hope so too.” Kim did feel relieved that Kaya was taking his offer into consideration sincerely. “Let me know how it goes.”
“Alright.” Kaya promised before hanging up.
As Kim put away his phone to get dressed, he couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen if Kaya’s younger brother didn’t agree to her ‘method’ of paying off the debt. Hell, even Kim didn’t approve of it, not when Kaya placed the word ‘debt’ in her sentences. But he still hoped that her brother would understand and agree to the terms.
Because Kim had already decided that Kaya would be the best mother for his future heirs and he would try his best to get her brother to agree, in case she failed to do so herself.
Chapter 6: Unexplained ConnectionsKit:He had left marks… Kit thought to himself as he traced the patch of red on his shoulder before lowering his hand to another spot on his chest.Thanks to him being fair skinned, the marks stood out more prominently, almost like bruises all over his body. They didn’t hurt or sting…but somehow, when he was tracing his fingers over the hickeys, he could feel the lingering sensation of P’Kimhan’s fingers on his body, the way he had branded every inch of his skin with his lips, lapping at him with his tongue...Moreover, he was still sore from the encounter. Before last night, he had had no idea what sex between two men was supposed to be like, if it was even going to feel good or not…but now he didn’t have a single doubt in his mind. He had never lost control of himself the way he had last night and he vividly remembered that they had continued to make love well after the effects of the drug had worn off, until the sun was about to rise in the horizo
Chapter 7: The Chao Pho MansionKanya:The huge iron gates to the mansion were pulled open by two professional guards and Kaya found her hands tightening on her dress as the Sedan entered the gated compound and the gates closed behind them.“Was your friend always this rich?” Kit muttered from beside her, seeming more annoyed as he narrowed his eyes outside the window.There were several lights that lined either side of the path leading to the main house, which was more like a humongous, luxurious mansion. Since night had already fallen, they couldn’t exactly see the surroundings all that well, but Kanya could already tell that it was going to be a magnificent view.In reality, she had never been to Kim’s house before. Since his family dealt with several illegal affairs, Kim had never brought her over when his father was still alive, but now that he was the head of the family, she felt a lot a ease coming to The Chao Pho Mansion of Bangkok.The car came to a stop a little further away
Chapter 8: A Shocking DiscoveryKit:Kit didn’t know how long he slept for but as he slowly came to consciousness…it felt like someone was watching him. As he opened his eyes, feeling panic rise in the pit of his stomach, the first thing he noticed was dark brown orbs staring right back into his…a very familiar pair of dark brown eyes.Was I…dreaming?The panic begun to subside almost immediately when Kit started to connect those eyes to his memories of last night…and then the panic returned full force.“P’Kimhan?” Kit rose from the bed, surprised to see the covers drawn up to his waist. How long had he been sleeping?“Yes,” Kim looked at the boy’s tired wide eyes with a soft smile. “I thought you were going to sleep through the night.”“Phi…what? How?” Kit looked around the room in confusion, noticing that he was still inside the room that he had entered earlier. He was at the house of his sister’s friend…P’Kim…And that was when it clicked.Kimhan…Kim…It didn’t take a genius to fig
Chapter 9: The Ayutthaya FamilyKit:The humongous chandelier hanging from the ceiling made the entire room look like a fairy tale. The golden light reached every corner, illuminating the room in a soft sunset glow, but if it wasn’t enough, several other chandelier stands were also placed all around the room to provide more lighting.Kit followed silently behind P’Kim down the spiral staircase to the dining hall were the other members were already waiting for them to arrive. He saw P’Kanya talking to a girl about his age, who had the same dark hair as P’Kim but her eyes were a more golden shade of brown that he had hardly seen on anyone before.“Hia!” The girl called out as soon as she saw Kim, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “P’Kaya was just telling me about how you were in University!”“Really now?” Kim gave Kaya a secret smile that she returned as he made his way to the head of the table and took his seat, but not before placing a kiss on top of the girl’s head. “And don’t ca
Chapter 10: Uncertainty Kanya: Kaya paced around her room in silence. She didn’t think that a stranger could make her rethink all of her life-choices at once. When another waiter, who she had been an acquaintance with at the restaurant she worked night shifts at, had told her that she could earn big money by becoming a surrogate…Kaya had been stunned. She hadn't thought the decision through before registering because she knew that the entire process would be done by doctors and she could always give birth by C-section if a normal birth became complicated. After all, if she never saw the face of the child…she wouldn’t feel attached to it…right? And it was a lot better option than becoming a whore because that’s what the debt collectors had been threatening her with. They wanted her to work for them in return and they would forget about the debt. Kaya could only think of it as a fate worse than death. However, now that she had met P’Kla…she felt like he had made her realize some ve
Chapter 11: His Knight Kit:Kit stopped in front of the old apartment complex, looking up at the tall building with disdainful eyes.Although he and his sister had grown up in this very place, there were more unpleasant memories of them here than good ones and somehow, Kit felt that their apartment might even be cursed. It wasn’t located at a very friendly neighborhood either and that prompted the debt collectors to think of his sister as a call girl more than once, hence they kept on giving her degrading offers every time they came to take back their money.And why was it that their debt never seemed to lessen?It had been years and with his mother having worked so hard to pay off so much of the debt; shouldn’t it be a lot less by now?But that wasn’t what was concerning him at that moment. What was concerning him was how much more would he and his sister have to give in order to get an ounce of peace in this world?P’Kim…the man he spent his first night with, the mysterious strange
Chapter 12: Close CallKim:Kim got out of the car and immediately brushed off his bodyguards who had come running to help carry Kit to the infirmary. However, they all stood stunned as Kim picked the boy up in his arms instead before rushing into the main house.Aawut had already called the family doctor to remain on standby at Kim’s command and the commotion had already drawn quiet a lot of spectators as the maids and other servants looked on in bewilderment as Kim brought the boy to his room instead of the infirmary and asked the doctor to shift location so Kit could be more comfortable.Kim’s sexuality had never been a reason of gossip around the main house, especially since Kim himself was so open about it that it was considered normal. However, despite the many lovers that had visited Kim’s house, Kit was the only one that Kim ever taken into his room. He was the only boy that Kim had been this concerned about.Especially when the doctor took longer to shift location and arrived
Chapter 13: Staying or Running Away…Kit:Kit opened his eyes to the bright morning light streaming in through the large glass windows at the end of the room.He tried to raise his hand to his eyes, feeling exhausted like he had never felt before. His entire body was aching and there was a dull throb in his head that threatened to turn into a migraine at any moment.A low groan left his throat. He wanted that light gone…it was too much. But he didn’t have the strength to go over and pull the curtains.As if someone had heard his thoughts, the curtains in that direction were pulled shut, cutting off the light and providing him with instant relief as the room was shrouded in darkness. Actually, it wasn’t really that dark, but the sudden change made the room seem darker than usual.“How are you feeling?” A familiar deep voice washed over his senses as a cool hand landed on his forehead. He recognized the voice…but he was having trouble matching it to a face.The hand slowly began to retr
Chapter 88: Didn’t Want to Change AnythingKit:Kit adjusted the strap of his vest, the unfamiliar weight pressing down on his shoulders as he stood in the shooting range. The gear felt strange, heavy, and bulky, but he forced himself to get used to it. Ben was by his side, moving around to check on his positioning, adjusting Kit’s stance and lightly pressing his shoulder to correct his posture.Any other time, it would’ve been calming, having Ben here. But, now there was an unspoken tension that Kit needed to sort out. Ben seemed to take everything in stride, unbothered by the pressure that Kit constantly felt bearing down on him."Relax, Kit," Ben murmured, stepping back and giving a warm smile. "You’re too tense. You need to be steady before you can shoot."Kit nodded, swallowing hard as he fixed his eyes on the target. He tried to breathe slowly, following Ben’s instructions, but every time he saw Ben’s easy grin or heard his laugh as he explained something new, an odd feeling set
Chapter 87: Hitting Two Birds With One StoneKit:P’Kim was sitting next to Kit in the back seat as P’David drove them back to the mansion. His mind was still stuck on the events that had happened earlier. He was no longer afraid because the moment had long since come and gone, but now, he could only think about how… inhumane his father had been.It seemed that he truly had no love of any kind for his own family. He was way too eager in threatening his life, as if he was not Kit’s father, and much more invested in what he wanted to get from Kit rather than listen to what Kit had pleaded for.And he even had the balls to threaten his pregnant daughter!Well, truth be told, Kit didn’t expect anything from him, so he was not hurt. Rather, he was just… surprised that any normal human being could do something as heartless as what his father had done. Then again, clearly his father wasn’t just any normal human being. Perhaps he was not even human anymore…“You did a great job,” P’Kim said t
Chapter 86: Unwanted ConfrontationKit:In the couple of days that followed, Kit did not dare let P’Kim out of his sight; he stuck to his lover like a shadow. He feared that if he looked away for even a second, something might happen to him or everyone else.Even though he had managed to talk himself out of being convinced his nightmare was a premonition, the fear was still there.When P’Kim had to go out for work, Kit would usually stay in the living room or his own bedroom and refused to leave the mansion. He wasn’t foolish enough to keep following P’Kim around, of course. He was satisfied with keeping his eyes on him while they were at home, but the outside world was a different story.Kit had called and talked to Earth later on. Their conversation had not been anything out of the ordinary as they hadn’t fallen out or anything, and in a matter of a few exchanges, they had already sorted out whatever differences they might have had the last time they met.But Ben… He was a different
Chapter 85: Use It Against HimKit:Kit stopped himself from spilling more of the truth to P’Kim. He shook hishead vigorously—he could not. If he slipped up more than he already has…god only knew what would happen next.“Ah, actually I couldn’t see their face,” he blurted out dishonestly. “Y-you know how dreams are, your brain either shows you a blurred figure, or some guy you saw briefly at the grocery three weeks ago.” Kit hoped it was a convincing lie, but he couldn’t meet P’Kim’s eyes, fearing they might give him away.“And… and anyway, you were right. It’s just a nightmare. It doesn’t matter anymore.”Kit released a deep exhale, before trying to return to the solace of his covers, only to be stopped by P’Kim, who held him by the shoulders, his hands firm and demanding not to be crossed.“Kit.”It was one single word. His name. And yet, his entire body became rigid.“Listen…” Kit started to say, “I’m really tired, so I should go back to sleep…”But P’Kim wasn’t listening. Instead
Chapter 84: A Terror in the NightKit:Kit was screaming before he even woke up, and by the time his consciousness took hold, his voice was hoarse, but he could not stop. He rose quickly from the bed, heart pounding frantically as though he had been running a marathon.He frantically looked around, searching for any signs of life. The room was dark, but the sound of shuffling footsteps outside and the low hum of murmurs was unmistakable.Relief and desperation washed over him in waves, and it was all that had been holding him back from crumbling right then and there. Curling in on himself, Kit let the tears fall, unable to stop the cries that left his lips, as if it would ease the pain in his chest.Even P’Kim’s immediate presence next to him couldn’t calm him down. He put a comforting hand on Kit’s back, pulling him into his embrace. “Hey, it’s alright. I’m right here. It was just a bad dream…”When Kit still wouldn’t look up from hiding his face in his hands, Kim went to give him a
Chapter 83: An Eerie SilenceKit:Kit woke up with a gasp, cold sweat dripping down his back. He had been trapped in eternal darkness, as though he was drowning and suddenly being pulled out of the water Ironically, even though he had woken up, he still felt like he was being suffocated even though he just escaped the hell of his subconscious.Cold sweat dripped down the side of his face. He looked around his room, trying to have his bearings back. It took a while for his disorientation to wear off. His head was spinning, and his heart refused to settle to a steady rhythm.“It was just a dream,” he whispered to himself, hearing his voice echo around him as though he was in a cave, but also muffled like he was underwater or hearing himself talk from a different room. “You’re fine.”But as much as his ears strained to listen to himself, his heart just wouldn’t cooperate. Still, it didn’t seem to matter because he was slowly starting to lose the dizziness that had held him hostage earli
Chapter 82: Now More Than EverKim:As Kim went back to the main mansion, he let his feet move on autopilot, his mind wandering and wondering how best to handle the situation and produce the most favorable outcome.While he didn’t feel bad about the subtle deception he performed to get to the truth of it all, he was very much bothered about Kit’s entire situation. He was worried about his teerak—it was clear he was going through a lot, burdened with the fact that his father was threatening him and all his loved ones.What’s worse was that he was also forced to endure a severe scarcity of confidants, so much that he resorted to seeking the help of the person he was least comfortable with.Kim couldn’t help but feel partially responsible for bringing Kit into the dangers of this world. If he hadn’t dragged Kit and his sister to this life, would they have been safer now? Would they have been happier?But then he started to rethink these notions. If he hadn’t taken them under his wing, Ay
Chapter 81: Eavesdropping Kla:It took a bit more convincing before Kit was finally reassured enough to leave, but he eventually did, closing Kla’s office door behind him with a light hand. Kla waited until his footsteps outside faded out of earshot before making his own move.Only when Kla was fully certain that Kit had gone away, he walked over to the other end of his office, staring intently at the door waiting for him. It was nondescript—you wouldn’t notice it if you didn’t specifically look for it or already knew it was there. Even though it wasn’t technically ‘hidden’, it was still considered a secret.Moreover, it was actually connected to a different room, and when he pulled it open, Kim emerged from there, stepping silently into Kla’s office and shutting the secret door behind him on a soft sigh.“Well,” Kla shrugged. “I guess you were right about Kit all this time. Turns out, he really was hiding something much more serious than just about his friend having feelings for him
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