Chapter 55: To Make One UnderstandKit:In between preparing for final examinations and spending time with P’Kim, time flew by quickly, and before Kit knew it, three weeks had passed, and their final exams had come to an end.To celebrate their survival of the academic year, Kit and his friends went to their favorite restaurant, right outside of the university perimeters, and ordered all their favorite food on the menu.“Ohh…look at you boys! It felt like yesterday when you troublemakers joined the university,” the aunty who owned the restaurant teased them fondly. “Soon, you’ll be graduating and getting married.”They laughed at her teasing before Prem said, “Not so soon, Pa, we’ll still visit you, so don’t think you’ll get rid of us so soon.”“Dai, dai,” the aunt laughed. “Go on, pick your table, I’ll get the food there soon.”“The end of the semester, finally!” Kit exclaimed as they gathered around the table after having made their respective orders.“Right?” Earth agreed, throwing
Chapter 56: For Better or For WorseKit:When the celebration had slowed and they had finally made a list of all the fun things they were to do in Chiang Mai, they eventually parted ways and went home for the day.As the restaurant wasn’t that far from the Ayutthaya territory, Kit didn’t feel the need to ask P’Aawut to come fetch him once again since it was already late in the afternoon. Instead, he took the liberty of catching a bus home. It was good exercise, a bit of nostalgia to the time when he lived alone with his sister and the bus was the only mode of transportation he could afford.But as he sat by the window, looking out at the houses pass by, he couldn’t help but think that by taking the pocket money that P’Kim was offering him every week, and by staying at his house, enjoying all the luxuries provided…he was imposing a bit too much on P’Kim’s generosity.‘Should I get a job this summer?’ He thought to himself, wondering what he could do to at least earn a bit of his pocket
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