Chapter 68: Dealing with His InsecuritiesKit:Soon, Kit was back in the passenger seat with Kim behind the wheels, heading back to the Ayutthaya mansion. He drove at a calmer pace this time, even though Kit could tell he was anything but calm on the inside.“P’Kim,” Kit called, head leaning against the window.Kim drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as they waited for the traffic lights to turn green. “Yes? What is it?”“Do you think this is a good idea?” he asked. “We will be putting my friends in danger just to catch one person. I don't think… well, this might just be a small issue, but I don’t think it’s fair to my friends to head into this without any clue as to what they are getting into.”Kim nodded. “I get where you’re coming from,” he said. “But that shooter is getting bolder and stronger as the days go by anyway. The more confident they get, the more dangerous they will become. But letting your friends in on the plan can create panic and lead them to cancel the plan al
Chapter 69: Cleared OutKim:As soon as the office door was closed shut, the first thing P’Kla did was…surprisingly, apologize to Kim.“Kimhan, Hia... karthot na (I am sorry),” he sighed, leaning against the door. “I hurt you, and it was uncalled for. I let my emotions get the best of me and let it out on you, which was something I never should have done as your Hia. I should’ve known better.”Needless to say, Kim hadn’t expected that; it had been a long time since Hia Kla directly referred to himself as his older brother. Kim didn’t show it, but it was a welcomed surprise.“And… as your constituent, I overstepped my boundaries—which is a mistake I will never make again,” P’Kla added.Oh. It seemed that he had taken Kim’s threat too seriously. Well, it wasn’t like his defiance of Kim’s authority hadn’t warranted such a response from the mafia don, but still… perhaps Kim had been too harsh on someone who was his family by blood.Besides, he could sense that P’Kla’s apology now was genu
Chapter 70: Their Own Little UniverseKit:Later in the afternoon, they all gathered around the table for a late lunch, finally having the feast they couldn’t enjoy previously. They joked around and chatted for a bit over the meal, reveling in each other’s company.Kit was grateful for the warm atmosphere. After the entire ordeal last night, he needed something to ease his nerves, and this quality time with the people he considered family was definitely doing the trick.When the table was cleared and their plates were vacant of food, they all went their separate ways, Kit especially deciding to have some time alone to recharge. He went up to his room, appreciating the comfort of silence as he curled up by the window with a book in hand.He was about a hundred pages in when his phone suddenly rang. A bit hesitantly, he picked it up to notice that it was none other than Earth. He carefully set the book face-down to mark the page he was in, before picking up his phone and laying on the b
Chapter 71: Unbidden DesireKim:“What’s this for?” Kit asked, looking around the gazebo, a wide smile plastered on his gorgeous face. “I mean, not that I’m complaining. But what’s the occasion?”“Nothing,” Kim answered as he turned the music on to a sound they could dance to. “Can’t a man show his love for his lover?” He grinned, bending a knee in a curtsy. “Shall we dance?”“You’re so dramatic.” But even as he said that, Kit gladly took Kim’s extended hand.He pulled Kim to the middle of the gazebo, where they swayed slowly to the sound of the piano accompanied by a violin and a saxophone. It was an old melody, one he remembered his mother used to play when he and P’Kla were still little, but he loved the tune, and he loved how Kit’s body felt against his as they swayed together in unison.“Did you prepare all of this?” Kit asked, surveying the whole area with a smile.“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have any help,” Kim admitted. “The candles were P’Aawut’s idea, and Som helped wit
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
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 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 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’