“Hello Lisa, Ploy.”

The greeting rang out beside them, causing both girls to quickly turn around. When they saw who it was, they immediately waved and greeted.

“Hello, Mr. Sarat.” Anitha asked further, “When did you return from the U.S.?”

“I’ve been back for over a year now. When I graduated, the professor asked me to stay an extra two or three weeks to help with some work. My mom complained a lot, wanting me to return quickly to help with the family business. But you two are still getting along well, right? Every time I see you, you're always glued together like sticky rice.”

He teased them, and then Chalisa spoke up.

“Mr. Rat, do you have a date with someone? If not, would you like to join us for a meal?”

Anitha quickly nodded in agreement. The man glanced at his watch briefly before replying.

“I came here to handle some business for my mother, but I arrived early because I was worried about traffic. I was planning to eat first. If you two don’t mind, may I join you at your table?”

“Of course, please.”

The two girls waved for him to sit. He chose to sit next to Chalisa, who had just moved over to make space for him, making her cheeks flush when she found herself so close to him. Her friend saw this and couldn’t help but smile because Chalisa always looked so shy around the opposite sex, making her frequently act as a protector. However, with this particular man, she didn’t have to worry because she’d known him since they were in England. After graduation, he returned to work, and then later received a scholarship to pursue his PhD in the U.S. for several years.

“So this time you’re staying in Thailand, right? You must be back to complete your scholarship requirements for the university, right?” Chalisa asked.

“I'm probably just back to teach as a special instructor. My mom wanted me to help with the family business, so she returned the scholarship funds. But I didn’t want to quit my work as a teacher, so I asked my mom if I could teach a few subjects.”

“You really are diligent, Mr. Rat,” Anitha praised him, knowing that his family had a significant social presence. His mother owned a jewelry shop and had many stores in a shopping mall, yet her son preferred to earn his scholarship on his own to study abroad.

“What can I do? The work I want to do, I can’t give up. And the family needs help, plus I’m the only son,” he replied slowly, shaking his head. “I just do as much as I can.”

“By the way, who are you meeting in this building?” Chalisa asked, curious.

“Oh, it’s my mom’s business partner. Their company is expanding, so they’re preparing to sell shares to the market to raise capital. I’m here to talk with a top investment banker about how we should proceed. We’ll have another meeting later.”

“Ah, I see. What time is your meeting?” Chalisa asked.

“Two o’clock in the afternoon.”

“It’s only 12:30 PM, so you’re here really early,” Anitha laughed teasingly.

“I just followed my habit from abroad—when I make an appointment, I like to arrive early. And I know that the traffic here in Thailand is crazy, so I was worried about being late.”

“True,” Chalisa agreed. “If we didn’t have an apartment nearby, we’d probably be in trouble too. We’d have to rush to get to work on Monday.”

“Apartment?” he asked, intrigued.

“Yeah, we bought an apartment in the JT project,” Chalisa replied, pointing to her friend. “The project just launched not long ago. Since we’re working here, we decided to buy one to live closer. If we’re too lazy, we can just walk and exercise.”

“Sounds great. Is there still an apartment available? I’ll need to work in the city soon.”

“I’m not sure, but let Ploy check for you,” Chalisa suggested.

“Alright, if we could live near each other, that would be great. We could meet up whenever we have time. Remember back when we were in England? Whenever we had free time, we’d gather for parties.”

“That’s true, back then we didn’t have to think too much. We just ate, studied, and hung out, completely different from now,” Chalisa sighed lightly.

“Oh, I heard your company, Lisa, made a great profit this year. Even though it’s hard work, hearing the results makes it all worth it.”

Lisa’s tired expression brightened immediately, even though her family had always praised her for working hard all year, hearing praise from an old friend made her even happier.

“Oh, Mr. Sarat, just a compliment from you makes her so happy,” Anitha teased her friend.

“Oh, well, Lisa always gets happy when anyone praises her,” she replied shyly. Then she turned to Sarat and asked, “What about Ploy? Didn’t you hear about how much profit Ploy’s company made?”

“Oh! Ploy’s company always does well. You can tell just by looking at how hard she works.”

“Ah, Mr. Sarat, you really know how to flatter people,” Anitha laughed joyfully.

The meal turned into a mini reunion party, and as the time to head back to work neared, the two girls chatted happily for a while longer until it was almost Sarat’s appointment time, when they finally wrapped up and returned to work, feeling happy after catching up for so long.

After the two girls left, Sarat sighed lightly before standing up to grab his work bag. Instead of heading to the elevator to go to the financial securities company for his meeting, he drove his Benz X-Class away from the building after finishing his tasks for the day.

---

For several hours in the morning and with more hours in the afternoon, Dujupsorn spent her time receiving work from Anusa, the secretary in her mid-thirties, Asira's assistant. Along with reviewing the company's papers from the past years that Anusa had brought her, which were related to advertising through media and the advertising plan set out for the coming year, a plan that had been approved in a meeting and was being implemented, even for former PR staff who had already left the company.

So much information was crammed into her brain that she felt dizzy, with more paperwork waiting for her to go through in the next few hours. But she was determined to take it home to read quickly so that she could get familiar with the company as much as possible.

Because the position was considered important, she had a small office next to Asira’s. She didn’t see him throughout the day, but she didn’t have time to think too much about him, as she was almost buried in paperwork, until she heard a knock on the door and looked up, thinking it was Anusa, Asira's secretary, coming to assign more work.

But contrary to her expectation, the person who opened the door and walked in was someone from the neighboring office.

“The workday is over,” he pointed to the clock on the wall before leaning against the doorframe, slipping his hand into his pocket, appearing relaxed. If it had been another man, it would not have been so captivating. But with Asira, she thought that whatever his demeanor, he always looked handsome.

“Ah… yes.” She hurriedly cleaned up her things. “Fah will go clock out first to avoid paying for overtime.”

His direct words made Asira chuckle pleasantly.

“That’s not what I meant. If you actually worked overtime, the company would pay, but you’ve been tense all day, let your mind rest a bit, and we’ll continue tomorrow. The company has been running for decades, there’s no way you’ll learn everything in one day.”

“But Ms. Nut said that Petch told her to read these papers.”

“True, but I never told Ms. Nut that you should finish reading it all in one day.”

“Yes, Ms. Nut didn’t say that. It’s just that I was engrossed in reading and taking notes on many things worth noting, so it took longer than expected.” She put her things away and hurriedly packed the papers into her bag before heading around the desk. “I’m going to clock out now.”

Asira stepped back before asking.

“How are you getting home?”

“By bus.”

“If that’s the case, why not have dinner with me first, and I’ll drive you home,” he said simply.

“Uh… Fah has to go back and help her mother sell cakes. I really apologize, I can’t have dinner with you, Petch.”

The smile on his face faded immediately, and his expression hardened, a look that rarely appeared when he was disappointed.

“I’m just asking to have dinner, it won’t take long. I’ll drive you home afterward; it’ll be much faster than the bus.”

Dujupsorn frowned, thinking heavily because after speaking with him, she had decided not to get involved with Asira, not wanting any trouble later on, as the person she needed wasn’t him. But turning down a man who had never been rejected before wasn’t easy, especially since he was her superior, and she had to work with him for some time until she could successfully carry out her plans.

“Uh… you know, my mother is quite worried about me. If I come home too late, she’ll be concerned.”

“If that’s the case, don’t worry,” he said, pulling out a new Motorola mobile phone that she had seen in an advertisement, opened the keyboard which had a microphone and the orange-colored number and dialed the number. Within a moment, he spoke.

“Is it Siripon bakery?”

Dujupsorn stared wide-eyed as he looked back at her with a slight smile before continuing.

“This is Asira, Petch’s superior. I’ll take her to dinner and drive her home before 7 PM… Yes, thank you.”

She gulped nervously, realizing things weren’t as easy as she had thought.

“Look, if you’re so worried, we can also talk about work, at least we should get to know each other, don’t you think?”

“Uh… yes,” she muttered in response before walking behind him to the parking lot near the exit. When she saw the sports car again, she felt a bit more anxious, looking left and right to make sure no one saw her getting in. But Asira didn’t seem to care, opening the door for her to slide inside before driving off.

He drove out of the building, likely passing by many employees who would surely glance over to see who the woman was leaving with their superior. She felt extremely uncomfortable, but he seemed unaffected.

“Why do you act like you're being kidnapped when you're with me?”

“Uh… I think you understand, Petch. I’m new here. If you get too familiar with me, I won’t feel comfortable working.”

“Why are you making a big deal out of something so trivial? Women really can’t help themselves sometimes.”

“Well, it’s because of these trivial matters that a lot can happen. And I also apologize, but I don’t want to behave any differently than other employees.”

Asira glanced at her, his face showing clear dissatisfaction, which made her uneasy. She quickly raised her hand in apology.

“I’m sorry for making you angry, Petch. But as a new employee, I don’t want any special treatment. Just the fact that you accepted me without following the usual procedures has already caused rumors around the company. I want to work in peace and show my capabilities, not have anyone think I used connections.”

“You don’t have any connections.”

“Yes, I don’t, but only the two of us know that. And if others don’t think I used connections, they’ll think I used my body to get ahead, and either way, it won’t be good for me.”

“Why are you so suspicious about everything? Why is it so hard to just be friends? At least, we get along well, so why not start by getting to know each other?”

Her face flushed at his words. Asira was very direct, and while he wasn’t the person she needed, she still shook her head vigorously.

“Thank you for your friendship, Petch. But as a new employee, could you just see me as another staff member, like everyone else? At least for now, until…”

“Until what?”

“Until… Fah… thinks it’s the right time to start getting to know you better.” She stammered, and if she were another woman, she would have screamed in excitement and hugged his neck. But for her, it was a joy hidden deep within her heart, knowing that even if she agreed, they could never have a future together.

“Women… why do they have to make things so complicated?”

She didn’t respond when he mumbled this, but it was good that he remained calm and listened to her reasoning.

He turned into a restaurant not far from her house, one that had been around for quite a while. She got out of the car by herself, not waiting for him to walk around and open the door, following him inside. After ordering, she couldn’t help but glance at him, his expression still discomforted but well-controlled.

She didn’t know what to say to him, so she sat quietly, which was something she was used to doing when being alone with her mother. Silence was something she loved and needed most, but Asira seemed uncomfortable with it, so he spoke up.

“Do you help your mother every day? So who helped her before?”

“I help her when I can. The business is doing quite well, traditional cakes are rare now, and regular customers call in advance to order. Last week, one employee asked to leave, so I had to help.”

“I see. If the employee returns, you won’t need to help, right?”

“Not necessarily. I’ll help when I can, but if I’m busy, I won’t say anything.”

Asira nodded, understanding, but his expression was one of slight dissatisfaction. It was probably the result of her not following his suggestions as she should have, instead of appearing happy when he showed his interest. But she was afraid of being gossiped about and didn’t want to appear like she was rejected, so he decided to ask directly.

“If you’re afraid of people gossiping about us being close, is it because you don’t want your boyfriend to misunderstand?”

She widened her eyes and immediately shook her head.

“No, that’s not it. What I said during the interview wasn’t a lie. Right now, I’m not thinking about relationships; I just want my family to be more stable.”

Upon hearing this, Asira seemed to relax slightly.

“I see… then tell me, why are you afraid of me?”

“I’m not afraid of you, Petch. I respect you because you’re my superior, but I really don’t want to have any special privileges.”

(“Let me see, I understand now, not afraid but not responding.”

She remained silent instead of answering, and Asira could only sigh. What was originally thought to be easy turned out to be more difficult than expected, so her appetite decreased. Normally, she would have finished everything because she was taught that way in the military, but today, she just poked the food on her plate back and forth.

Not only was Asira unable to eat, but she also felt quite troubled, needing to control herself and not be swayed by the attraction of the man in front of her before it was too late. But before cutting him out of her life, she could still use him as a stepping stone to reach her goal... so she casually invited him to chat.

"Yesterday, Petch told me about the new Jutathep tiger clan. Have any of them gotten married yet?"

"Not yet, only three couples are about to marry."

"Ah, Dr. Chatglao is one of them, right?" she asked. "Fah also read about it in the news."

"Yeah, that's right. Once they get married, he will return to work in a different province; he has very high ideals."

"What about the others?"

"Pu has set a wedding date in the next few months. They've been in love for many years, and it's time for them to get married."

"And the other two?"

"As for the other two, we’ll have to see."

"Who are they?"

"Jak, or Lieutenant Colonel Ronnajak, also has news of a girlfriend. Not sure if this time it’s serious."

"Is he still in the military now? Or did he quit like you?"

"He’s still in the military. He certainly doesn’t like doing work like I do..."

"...Then, does he come to the company? Like during the company meetings, something like that?"

Asira lifted her gaze from the plate, her thick eyebrows raised, and her eyes immediately narrowed.

"I meant to ask about all your brothers, not just one person."

"Ah..." He dragged out the sound before looking down at the plate of food again. "The company is only me and my sister handling the work, while JT Development has Uncle Ratchanon as the director. Pu helps, and after marriage, there will be a daughter-in-law to assist too. The other three people are a doctor, a soldier, and a secretary for the ambassador."

"Ah... I see." She mumbled before he continued explaining.

"The second generation is my younger brother, Lieutenant Colonel Ronnajak’s brother, named Ronnapum. He’s a soldier in the infantry. Everyone in the family holds shares in both companies. Whenever there’s a meeting, they attend, or if they can’t, the other brothers vote on their behalf, if they’re really busy. But if not, they still usually meet up together."

"What about your other siblings, don’t they come to the company?"

"Right now, they’re all studying, both in Thailand and abroad. Once they graduate, their father will support them in doing whatever work they want. Anyone who wants to work at the company can. But from what I hear, none of them seem to want to, after seeing me and Ploy working like crazy. They’re all scared now."

"If that’s the case... does applying for a job here feel like a waste of time...?” Dujupsorn thought heavily, not seeing the path to getting closer to Ronnajak or Ronnapum.

"But why are you asking about my brothers? If you want to know anything, go read the gossip section of the newspapers. You’ll probably find out more than I know, I even read some things from those papers."

"Fah just wants to know, like everyone else, because your family is famous, everyone is curious."

"I thought you weren’t like others," he muttered.

"Like how? What made you think that?"

"I don’t know." He shrugged, unwilling to answer and admitting that he felt disappointed. It was the first time he wasn’t happy being close to the girl he had always liked. Years ago, she made an impression on him that had him dreaming up until today. The first two conversations created a warm, innocent feeling that made him comfortable talking to her. She had never asked about his family like other women did. But today, she was behaving just like the other women he could find everywhere if he wanted, or maybe he had been wrong about her all along…

When he couldn’t eat anymore, he pushed the plate away.

"The food’s not good today," he muttered and picked up his glass to finish the drink. Dut-apsorn quickly followed suit.

"Are you full now? Do you want dessert?" He was still very generous.

"No, thank you very much."

He nodded, gesturing for the server, and soon after, both of them headed back to the car. On the way back home, Dut-apsorn, they both remained silent until the car stopped in front of her house. She clasped her hands together and bowed before getting out of the car. As the door closed, he drove off, and his mood tonight was clearly different from the previous night. She sighed softly and turned to enter the house. Her sulky expression must have caught Siripon’s attention, who asked.

"Why do you look like that? Did he say something to upset you?"

She slowly shook her head before smiling and replying.

"No, it’s just that Fah thinks from now on he won’t have anything to do with me anymore. You and mom can rest easy.")