The next day after Le Cargaison's Pearl Anniversary, which was a Saturday, Top went to the office despite being a non-business day. His reason: to confirm that his pot from Charybdis has been restored – every dime and buck – which Jeff assured the other day.

As he walked to his office, he saw that something was off in the usual view of the aisle: on the bench beside the table of Becky Armstrong – his executive secretary who is absent today – sat four uniformed personnel. Standing in front of the door of his office was Up Poompat Iam-samang – the Head Of Security at Le Cargaison. He was present today for a scheduled practice of their evacuation protocols in case a fire or natural disaster strikes

"Up. What is this?" asked Top as soon as he reached his Head Of Security. In his peripheral view, he saw that the four policemen were slowly standing up one-by-one.

"They're here for you, Sir TTS." Up made sure that his tone was as low as a whisper – or even lower.

"What's the matter?"

"Good morning, Mister Tangsutthichai. I'm Lieutenant Great Sapol Assawamunkong – the leader of the team here." He answered before Up could and extended a hand for as a sign of courtesy.

"Good morning officer." Top shook Great's hand with a feeling of apprehension. "What is this about?"

"We've received by e-mail a file that is a recorded conversation between you and another man." Great gets his phone out and accesses the file he is talking about.

"Oh dear." The voice came from Top's head. His mouth, on the other hand, was sealed shut.

"Who sent you the recording, lieutenant?" asked Up, looking for a way to save his boss.

"It came from an unknown sender," said Sergeant Pai Wichwasin, the other member of Great's team. "We're already tracing the identity through the help of the DSI."

"When?"

"Last night at around half-past-ten in the evening. I was on the evening shift and the one who attended to it." It is Sergeant Yam Poramate who answered.

While the recording ran, Great looked at Top in the same way a lion scans its prey from a distance before moving in for the kill. "That is you, Mister Tangsutthichai, is it not?" he asked as the track reached the part where Top confesses of having midnight deals with the six companies that wires their money through Scylla.

"I was under coercion when I was saying that." Top did not answer that question directly, which showed the cops an obvious sign that he was already culpable.

"But still you admitted to being accessory to a crime. Am I correct?" Great stopped the recording afterwards.

"So? I just said it so I can escape the pressure from my captor."

"There is still admission, Mister Tangsutthichai. I'm afraid we'll have to take you downtown for questioning about a possible violation of the Anti-Money Laundering Law, Anti-Human Trafficking Law, and the Anti-Smuggling Act," countered Great, as he secured his phone back in his pocket.

"You cannot take him without a warrant, lieutenant," said Up to rebut.

"The contents of the recording are probable cause, Mister Iam-samang. I don't need a warrant to arrest someone if there is probable cause: you should know that being the Head Of Security here."

Seeing that he has no way of escaping now – not even with the help of anyone else for that matter – Top gave Up's shoulder a gentle tap. "Stand down."

"But sir, this is..." Up turns to look at his boss, who met his eyes almost immediately.

"Stand down. It's okay," said Top, finishing the sentence. He knew that this is in the bag – just not his – and that resistance would be futile and could turn ugly.

"Sergeant Wichwasin, cuff him; Sergeant Poramate, man the side," ordered Great without taking his eyes away from the CEO of Le Cargaison.

Pai obeyed his ranking officer and walked towards Top, taking off his belt a pair of cold bracelets connected with a short chain. Meanwhile, Yam drew out his pistol and retained it to his side – and act that served a serious warning if ever an escape was to be made.

"You have the right to remain silent, Mister Tangsutthichai." Great began with the Miranda Rights as soon as Pai had put one of the two cuffs on Top's wrist. "If you give up the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

Top bows in shame as Pai moves both his hands to his back.

"You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, the state will appoint one for you to represent you in court."

After Top had been secured and his rights read to him, Yam and Pai held him by the elbow to escort him out of his company and into the headquarters of the Royal Thai Police.

***

"YOU DID WHAT!" shouted Gameplay, disorienting Jeff as a result. They are walking a street in Zurich on a bustling Wednesday morning of the following week. They arrived their Tuesday morning, and because of their fourteen-hour flight, they had to take the rest of the day off.

"SHHHHH!" Jeff motions with his hand for GP to keep his voice down. "Not so loud, idiot."

"You opened a bank account on my behalf, scumbag. What do you want me to do? Jump for joy?"

"It is legal to open a Swiss Bank Account for someone else. Besides, I provided all the needed documents and requirements, so you have nothing to worry about." Jeff kisses GP's hand.

"Why do you have to do that, Jeffy?" Gameplay vents out a mix of disappointment and frustration

"I had to transfer Top's money elsewhere – an offshore account."

"But the joint account is named after Top and me. Won't that spell trouble?"

"Don't worry about that." Jeff assures that Top's half-ownership of it has been expunged and changed to another person – him. "Just tell them your account number, and that you are closing that account. That's it. After that, tell them to distribute the money over the account numbers I gave you."

"The one you sent over to my phone while earlier at the hotel?"

"Yes."

"If they asked me how much money is in the account, what will I answer them?"

"Twenty billion. Tell them it's that much – more or less. Oh, and your account is protected by a password. You need to give them that as well."

"It's on the paper you gave me earlier too, right?"

"Yup. You put it in your wallet."

"Funny password."

"No, it called a more secured password. If you have one with only letters, it could be easily cracked. Remember that," Jeff said as they near a building that is the official headquarters of the UBS Group AG.

"Got it."

They stop a few paces before the kiosk at the entrance of the building, where two men clad in uniform stand and keep watch.

"You can do this, GP," said Jeff, giving GP's hand – cold and slightly trembling – that he is holding a light squeeze.

"Okay. But it seems you're forgetting something?"

"I think I gave you the accounts and password. I've also given you the tips, right? Unless you forgot them." Jeff raises an eyebrow, knowing himself that GP is all set.

"Scumbag. What do you usually do to calm me down or encourage me?"

"Oh that! Okay okay." Jeff immediately puts one hand on Gameplay's nape while another on the waist. Lunging forward slowly, he takes the other's lips and seals it with his own. Gameplay, on the other hand, can neither moan nor let out a sound. They were already doing enough to catch the attention of the others that share the walkway with them. "How do you feel now?" asked Jeff, separating from their kiss after a while.

"Never better," answered Gameplay, his face etching a smile that Jeff is so fond of.

"Right. Now....hmmm." Jeff feels something cold in one of GP's fingers. Titling the hand to the side, he sees something on it that was not there before.

"What?" asked Gameplay.

"You told me you destroyed this," said Jeff, touching the metal around GP's ring finger while maintaining his glare on it.

"Whatever."

"And I quote..." Jeff raises his head up, his eyes meeting GP's on the same horizon line.

"Shut up, Jeff."

"You melted it and put the liquefied metal on your gate..."

"I told you to be quiet."

"...so that your fence will become stronger."

"Right. I said that. So what?" GP raises an eyebrow to magnify the strength of what he says.

"Liar." Jeff pokes Gameplay's nose with his forefinger.

GP, in return, gives Jeff a quick kiss on the lips. "Scumbag."

"You're going to pay for that," threatened Jeff, slowly tracing a line on GP's lips using his thumb as if to remove an invisible stain on it.

"Yes, please. Though for now, I have to get some money, so get your hands off me." Gameplay playfully shoves away Jeff's hands that are on whatever part of his body.

"Break a leg. I'll wait for you here."

GP nods and walks into the kiosk before the main door of the UBS Group AG.

"Bonjour monsieur. How can I help you?" greeted one of the uniformed men by the kiosk, who GP can tell are security officers despite their uniforms looking like those of hotel crews.

"Bonjour. I would like to close an account. Can you tell me where to go?"

"Right. Inside, go to the any of the desk marked with 'Account Service Concerns'."

"Merci monsieur," answered GP despite his accent a little muddled.

"De Rien."

After crossing the threshold, with him feeling the waft of cold and fresh air that reeks orange scent, which is probably from a disinfectant, it did not take long for GP to find a desk with the respective mark. He walks to one at the far side of the room, which luckily has no line of customers in a queue.

"Bonjour miss," greeted Gameplay to the lady behind the desk as soon as he arrives, never even daring to use the correct term – mademoiselle – as he is afraid of mispronouncing it.

"Bonjour monsieur. How can I help you?"

"I'm here to close an account."

"I see. May I have your account number."

"Sure." Gameplay gets his wallet, pulls out a piece of paper, and shows one side of it to the teller, who enters it to her computer.

"Do you have the password for this account, monsieur?"

As he nods, Gameplay flips the paper he is holding, and written on the other side is a password that is fairly hard to guess: F0r3v3rJ3ff@ndGP!

"Merci monsieur. One moment please," said the teller, waiting the response from her computer. "Monsieur Garnpaphon Laolerkiat and Monsieur Worakamon Satur?"

"Yes, I am Garnpaphon Laolerkiat, and that is our joint account."

"May I have a proof of identification, monsieur, either from you or Monsieur Satur?"

"Sure." Gameplay gets his passport and driver's license out his bag, the same ones that Jeff earlier told him to show if asked, and hands them over to the teller. "And this is a notarized document from Mister Satur stating his approval to close our account," he continued, handing over the printout as well as Jeff's IDs with it.

"Merci monsieur," said the teller, returning the documents and cards back after confirming the identities of the two account holders. "One more thing, do you have an estimate of how much is in your account?"

"Around Twenty Billion Baht – more or less," answered GP carefully.

"That has been converted to Francs now, monsieur, and it totals to 568,238,765.97."

"Great."

"How do you want it, monsieur? We can write you a cheque or do a bank-to-bank transfer."

"I want you to wire the total evenly over these accounts." GP keeps the paper where the account number and password are written and gets out his phone. In it, he accesses a photo album containing different QR codes – the accounts where the money will be put into. "I hope you have a QR scanner so you will not have to type."

"We do, monsieur," replied the teller, taking GP's phone. Soon, she starts scrolling left and right to look at the different QR images. "Are these non-Swiss accounts, monsieur?"

"Yes. Why? Is there a problem?"

"We do charge 100 Francs for money transfers from a Swiss account to a non-Swiss one. In your case, once we have divided the total money, we will deduct the same charge to each partition before we transfer them to the receiving account numbers. Will that be okay to you, monsieur?"

"That is just fine, miss."

"Okay. This will take a while, monsieur, so please bear with me."

"Take your time, miss."

When GP emerges out of UBS Group AG, he finds Jeff in the same spot he left him before, only this time, his boyfriend is holding a large cup of what seems to be iced coffee. "It's done, Jeffy," he said. He holds Jeff's hand that has the beverage, moves it closer to him, and takes a sip. "Delicious. Nowhere near Starbucks'."

"I knew you'd say that," said Jeff, agreeing to what GP has just said. "What took you so long, by the way?"

"It's not easy transferring millions to nearly two hundred different foreign account numbers: bankers work with computers and data – not a wand – for your information."

"I know. I'm just messing with you. I love seeing you annoyed." Jeff, with his other hand, pinches GP's cheeks softly, yet enough for the other to be extremely irked.

"Let go, scumbag." GP moves his face away, letting go of Jeff's grip. "I'm hungry: I want something sweet."

"It's standing in front of you," said Jeff, smirking.

"That's very funny." GP squints, making his eyes look almost like two thin lines.

"I want a dessert."

"Now we're talking." The vexation in Gameplay's face dissipates upon hearing the D-word – his most favorite among the courses of a meal. "Let's find a pastry shop, then."

"Good idea. I want to try this...uhm..." Jeff shows an image of a dish from his phone that is complete with a text, which must be the name it. "Band...bandneer nustortay. It's like a pie with walnut and caramel inside." Jeff is confident despite not being sure if GP understands it.

"Is that even a word from earth?" sneered GP, letting out a mocking laugh.

"Having fun, are we, Garnpaphon?" Jeff's straight face suggests he is not as happy.

"It's Bündner Nusstorte – silent e on the second word." GP tries so hard to control his laughter. "It's a delicious dessert as Chef Plan told me: he had it when he went here with his family," he continued, taking Jeff's hand as they walk to a store where they can have a slice of it.

"Whatever the way it is said, I want it. And maybe some sausages later before bed," teased Jeff, doing a playful shoulder butt on GP's.

"Up here?" said GP, nodding over Jeff's mouth. "Or down there?" He bows to look at Jeff's pants, then looks back up at his boyfriend, biting his lower lip.

"A little bit of both."

"Done," said GP, giving Jeff a wink. "Although, I can't help but think of one thing, Jeffy."

"What is it?"

"This past Friday, you stole Top's money from his computer, right?"

"That's correct." Jeff sips from his large cup of iced coffee.

"But you did not shut the source down. It will just continue to accumulate money after that night, right?"

"Not really. Remember when I asked him to confirm the total amount that he will be getting after the game?"

"Yeah." GP pulls Jeff's hand again to have a share of the same drink.

"After clicking the button in the prompt, he unknowingly activated a program. What it does is turn off Scylla and Charybdis – the two systems by which he illegally earns and grows money. So effective twelve midnight of Saturday – immediately the next day after the Pearl Anniversary – Scylla and Charybdis have been shut down. It also sent a copy of our conversation during the game to the authorities, so I'm guessing that by now, he has been arrested and has already spent some nights in prison."

"Clever scumbag."

"Correction – handsomely clever and very rich."

"Very rich?"

"One of the account numbers I sent you is our joint account GP. So, by now or tomorrow morning, it should've been reloaded with roughly about a hundred million Baht."

"Clap clap, Jeffy, and a pat on the back." GP does the same actions as the gestures he said.

"Hurry up now. I want to have that pastry," said Jeff, changing the topic and imploring Gameplay to pick up his strides.

"Can you say the name again?" GP is already laughing mid-sentence.

"Stop it."

"I want to hear...what did you say earlier? Noostortay?"

"Yes, because that is how I thought it was said." It is Jeff's turn now in getting annoyed. However, with Gameplay showing a smile that makes his eyes disappear, he just cannot keep a straight face.

As they walk along and exchanging turns in drinking their iced coffee, they sound like two idiots trying to tutor each other in pronouncing a foreign language that neither of them is fluent at. However stupid they may sound in their arguing, two things are for sure – their love for each other has been renewed, and this day is the start of a new chapter in their life – together again and ready to face anything that comes their way.

***

"Do you plan to go to UTCC like before?" asked First, while mixing his Frappuccino using the straw, never taking his eyes off the guy opposite him on the same table.

"Yeth Firtht," answered Opp, waiting for Iced Caramel Macchiato.

"I'm guessing you've saved enough, right?" First sips a bit from his drink.

"Jutht enough for me to enroll thith semethter."

"If ever you need help in your allowance, I can help you with the money."

"No. Your earningth are yourth alone. I can manage, Firtht. It'th only two semethterth." Opp is adamant on his decision.

"I'm your boyfriend now, and I'm willing to help you out. I just want you to complete your studies and graduate."

"I thaid no, Firtht."

"I don't want you to be an alter anymore."

"I thtopped."

"For now but not fully."

"Venti Iced Caramel Macchiato for Opp Weerapong," said a female voice.

"Wait here." Opp stands up to get his drink, throwing in the bin what First said, making his point known that if ever he needs to fund for himself again, he will definitely go to his first choice again – be an alter. When he gets back to their table, he invites his guy for a short walk.

"Where to?" asked First after they get out of the coffee shop inside Siam Paragon.

"Let me just check the balanthe in my card."

"Okay."

They walk a short distance inside to where the ATMs are. Approaching the one without any occupants, Opp brings out his ATM card and inserts it into the slot.

"I'll just go to the restroom," said First, pointing to a sign two stores away from where they are.

"Go ahead. I'll wait for you here." Opp turns to the screen, which is prompting him to give his PIN. As he types on the keypad, he sees corresponding asterisks in place of numbers.

The screen, then, shows multiple options, and where Opp chooses Balance Inquiry. When the amount appears, his eyes almost pops out of their sockets, his jaw nearly drops to the dashboard of the machine.

"How ith thith..." A beep from his phone stops Opp's from thinking what in the world happened to his money, which has increased more than a hundred times in value. "+41," he said, looking at the number who sent the newest SMS that comes in. Shrugging the question on who it is from, he goes on ahead and opens the message.

"I've done it Weerapong; Spend your share wisely; From the guy who loves GP." said the message.

"Jeff Thatur," whispered Opp, smiling afterwards, knowing that he has guessed correctly on who sent the message. "The bathtard did it. He really ith one of a kind." Erasing the message, he quits the balance inquiry and gets his card out of the ATM. As he leaves, he can't help but beam a smile – a smile to celebrate something euphoric and from where all his dreams and aspirations will start to unfold.

"What's the matter?" asked First, who has just arrived from the men's room.

"Nothing. Jutht happy with my drink – that'th all."

"Macchiatos in Starbucks rarely change taste." First raises an eyebrow, chuckling at Opp's explanation.

"Anyway, you thaid that you want me to stop being an alter, right?"

First nods to answer. Surprisingly, instead of saying something back to build a new conversation, Opp takes a couple of steps forward and kisses First in the lips.

Stunned, First can feel that it is not any other kiss that Opp gave him before: this one is pure happiness rather than libido, emanating from something inspirational rather than a bodily call.

"I'll do it now – right thith very moment. I won't be uthed by anyone elthe anymore. I'm yourth alone from now on," replied Opp. The gaiety on his face is still there without a sign of waning a bit.

"Are you okay?" asked First, confused now at the aura that his man is letting out.

"More than okay." Opp nods after the response and takes First's hand to continue their stroll. As they approach an escalator, he can't remove from his mind the numbers he saw during the balance inquiry: he has more than a hundred million Baht under his name now.

------

Author's Note

That's it: our story comes to an end now, and our Jeff-Gameplay lived happily ever after.

It will be a while before I post a new story here: I'll have to think of another interesting plot for my next thriller BL.

Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoyed reading Scylla and Charybdis.

Don't forget to like and share this story, so that it will gain traction in this platform. :)