"Why are we so interested in that warehouse and who bought it?" Phayu asked, as he sat down at the conference table. "It belongs to some designer. Why is it so important?" The elders all looked at each other. "The Italians were supposed to sell us that warehouse. Why did they sell it off to someone else? And what is the designer a front for? We need information Ven," Vegas said. "And since you are the only one not known to any outside parties 'Masked Crusader'," Kinn said smirking, "you have been elected to hide in plain sight." "Whatever!" Phayu said, rolling his eyes. "Although, I must tell you, we need a better barista than Uncle Kim. His coffee was relegated to 'sludge' status." Kim sputtered. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" "Well, that owner? The designer? He said sewage water tastes better," Phayu said, shrugging. "The audacity!" Chay gasped, and then nearly fell on the floor, laughing at Kim's expression of horror.

The entire family was in splits, almost rolling about on the floor, giggling away. They would all stop, look at each other, and then burst out into laughter again. Kim sat with a sullen face, and that made it even funnier. "Let's find someone better than Kim in that case," Thankhun said, wiping his eyes. Soon everyone walked out of the room, leaving Phayu back, still sitting and brooding, staring a hole into the table. Pai popped his head back in, and seeing Phayu's face, strolled to sit in a chair next to him. "You look pissed. Would you like to share what is going on in your head?" he asked. "I need a plan of action," Phayu said, pouting and frowning at the same time. "For what?" Pai asked. "How to win him in 30 days," Phayu said. "Him? Haven't you been dating girls so far?" Pai asked, surprised. "He is prettier than a girl," Phayu said. Pai stared at him. His cousin looked smitten, and it while it was obvious, he didn't want to draw attention to it, because he knew it would make Phayu close up again. "Well, the first step to win anyone over is to ensure that you appear in front of them every day," Pai said. Phayu hummed, and then nodded firmly. He could do that!

From the next day onwards, Phayu made it a point to be in front of his boy, as he thought of the designer, every single day, without fail. He would get coffee, loiter around for a while, and then leave when he realised that Rain was really busy. He had finally found out the name of the person he was pursuing, and given his to Rain. Rain was amused and surprised by how persistent Phayu was being, and found it admirable, but he was just too busy to actually give it much thought. One night, after the staff had left, and he continued to sketch the new collection, Rain urgently felt the need for coffee, so he placed an order, not even imagining in his wildest dreams that Phayu would deliver it.

Seeing Rain working alone, so late, was a shock to Phayu's system, so he decided to stay back. Both of them talked of stuff, as Rain continued to sketch. Sometime later, Rain straightened, stretching his back, only to see that Phayu had dozed off. Rain smiled softly. This sexy giant of a man was slowly making his way into Rain's heart, and it looked like he had no plans to stop. He gently shook Phayu awake, and the two of them left, Rain ensuring that everything was locked up behind him and saying good night to the man at the gate. He dropped Phayu off in front of a small, nondescript building, and Phayu thanked him before going inside.

The next morning, Rain was surprised when another person came for delivering the coffee, but he didn't pay much attention to it, knowing that Phayu could be busy. Thankfully, the quality of the coffee had improved dramatically, so that was one good thing. Later that night, as Rain was winding up everything at his workstation, his night security guard came running in, out of breath. "Khun Varain, there is a man standing outside in the rain and asking if you are here!" he said, pointing outside. Rain was surprised. Who could it be? He didn't know anyone here, his parents were travelling, and Sky and other friends had no idea he was back. But Rain rushed out nonetheless, stopping in shock as he saw Phayu there, looking nearly heartbroken. Something lurched inside Rain's heart, and he quickly pulled the man into the warm studio. He bustled away, thinking of getting a towel for him but turned around at the tiny whimper.

Phayu looked like he would just float away, as if there was nothing tethering him to earth. Rain held out his arms, wanting to gather Phayu into a hug. "Come here," he said softly, and the bigger man lurched into his embrace, almost toppling him over. Rain stroked his back, humming something nonsensical, wanting to give peace to the older man. He pulled back to look at Phayu's face. "You look like a drenched puppy," he said softly. "Go freshen up. I will get you something to wear." Phayu nodded listlessly as Rain pushed him into the bathroom of his office. Rain's mind was still in turmoil. What could have happened that brought the man he considered the epitome of happiness in his life, to this nearly lifeless state? Rain kept clothes outside the door and then hurried downstairs. While not extensive, the warehouse had a tea and coffee collection, but since they did have a café nearby, the supplies had lain pretty much unused.

Rain put the kettle to boil, and then used a teabag to make some tea. He knew that Phayu preferred coffee, drip style, but there was not much time. Phayu had been standing in the rain, and Rain didn't want to take a chance by letting him feel colder than he already was. He rushed back upstairs, and saw that Phayu was out, sitting on the edge of the couch, towel on his head, gazed unfocused, staring into the distance. Rain set the tea down and gently took the towel from Phayu, jolting him out of his reverie. "Would you be okay to tell me what happened?" Rain asked softly, not wanting to make Phayu feel uncomfortable.

"I messed up Rain," Phayu said. "Tell me?" Rain asked, slowly drying Phayu's hair. "My father and uncle wanted me to go do a very important deal today, but I slept through all the alarms I had set, because I had been so tired last night. It is the first time that they were angry..," Phayu trailed off. "Actually, it would have been better if they had been angry. But they were disappointed. And that's worse," Phayu said, his mouth drooping in sadness. Immediately, Rain's heart wrenched. It was partly his fault. He had known he would finish late, so he should have asked him to leave, knowing how difficult and tiring Phayu's job was.

Rain made Phayu drink some tea and then ordered some food for him. Just as Phayu was finishing, Rain spoke up. "P'Phayu?" he said, and the other man looked up. "I think you should stop coming here. I have struggled long and hard to make a name for myself, and honestly, your coming here all the time, especially when I am working at night, it's a huge distraction. Plus, since you come here, you are unable to manage your time properly, and that makes it tough on you to run your business. Your family has put in so much of effort into the coffee shop, even going as far as to change the barista, that means you must ensure they do well. And if you keep coming here, it's a lose-lose for both of us. So please, from tomorrow, let's not see each other," Rain said, as Phayu looked at him.

Phayu stared at Rain in shock. He knew that the challenge he had thrown at Rain in the spur of the moment had been something both of them had probably taken as a joke. But somewhere in these past few days, Phayu had begun to have genuine feelings for the man in front of him. He had started to find pleasure in Rain's company and that made him very happy. The stress of being a Theerpanayakul could be forgotten when he was with Rain. So hearing those words from Rain, they broke something inside him. He wanted to speak up, but something about the set of Rain's mouth made him realise that Rain could not and would not be placated. And he understood that he would just be wasting time. He slowly stood up, knowing he was leaving a piece of his heart there, as he turned on his heels and left.

Rain felt empty the moment Phayu left. He wanted to run behind him and scream and shout and ask him to come back. But he didn't want to be the reason for someone's losses. He sat with his head in hands for a few moments and then stood up, walking to his design table. He looked down at his work, and putting that sheet aside, he picked up another and began sketching. He drew until his fingers were stiff, putting his pencil down once he had run out of steam. He stared at what was there on the page. A single tear ran down his face. Love was not for him. He quietly rolled up the sheet, packed his things, and left.

The staff at Rain's company quickly learnt to avoid their boss within two days of Phayu leaving. Gone was the sweet, soft-spoken man. In his place was someone who would blow their top for the smallest reason. Rain was moody, irritable, and short-tempered, hating the fact that he missed that stupid delivery boy more than anything in the world. Rain's anger was targeted at himself. He knew that he was not lucky in love, and despite knowing that, he had begun that slow, slippery slide with Phayu. What was he even thinking? A man like Phayu, who could have his pick of lovers, that was not Rain's cup of tea. He was fine. He had done the right thing, sending the man away. He had understood that Phayu's business was doing well, and he didn't want the man's attention diverted to other unimportant things. Right? Then why would he keep glancing at his phone, willing it to ring at least once with that beloved number.

Pete watched as Phayu explained the next steps towards the deal they had going with the Russians and the Japanese. The heirs of the Bratva and the Yakuza had studied with Phayu in France, and they had become great friends. Pai and Fah had similar connections, Pai with the Italians and Koreans, Fah with the Indians, and the Mexican cartels, which effectively covered most gangs and Mafia connections. Phayu was level headed and clear in his thinking, even more focused than the deal he had almost messed up a week ago. Thanks to Vlad, his best friend, the Russians had not felt too bad at the fact that the heir to the biggest Thai Mafia family had been tardy to one of the biggest conglomerate commemorations in the recent times. Since then, Phayu had gone all out to prove his mettle, and Vegas and Kinn couldn't be prouder.

But Pete and Porche had both seen it; the light dimming in Phayu's eyes, as if his very soul was in pain. At first, they had thought it was because he had felt bad about what had happened. Pete knew Phayu hated to disappoint Vegas, so he chalked it up to embarrassment. But Phayu had done exceptionally well after that, garnering praises from everywhere, as he stepped into his role as the heir, and next in line. So what was this infernal sadness that plagued his son? Pete was desperate to find out, as was Porche, but they were too scared to ask, afraid to see Phayu's reaction. As soon as the meeting ended however, Pete gestured inconspicuously to Pai and Fah, and they nodded, understanding at once what Pete was hinting at. They nodded, and everyone left. Phayu sat back, collecting all the documents he would need for his next meeting, and surreptitiously glancing at his phone in between.