"Phalin. Mom"
Everyone turned.
Chak was standing at the end of the hall, his expression unreadable but his eyes… furious.
Phalin's confident smile faltered.
"Mother," he said, his tone firm. "Phalin. Leave."
His mother frowned. "But, Chak this two are not responsible to working here. She don't be here like him."
"Now."
"We talk about this later."
The sharpness in his voice left no room for argument. Even Phalin, for once, looked speechless.
She glanced at me one last time, her lips tightening, and then turned to go — her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
Chak's mother followed, muttering under her breath as they disappeared down the corridor.
The silence they left behind was thick, almost suffocating.
I stood there, coffee dripping from my sleeve, my heart pounding in my chest. Chak's eyes moved to me, his expression softening just slightly.
"Amara, Anamarija, Vikran, and Niran — in my office," Chak ordered, his voice calm yet sharp enough that no one dared to question him.
The four of us followed him in silence. The tension from earlier still hung in the air like static. My shirt clung to my skin from the spilled coffee, sticky and cold, but what burned more was the memory of Phalin's smirk.
Once the door closed, Chak turned toward us. His expression softened slightly.
"First of all," he said, "no one will be fired. And Amara — thank you for trying to protect her."
Amara lowered her gaze. "I just didn't like how they treated her," she said quietly.
Chak nodded. "Before you go home, I'll send you something. Make sure every employee gets the message and that they understand it. All of them."
"Yes, sir," she replied. "I'll take care of it."
"Good," Chak said simply. "Now you can go."
As Amara left, the room grew quieter. The air shifted again, this time heavy with something unspoken.
Chak's eyes turned to Vikran and Anamarija. "You came just in time," he said.
Vikran folded his arms. "Why didn't you tell me she was your sister?"
Chak's jaw tightened. "I wanted to protect her."
Protect her,I repeated silently. That's so him — carrying the weight of everyone around him and never saying a word.
"In the company, everyone thought her name was Bella," Chak continued.
Only Niran, Kit, Taeng and her bodyguards know her real name.
Anamarija smiled faintly. "Then I suppose I should introduce myself properly."
She extended her hand toward Vikran. "I'm Anamarija. Chak's sister."
Vikran took her hand but didn't look away from her. "How did you say your name again?"
"For you," she said softly, a teasing warmth in her voice, "you can call me Ana."
Vikran's lips curved slightly. "I like that."
I caught the subtle spark in their exchange — a mix of curiosity and respect. *Interesting,* I thought. She's not intimidated by him at all.
Before anyone could speak again, Chak's tone hardened, laced with quiet authority.
"Vikran," he said, stepping closer, "listen carefully. If a single hair on her head is harmed, I'll be coming for you first. Understood?"
Vikran straightened immediately, the teasing tone gone. "You have my word," he said firmly. "Nothing will happen to her."
"Make sure no reporters see her," Chak added. "Not a single photo, not a single headline. She's off the radar until I say otherwise."
Vikran nodded. "I'll handle it. I'll protect her."
A flicker of gratitude passed through Chak's eyes. It was brief, but I saw it. He really means it — he's afraid for her.
Then, Chak looked back at Anamarija. "Would you mind staying at Vikran's place for one night? Don't worry — Suraphon will be there too."
"I don't mind," she said softly, her tone gentle. "As long as he doesn't."
"With great pleasure," Vikran replied, his voice calmer now, but his eyes steady.
"Good," Chak said. "Tomorrow morning, I'll pick you up at six."
"Six in the morning?" Vikran raised an eyebrow.
"You'll see," Chak replied with a knowing smile that said he'd already planned everything.
Then, without hesitation, Anamarija stepped forward and hugged Chak tightly. "Thank you," she whispered. "For standing up for me."
He said nothing, but his hand briefly rested on her back — a small, wordless gesture of care.
Before leaving, she turned to me and smiled. "And thank you, too. For being there."
I nodded, feeling warmth rise in my chest. "Anytime."
She left with Vikran, and the door clicked shut behind them.
The office felt suddenly still. I turned, and Chak's gaze was already on me — steady, unreadable. Then he looked at my shirt.
Without a word, he go to the wardrobe and take the fresh and held it out to me.
"Here. Change into this. You can't walk around like that."
I blinked, caught off guard. "Thanks," I said quietly, taking it.
Our fingers brushed, and for a moment everything else faded — the company, the chaos, the jealousy, all of it. Just us.
"When I'm done," I said after a pause, "I need to ask you something."
Chak's gaze lingered on mine. "You can ask me now."
"Later," I whispered. "When we're alone."
He didn't push, just nodded once. "Fine."
I gave him a small smile and left his office with his black shirt folded in my hands.
Even as I walked away, I could still feel his eyes on me. That same quiet tension between us — the one that never really goes away.
Later, I thought. You'll tell me everything — about her, about you… about us.
I left his office without saying a word and walked straight to the restroom.
The air there was cooler, quieter — as if it had swallowed the tension that still clung to my skin.
I pulled off my coffee-stained shirt and changed into Chak's T-shirt instead.
It smelled faintly of him — that calm, grounded scent I could recognize anywhere — and somehow, it made my chest ache even more.
Back at my desk, I folded the soiled shirt neatly and slipped it into a small bag.
The office around me had returned to its usual rhythm: the hum of printers, the quiet tapping of keyboards.
But in my head, everything was still replaying — Phalin is actually his ex girlfriend. I have so many questions for him.
I forced myself to focus.
Line by line, I finished the report, printed it, and straightened the pages until they were perfectly aligned.
Then I stood, smoothed the front of his T-shirt, and walked toward Chak's office.
Just as I reached the door, I heard his voice through the glass — steady, commanding.
"Make sure everything is ready."
For a moment, I hesitated.
Then I took a slow breath, knocked once, and stepped inside.
Chak looked up when I entered, his expression unreadable as always.
I placed the report carefully on his desk, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Here's the report you asked for."
He took it without a word and began to flip through the pages.
The only sounds in the room were the quiet rustle of paper and the faint ticking of the clock behind him.
Then his hand paused.
His brows lifted ever so slightly as his eyes lingered on one line.
"Drama Princess?" he read aloud, his tone slow — amused, but also curious.
His gaze lifted to meet mine.
I froze.
"Oh— uh…" My voice cracked, and heat rushed up my neck.
"It's just… something Anamarija said," I managed, rubbing the back of my neck. "She, um… gave Phalin that nickname."
"I forgot delete it". I little blushed.
Chak's lips curved slightly, the kind of smile that made it hard to tell whether he was teasing or remembering something.
"That sounds like something Chai would've said," he murmured, almost to himself. Then, louder:
"So… my ex-girlfriend, huh?"
The word ex-girlfriend hit harder than I expected.
I blinked, caught off guard. "So you really were together?"
He didn't answer right away. His eyes dropped back to the report, but his silence spoke more than words.
Chak glanced at the clock, then back at me.
"In fifteen minutes," he said firmly, "meet me where I dropped you off this morning. Don't be late."
I blinked, caught off guard. "Fifteen minutes? Where are we going?"
"You'll see," he replied simply, that unreadable tone back in his voice.
I nodded slowly, still unsure, and turned to leave the office. But just as I reached the door, I couldn't help making a small face — a tiny, playful grimace.
"I saw that," Chak's voice came, calm but amused. "Drama Prince."
I froze, then turned my head just enough to meet his gaze, a daring smile tugging at my lips.
"I am your only prince," I said softly.
For a split second, his expression changed — something flickered in his eyes, something warm and dangerous all at once.
Then, with that familiar half-smile, he said quietly, "Don't make me prove it."
I nodded, biting back a smile as I stepped out of the office, my pulse still racing.