Kwan Khao's stomach twisted as she looked at the man sitting before her.
That face—sharp, confident, merciless—still carried the same arrogance she remembered.
His dark eyes glimmered with a mix of amusement and danger, cold enough to send a chill crawling down her spine.
For a moment, she couldn't move. Then instinct took over.
She shot to her feet, clutching her bag. She had to get out—away from those eyes, that smirk, him.
But before she could take a step, a strong hand caught her wrist.
"Let go of me," she hissed.
Pennueng's lips curved lazily.
"After all these years, that's how you greet me?"
His tone was smooth—too smooth—and it made her blood boil.
"I thought you were dead," she spat. "Didn't expect to find you still breathing."
His brows arched, unfazed. The grip on her wrist tightened just enough to make her pulse hammer.
"Well, I'm very much alive. And apparently… so are you."
He turned her hand slightly, his gaze dropping to her bare ring finger. A small, smug smile tugged at his lips.
"No ring," he murmured. "You're not married."
Kwan Khao yanked her hand, but his hold didn't budge.
"How do you know that?"
"I just do," he said, voice dropping low, teasing. "You should know by now—I never miss what I want. Or who."
His words hit her like a spark in dry air. Her cheeks burned, her throat tight with anger.
Tears pricked her eyes—not from fear, but from fury.
Without another word, she slammed her heel down—hard—on his polished leather shoe.
He grunted in surprise, his hand releasing her instantly.
Kwan Khao didn't wait. She snatched her wrist free, spun on her heel, and bolted out of the café, her heart pounding so fast it drowned out the world around her.
She didn't stop until she was outside, gasping for air.
The city buzzed faintly in the distance, but all she could hear was the echo of his voice—low, certain, and far too confident.
"Anything I want, I always get."
And that terrifying truth was what made her realize—
Pennueng hadn't come back just to haunt her past.
He'd come for something more.
Something she couldn't afford to lose.