Chapter 2
"I heard you got into another fight with Ginny?"
Warot was the first to speak, leaning over to clap Isara's shoulder as the latter joined the table in a glass-walled VIP room of a famous downtown club. The venue was a frequent haunt for celebrities, socialites, and the wealthy, largely because one of the partners was an influential figure who provided "extra options" reserved only for those in the inner circle.
"I don't know what's wrong with that woman. She's jealous as hell!" Isara cursed.
"Did you do something to make her jealous?" Warot teased with a crude gesture, nodding toward Sathit and Anuchit, who were already at the table. "Word is you went to see Nong Prae at her faculty, and Ginny caught you, didn't she?"
"So what if she did? Ginny isn't my wife."
"Whoa there. That's the daughter of Khun Pham and Khun Panida Kridakul. Where are you going to find a woman more perfect than her?" Anuchit remarked.
"Your Nong Prae is cute and pretty, sure, but I don't see what makes her so captivating," Sathit voiced his opinion.
"I actually think Nong Prae is much more... desirable than Ginny," Warot said, only to narrowly dodge Isara's foot as it lunged toward his ribs. "Whoa! Just a compliment, and you're already trying to kick me?"
"Don't you guys talk about my Nong Prae in such a vulgar way. I don't like it."
"You don't seem to mind when it's Ginny."
"Why should I? Weren't you also 'involved' with Ginny yourself?" Isara shot a resentful look at Anuchit, the only son of the Deputy Commissioner of the Police, whose father was currently highly favored.
The other man stared back with cold, hard eyes. "Watch your mouth and show her some respect. I was never involved with her to that extent."
The remaining friends exchanged glances, knowing both men had once pursued Ginjutha, but she had ultimately chosen Isara.
"But I'm curious, just like Chit... are you really going to choose Nong Prae over Ginny?" Warot asked.
"I still have plenty of time to find a wife. I don't like women who are too bossy and try to control my life."
"Which woman could stomach it? If you're seeing someone else while you're with her. Why don't you just 'eat' Nong Prae in secret and keep Ginny for show? When the time comes, money has to combine with money, doesn't it?"
Isara didn't answer. He simply downed the drink Sathit had mixed for him, his mood still foul from being slapped by a woman.
He had just visited Ginjutha at her private condominium to vent his frustration after being brushed off by another girl he desired. But instead of being submissive and playful like usual, she had picked a fight with a cold demeanor. She even threatened to leave him for one of the many other suitors waiting in line.
'Do you think I'm your plaything?'
'Come on, Ginny. You were the one who said we should just see how things go at first.'
'But that didn't mean you could see other women while you're seeing me!' Isara feigned a grievance.
The young woman's eyes blazed even brighter as she shouted in exasperation, 'Then what about us having sex on the bed, on the floor, in the bathroom—in almost every square inch of my condo! Is that what people who aren't in a relationship do?!'
'It was just sex we both enjoyed... Oh!'
He couldn't finish his sentence before Ginjutha's palm struck his face with full force. She continued to scream at him even as his ears rang.
'You coward! Do you think I just sleep around with men if I'm not serious?'
'I didn't...' Isara clenched his jaw and his fists. He hadn't revealed his true colors yet because their relationship was still relatively fresh.
Furthermore, Pham, her father, was an old-money aristocrat, just like her mother Panida, who came from a business dynasty. It could be said that Ginjutha was a modern socialite equipped with every quality desired by men of his stature.
She was beautiful and possessed a heated charm at only twenty-two. He had been infatuated for a long while—until he met another woman who was the polar opposite of Ginjutha.
Unakarn had caught his eye by chance during a university activity when they first met. She had looked at him with only a hint of curiosity upon realizing she was being watched, offered a smile, and then turned away as if nothing had happened.
It was a smile so mysteriously captivating that Isara had to find a way to know her, thinking it wouldn't be 'hard.' However, as his attraction grew and he began his pursuit, he discovered that beneath her friendly exterior, she was a hundred times 'harder' to get than the women he usually dealt with.
She appeared sweet, innocent, and seemingly naive, yet she harbored an inner strength and seemed to see right through things. Like a well-mannered, decent-looking girl who didn't particularly stand out, yet became increasingly alluring and intoxicating every time he looked at her.
She seemed accessible, but in reality, she was guarded, as if a high wall had been built by the boundaries of a lady, making Isara afraid to rush. She had only gone out to eat with him twice due to his persistent nagging. Once was in the university canteen, just the two of them. Another time, her close friends came along as third wheels before she stopped accepting his invitations altogether once she caught wind of Ginjutha.
His gifts and endless sweet talk yielded the opposite result of what he saw with other women; instead, he was met with skeptical and untrusting eyes—something Isara had never experienced before.
When he tried to dig for information about her and her family, he only learned that she was the middle daughter of three. The eldest was a rising actress known for her villainous roles. The youngest, whom he had never seen, was a fresh-faced freshman. Unakarn only had her mother left. They used to be middle-class, but their situation improved when Shanya, or Pudpitchaya, her older sister, started getting more acting work. Regardless, Sukonthee was a familiar surname among the old-rooted noble families.
He had once silently insulted her, thinking she was playing hard to get just to increase her value like some girls do. But as time passed, Isara realized he had misjudged her as usual. Unakarn never had male friends despite many men desiring her. She wasn't a party girl and had no bad history.
The young woman had good grades and belonged to a group of studious friends. And those friends weren't interested in being a bridge or opening a path for him to woo her; they didn't care for any bribes and even looked at him with suspicion when offered.
He once tried to pursue her heavily and then intentionally disappeared to see her reaction, only to find that she was perfectly fine in his absence. It was as if his presence or absence had no effect on her. It was he who couldn't let go.
And though he could barely read her, his heart raced and he felt happy every time he was near her. Something that was always out of reach became more valuable and desirable over time. It reached a point where he would imagine her while having sex with Ginny, almost accidentally shouting her name at the climax. Luckily, he had enough sense to stop himself in time.
"Hey! What's with you? You've gone totally silent." Warot nudged his shoulder when the man he was teasing suddenly fell into a daze.
"I just don't like people being disrespectful about my private matters." He shot a glare, still angry that they had mentioned 'her.'
"Alright, alright. I apologize for my big mouth," Warot gave in first. "But are you really going to keep two-timing like this?"
"I'm only twenty-seven. I'm not thinking of getting married anytime soon."
"And will Ginny allow that? Since she's beautiful enough to have her pick."
"As long as no one around here interferes, I can handle this."
Warot and Sathit glanced at Anuchit for a split second before quickly agreeing. The son of the Deputy Commissioner simply shrugged.
One month later...
Unakarn walked along the corner of the old building toward the university gate to catch a bus home. Today she hadn't driven 'Phi Nang Yam,' the semi-old Nissan used by the household, because it had just been sent for a paint job after being grazed by another car the previous week. However, she almost couldn't stop in time when three women stepped out to block her path at close range.
"Oh!"
"Watch where you're going! Use your eyes!"
"I'm sorry." She spoke while clutching her thick textbook tightly upon seeing who the students blocking her were. It was the second time she had encountered Ginjutha and her close friends, Khakanang and Jomnaree, face-to-face.
"Walking without looking is one thing. But catching a man without checking if he's already taken is much worse, don't you think?"
"..."
"I asked you a question! Are you deaf?!" The one who snapped the question was Jomnaree.
"Yes."
"Then why are you still involved with P'Isara?" Khakanang asked with a curious expression, while Unakarn looked at the source of the trouble, Ginjutha, with unease.
"Isara and I... we aren't anything to each other, Khun Ginny."
The woman she addressed gave a mocking smile. "Isara came to see you and half the faculty saw it. Are you going to say he came on his own?"
"Yes, he did."
"Are you denying you have feelings for my boyfriend?"
Unakarn frowned at that question before shaking her head, but it made the onlookers think she was lying.
"If you don't like it, then tell him to get lost. As far as I know, he's been here several times after the day Ginny and I came to check on you." Jomnaree attacked on her friend's behalf as usual, glaring at the junior whose slender face had turned pale.
"I already told P'Isara not to come again."
"Stop acting so innocent by referring to yourself as 'Prae' this and 'Prae' that. I absolutely loathe your kind—the fake-innocent husband-snatchers who pretend to be cute and pitiful so men will want to protect you. Only P'Isara is foolish enough to believe that outdated charm is your real personality."
Unakarn was stunned into silence, her face stinging as if slapped, for she had never been targeted with such vicious accusations.
"What are you going to do about Isara?" Ginjutha cut in, raising a hand to stop Jomnaree who was about to continue her assault.
"I'm telling the truth about P'Isara, Khun Ginny... Why don't you deal with him yourself?"
The socialite's eyes flashed with rage, making the person she was looking at stand stiffly, unsure of how to behave.
"I know Isara is a flirt. But would he really be thick-skinned enough to keep pestering you if he were flatly rejected?"
"She's probably using her wiles to pretend to push him away or complain, just to find a way to make P'Isara leave Ginny," Jomnaree added.
The girl who stood alone and outnumbered frowned. "Why would I invest that much effort just to get a man like P'Isara?"
Ginjutha raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with a man like Isara?"
"He lacks loyalty. He's never satisfied," Unakarn met the eyes of the real accuser as she explained in a soft voice. "Even if I snatched him away, I could only keep him for a short time. Because the moment he meets someone he likes more, he'll find a way to move on to someone else anyway."
The listener went quiet for a moment before giving a mocking smile. "I've never seen a man who could be loyal to only one woman. Not even my own father."
"My father was loyal to my mother alone until the day he drew his last breath."
"Oh! Don't listen to her, Ginny!" Jomnaree protested loudly upon seeing Ginjutha bite her lip. "She's trying to talk you into giving up on him first so she won't have to work so hard to steal him herself!"
"Or she's making excuses because she's afraid of us," Khakanang offered her opinion.
"Both of you shut up." Ginjutha sighed in frustration. "You two go wait over there. I have my own business to discuss."
Khakanang shrugged and walked away as told. Jomnaree followed suit, huffing with an irritated expression. Ginjutha stood speaking to her rival for only a few sentences that no one else could hear before turning away and walking off.
"Ginny, what did you agree on with her?"
"Would you die if you didn't know everything?!" The one in a foul mood turned to shout at Jomnaree, who looked taken aback.