Nick has never been a man who was terrified easily. Years in business taught him how to keep his ground, how to bluff, and how to navigate through stormy waters without losing himself. But sitting in his office that evening, with the Bangkok city glimmering in the distance and the weight of his life pushing in on all sides, he recognized this was different. This wasn't a hostile takeover or a failed investment.
This was Ake.
The name alone brought a nasty taste to his tongue now.
Earlier that day, he had received an unlabeled envelope. Inside: a USB drive. Curiosity had tempted him to plug it into his laptop—what harm could it do?
But the instant the footage began to play, his stomach sank.
It was Arthur and Ake.
Seated near each other at a rooftop bar. Arthur was giggling at something, leaning forward. Ake brushed a hand against Arthur's shoulder, lingering too long. Forward to the next frame, Arthur seemed uncomfortable, his hands tightening on the table as Ake leaned forward as if saying something. It wasn't scandalous—at least not objectively—but when taken out of context, the narrative it implied was perilous. That something was rekindling.
Attached to the video was a textual message:
"If you truly love him, let him go. Before I demolish everything you've built."
Nick had stared at those words for a long time.
He hadn't shown Arthur the video. Not yet.
He told himself he didn't want to hurt him, but the truth was uglier—he wasn't sure what to believe. Not after everything. Not after the fissures that had started to emerge between them since Ake returned.
And now this.
Blackmail.
—
Arthur's voice boomed in the flat that night, full of love and fear.
"Nick, are you working late again? "
Nick didn't answer right away. He was at his home office desk, crouched over, pretending to check contracts but unable to stop reliving the movie in his mind.
Arthur strolled into the room, barefoot, clothed in a baggy T-shirt and sweatpants. "You didn't eat dinner."
"I wasn't hungry," Nick whispered.
Arthur frowned. "Is this about Ake again? "
Nick's jaw constricted. He glanced up, his countenance unreadable. "He's not exactly harmless, Arthur."
"I told you," Arthur said gently, crossing his arms, "I'm not interested in him. I never was. I just used him to make you jealous when I was angry… and stupid. I shouldn't have done that."
Nick looked aside.
Arthur took a tentative step closer. "You believe me, don't you? "
Nick wanted to say yes. He really did.
But doubt had a way of contaminating everything, especially when it came with threats and artfully arranged footage.
"I want to," Nick muttered.
Arthur's face fell.
But before either could say another word, Nick's phone buzzed.
Another message.
Unknown number.
"You have until Friday. Pull out of the Skyline project—or I release everything. Including what I know about your investors."
Arthur leaned forward. "Who is it? "
Nick took the phone away, locking the screen. "No one. Just work."
"You're lying," Arthur murmured gently, pain flashing in his eyes.
Nick stood abruptly, walking past him. "I'm tired."
Arthur glanced after him, his chest tense. There was distance between them now—unspoken and raw—and every stride Nick took away from him simply made that distance extend more.
—
The next day, Ake made his move.
He turned up at one of Nick's partner meetings, unannounced and smiling like the devil in a designer suit.
"Gentlemen," Ake greeted, nodding toward the room of CEOs. "Apologies for interrupting. I was expecting to have a quick discussion with Mr. Charoenwat about some anomalies I observed about Skyline Group's zoning permits."
The muttering began instantly.
Nick stood, hands clenched. "You're not welcome here."
But Ake only smiled wider. "Oh, I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here to give solutions. You see, I've lately bought a minority position in one of your suppliers—Bordin & Co. The same one overseeing Skyline's basic resources. So technically… I'm part of this project now."
Nick felt his world tilt.
Ake had done his homework. This wasn't simply petty revenge.
It was war.
—
That evening, Nick sat in his car, parked a block from their apartment. He couldn't force himself to walk in. Not yet.
His phone rang again. Unknown number.
He answered.
"Nick," Ake's soft voice poured across the line. "You don't look so good today. Long meeting? "
"What do you want? "
"To be honest? " A pause. "Arthur."
Nick closed his eyes, his grasp on the steering wheel tightening. "He doesn't want you."
"But he did. Maybe he still does." Ake laughed, low and cruel. "You think you can hold on to him with a little ring and a shared mortgage? You know how precious love is, Nick. One incorrect step, and it shatters."
Nick didn't speak.
"I'm giving you a choice," Ake continued. "Step away from Arthur. Let him go. You focus on your business, your empire. I'll back off. No more threats. No more interference."
"And if I don't? "
"Then your name, your company, your reputation… it all burns."
—
Arthur waited by the window that night, observing the street below.
Nick didn't come home.
His heart ached in quiet. He felt something was wrong—something bigger than jealousy or old wounds. And it had Ake's fingerprints all over it.
He walked to their room and pulled out the drawer where Nick kept his business documents. His hands trembled as he flipped through them. And then, nestled beneath a contract, he found it.
The USB.
He paused.
Then he hooked it into Nick's laptop.
And watched.
His stomach turned.
His eyes burned.
This… this was what Nick had been hiding?
The angles, the context—it was meant to fool.
But the worst thing wasn't the video.
It was that Nick had seen it—and doubted him.
Arthur slammed the laptop shut and whispered to the empty room, "You still don't trust me…"
—
The next morning, Nick arrived home. He looked worn out, his clothing crumpled, eyes vacant.
Arthur waited in the kitchen, waiting.
"I saw the video," he added quietly.
Nick froze.
Arthur's voice was steady yet filled with grief. "You saw it and didn't ask me. Didn't talk to me."
Nick breathed softly, drawing a hand down his face. "I didn't know how to. I didn't know what to believe."
"You said you wanted to fight for us." Arthur's eyes flooded with sorrow. "But the moment it got hard, you shut me out."
"I was trying to protect you."
"No," Arthur responded, stepping closer. "You were trying to protect yourself. And in doing that, you let him come between us."
They stood in silence for a long beat.
Finally, Nick spoke. "He's blackmailing me. With more than simply that video. He's targeting my business, my investors. If I don't withdraw from Skyline… he claims he'll destroy everything."
Arthur blinked.
Then his expression darkened.
"Then let him try."
Nick looked up.
Arthur's voice was steady now. "Let him come at us. Because if we allow him to rule us, we've already lost. And I'm not losing you again."
Nick's throat clenched. "I'm scared, Arthur."
Arthur moved over to him, laying a hand on his heart. "Me too. But I'd rather be afraid together than torn apart again."
—
Outside, Ake stood across the street, watching the apartment window from behind dark sunglasses.
He smiled.
"Let's see how long that lasts."