Wittawin smiled as his eyes drifted to the owner of a major corporation and exclusive club, now perched on a weathered wooden bench in a roadside shack beside a gravel road, looking famished.
So eager to follow me to Ayutthaya. How's this working out for you? Stuck in the middle of nowhere like this. Don't even mention 'dinner'—there's not even water to drink.
Afraid I'll run off. Won't even let me drive to buy drinking water...
"When will you be done?" Teeradon finally couldn't take it anymore, calling out from under the corrugated metal roof. His voice carried the weight of exhaustion. Wittawin had caught the other man rubbing his stomach several times already.
Just keep watching...
"I need to wait for the landowner," Wittawin replied in his usual tone.
"If you're buying land, photos should be enough. We can discuss it over the phone. You're not buying today anyway—no need to meet the landowner immediately." Teeradon's suggestion came with an internal thought about Toey, his secretary who handled nearly everything over the phone.
"If you're bored, feel free to head back. It'll be dark soon. Don't you need to look after your club? Watch out—someone might sneak in without paying again." Wittawin's words carried a sharp edge, paired with a mocking smile.
"Ha ha ha," Teeradon forced out the laugh, his face remaining perfectly still, not showing even a hint of amusement.
If anyone's going to sneak into the club, it's this guy right here. Been running the club for ages, and Wittawin has snuck in twice now. Even after getting caught red-handed, he still plays innocent. Gave him free membership and he still gives me grief. Doesn't he know others are lined up waiting to become members?...
"What do you think of the land?" Wittawin suddenly turned to ask his opinion.
"If you're planning to grow rice or vegetables, it's lovely. Fits right in with the surrounding properties." Teeradon's tone dripped with sarcasm.
"I'm going to build a house," Wittawin said, ignoring the other man's attitude. "A small single-story wooden house with a wide front porch, a green lawn, four or five large trees, and I'll dig a pond for fish."
"How would you get to work?"
"Drive. It's just a short trip to Bangkok." Wittawin shrugged.
"Where are you staying now?" Teeradon seized the opportunity to fish for his address.
"Why do you need to know?"
"Thought I might ask to crash at your place," Teeradon shrugged back.
"Khun Teeradon." Wittawin's voice grew stern, momentarily forgetting to maintain his composed facade. But when provoked—especially by Teeradon—he couldn't help feeling irritated for reasons he couldn't quite understand.
"Aren't you scared staying alone?" Teeradon changed back to the original topic.
"Scared of what? There's nothing to be afraid of. There are no hungry tigers around Ayutthaya." Wittawin shrugged again, pursing his lips slightly before letting out a soft chuckle.
"So are you buying or not?" Teeradon pretended not to hear the jab, though internally he wondered who exactly the hungry tiger was if Wittawin didn't mean him.
I might just devour you for real at this rate. Such a smart mouth. And I'm starving right now...
"I like it, but the price is a bit steep," Wittawin sighed softly.
"How much?"
"Two million." Wittawin unconsciously pouted and shook his head vigorously, making Teeradon raise an eyebrow and suppress a smile at the young engineer's childlike gesture. "If I can get a bank loan for 1.6 million, I have 400,000. But if the bank gives me less than that, I can't manage it."
"Sell your motorcycle. You'd probably get over 200,000. The less bank debt, the better." Teeradon suggested.
Or you could owe Bank Teeradon instead. I won't charge monetary interest—just me with your body…
"No way. I love that thing to death," Wittawin shook his head.
"Besides your motorcycle, what else do you love?" Teeradon asked.
"I love people, not things," Wittawin turned to look directly at Teeradon. "I'm someone who loves people, not just objects."
"No need to take shots at me," Teeradon's voice hardened. "I love my red Aston Martin that you cut so close in front of that my car scraped against a garbage bin. I love my black Mercedes S 500 that I drive to events, my bronze Porsche 911 that I take out for nighttime drives, my Land Cruiser for rough provincial trips."
"And do you love this brand-new Ducati that you probably bought with cash?" Wittawin pointed to Teeradon's bike. "Or do you just think it's necessary because you need a vehicle to chase after me? And soon, when you don't need to chase anymore, you'll go back to driving the cars you already have. This Ducati won't be necessary anymore, and your love will disappear. Or...maybe you never loved it at all. Like I said—it's just a vehicle you needed to use for a short period." Wittawin spoke longer than usual.
Should I just pull him over and kiss that mouth? Those red lips are way too clever...
Teeradon narrowed his eyes, studying Wittawin intently. The two young men stared at each other in silence until a phone rang, breaking the tension.
"…"
"Not tonight, but call if anything important comes up," Teeradon spoke briefly after answering, then turned to Wittawin. "I'm hungry. Let's go find something to eat."
"You can go ahead. No need to eat with me. Or are you afraid I'll run away and you won't be able to track me down?"
"Hmph." Teeradon made a sound in his throat and walked over to stand with his hands on his hips by the small canal that flowed past the other side of the land, bordered by coconut palms.
"I can skip eating. Let's see who can hold out longer." Teeradon shrugged.
Khun Don is someone who has to win. This guy can't stand losing. Don't let him feel like he might lose—he'll show his true power immediately, doing whatever it takes to get what he wants...
Toey's voice—that traitorous secretary—echoed in Wittawin's head. This afternoon, Toey had called to speak with Sarayoot, but he'd answered instead and overheard some things from the secretary.
*...*
"Khun Don bought a motorcycle with cash to ride around. Probably figured a car wouldn't be fast enough to chase you. Please handle this, Khun Win."
"Why does it have to be me?" Wittawin had asked.
"Because you're the only one who makes Khun Don react."
*...*
Huh. React...
What kind of reaction does he want to see from Teeradon?...
But what's certain is that right now he's reacting with irritation, anger, hunger, and sulking from being called out directly...
"Please help adjust his behavior a little, I am begging you, Khun Win. So the employees can work in peace without being on edge every day from nine to five."...
If I had to fix him, the first habit would be his narcissism, then his moodiness. I'd save the womanizing for last because it seems like it would take a lot of effort and time...
Thinking he's handsome, cool, more charming than others. This kind needs the heavy treatment...
***