The casino gleamed under its chandelier light, each corner alive with laughter, the shuffle of cards, and the clink of glasses.
Lek was stationed near the lounge, alert but calm, taking in the atmosphere like she always did, quiet, watchful, and invisible.
Then came a familiar voice that shattered her stillness.
"Lek!"
She turned quickly, her chest tightening at the sight.
Nam stood there, dressed in her bar uniform, hair tied up in her usual easy style.
Her grin was bright and warm, the kind that carried history and comfort.
Nam?" Lek's brows rose.
"What are you doing here?"
"Delivering something nearby." Nam shrugged, stepping closer as though she belonged in the marble corridors.
"Thought I'd drop by, and check on you. Your new job suits you, doesn't it? You look so handsome with that suit!"
Lek shifted uneasily, glancing around.
"You shouldn't just—"
"Relax." Nam chuckled, leaning on the counter with a familiarity that didn't belong in Rattanakosin's casino.
"I'm not causing trouble. I'm just… making sure you haven't been swallowed whole by this shiny palace."
Lek's lips parted to respond, but the sound of heels clicking against marble cut the air.
Sharp, precise.
Sanya.
She approached with the poise of someone who never rushed, yet made everyone instinctively step aside.
Her presence was magnetic, a hush following in her wake.
Her eyes, cool and knowing, landed squarely on the two of them.
Her eyes slid to Lek first, then to Nam.
"Miss Saetang." she said, velvet over steel. "I don't recall granting you a break."
Lek stiffened. "Khun San, I—"
"I was the one stopping her,"
Nam cut in lightly, offering a polite nod.
"Just wanted to see how my friend was doing. That's all."
Sanya tilted her head, arms folding across her chest in an elegant but unmistakably defensive posture.
She let the silence stretch, her gaze narrowing on Nam.
Then, with a faint curl of her lips, she repeated:
"Your… friend."
The word dripped with sarcasm, turned into something brittle and mocking in her mouth.
Nam straightened slightly, smile faltering before she forced it back into place.
"Yes. Friends look out for each other."
"Mm," Sanya hummed, her eyes still fixed on Nam, a queen dissecting an uninvited guest. "How touching."
Lek stepped forward, her voice low, trying to ease the weight pressing into the air.
"Khun San, she didn't mean to disturb-"
But Sanya's eyes flicked to her sharply, her crossed arms tightening.
"This is a workplace. Not a tea house. Not a bar. Certainly not a place for… social visits."
Her words struck like the flick of a whip, and though her tone remained even, the irritation threading beneath it was impossible to miss.
"Khun San, she's just-"
Lek tried again, but the heiress cut her off, her voice slipping lower, silkier, with a dangerous edge.
"And why are you defending her."
That silenced Lek, caught between loyalty and discomfort.
Nam glanced between them, sensing the invisible line drawn in the floor.
She gave a small, nervous laugh, her bravado dimming under Sanya's stare.
"Well… maybe I came at a bad time. I'll leave now, I don't want to trouble you lek"
Sanya arched a brow, not moving as Nam stepped back, as if her very stance declared: Yes. Leave.
Once Nam disappeared into the crowd, Sanya finally turned her full gaze on Lek.
Her arms uncrossed, but her eyes still carried that sharp, unsettling focus.
"Miss Lek," she said, her tone softer now, though no less commanding.
"When you are done entertaining… friends… Come follow me to my office."
The pause before the word friends was deliberate, a teasing dagger slipped between politeness.
She leaned in just slightly, enough for her perfume, floral, expensive, impossible to ignore to reach Lek.
Her voice dropped, low and velvet, but laced with the bratty defiance of someone who had never been denied what she wanted.
"Don't keep me waiting."
With that, Sanya turned on her heel, her stride brisk, elegant, and laced with irritation, heels striking the marble like punctuation marks of her unspoken claim.
While Lek stood frozen, her chest tight, caught between guilt for Nam and the heavy pull of Sanya's possessiveness.
The casino lights hadn't dimmed, but everything around her felt darker.
Lek leaned against the marble wall once May was gone, exhaling deeply.
Her chest felt tight, her head buzzing with the echo of Sanya's voice.
"Don't keep me waiting."
The words clung to her like perfume, suffocating and sweet at the same time.
Lek rubbed the back of her neck.
Her head tilted back, eyes tracing the chandelier's glittering edges.
It wasn't the first time she'd dealt with rich types.
She'd worked in hotels, private clubs, high-end parties but Sanya was different.
She wasn't just rich.
She was used to bending the world around her, used to people bending with it.
And Lek? She was bending.
She sighed, shaking her head.
"Gosh, It's making my head hurt."
Still, her feet carried her forward.
Not because she wanted to, but because something in Sanya's voice had made refusal impossible.
______________
The door to the heiress's office was ajar, light spilling out in a warm, golden hue.
Lek knocked gently once before stepping in.
Sanya was seated behind her desk, one leg crossed over the other, her hand lazily swirling a glass of water as though it were wine.
Her eyes lifted, catching Lek immediately, and the faintest smirk touched her lips.
"You took your time."
"I came as soon as I could," Lek answered evenly, though her voice carried a slight edge of tiredness.
Sanya set her glass down with a quiet clink.
"Good. Then let's not waste it."
She leaned back in her chair, the picture of elegance and entitlement.
"I have an event this weekend. A gathering of families, associates, investors… and their kids"
"I'm going to play golf with them," Sanya continued, her eyes never leaving Lek's face.
"To relax. But every hole played is another business deal closed, then another alliance formed."
She tapped her manicured nail lightly against the desk.
"And I want you there."
Lek blinked. "Me? But, I don't know anything about golf"
"Yes, you." Sanya's gaze sharpened, as if challenging the question itself.
Sanya chuckled, the sound low and smooth.
"Who said I need you to play? I need you to keep me from dying of boredom. Do you have any idea how dull those people are?"
She leaned forward on her desk, resting her chin lightly on her palm, her eyes glinting.
"At least if you're there, I'll have someone interesting to look at."
Lek hesitated. "I've never played golf."
Sanya's lips curved into a small, amused smile.
"You won't need to. Just stay close with me. Watch and listen."
Her eyes softened then, though only slightly, a faint crack in her polished armor.
"Besides… I'd rather not spend the entire day with jackals alone."
The words landed heavier than Lek expected.
For a fleeting second, she saw not the bratty heiress who demanded attention, but a woman who despite her wealth hated being surrounded by fakes and opportunists.
Still, Lek couldn't help but rub her temples.
"Golf with rich kids," she muttered under her breath.
"My headache just got worse."
Sanya caught the murmur.
Her brows lifted, but instead of snapping, she laughed low, rich, and dangerously amused.
"Then I'll consider it a privilege," she said smoothly, "that I'm the cause of your headaches."
She tilted her head, a glimmer of something playfulness lighting her eyes.
The air between them tightened, charged with a tension Lek wasn't prepared for.
Sanya tilted her head, studying her like a cat watching a bird.
"So? Will you come?"
Lek hesitated, rubbing the back of her neck. "Do I even have a choice?"
"Not really." Sanya's smirk widened, bratty and proud.
"But don't pretend you don't enjoy being around me."
Lek exhaled, shaking her head with a faint laugh. "You're impossible."
"Mm," Sanya hummed having her shiny lips lift and mocking lek, leaning back again with the air of someone who had already won.
"Get used to it. It's on Saturday make sure to ready."
Her voice dipped into that teasing lilt again. "After all… what would I do without you?"
Lek stood, her head buzzing, her heart doing a strange skip she tried to ignore.
But the ghost of Sanya's smirk followed her all the way out.