No Strings Attached

Chapter 10

The woman smiled bitterly and nods. Her long black hair glowing under the light.

"I'm sorry. I was leaving and I saw you and I couldn't help myself. My cousin was your schoolmate and she talked a lot about you. She said you were her role model and everyone in the campus adored you. I thought someone like you shouldn't go through what I went through with Zee." The woman stood up and smiled again. "I'm sorry for being intrusive, Khun Nunew. It's truly not my intention."

The woman walk away like a deity lost on earth. That's when he realized that he clenched his fist.

"Is that Kimmy Walt?" He heard the familiar voice of James. In a while, James was already sitting on the chair where Kimmy is sitting awhile ago. "What did she want from you?"

"She decided to be magnanimous and warn me not get delusional with Zee Pruk." He doesn't want to be harsh but he couldn't help it.

Kimmy's words cut him deeper than he would like to admit. Every words she said hit him hard. He was bleeding.

He knows that the woman doesn't have any bad intention. He saw it with her sad, sincere eyes and with her trembling voice. Kimmy had been truly hurt by Zee and the woman truly did want to warn him.

"Well, she was one of Zee's long time flings." James said and he felt the emptiness in his stomach even more. "That's what I want to tell you, NhuNu. That was about two to three years ago. They were seeing each other for like half a year. Some speculated that they were serious back then. Then... Bam!" James snapped his fingers for emphasis. "It ended. What's worst is that everything happens when Kimmy's family business went bankrupcy. Then, her mother died of cancer. Triple badluck, may I say."

Nunew sigh. He wanted to remove the pain in his chest but everytime he'll breath he can feel it...

"She took it hard. That's what I'm worried about, Nhu." James reach for his arms. "You agreed to be fuck buddies? That's insane, and you're not cut out for that. It's entirely different story if Zee Pruk is serious about you but if it's like this, you're bound to get hurt. It's impossible not to get drawn to someone like Zee Pruk."

"It's okay, James. I know what I'm doing. I'm a smart man. I know what I am dealing with."

Nunew can't believe he just said that. "It's clear to me from the very start that we are not serious. I am not delusional to think that it will change."

"Well, that's good. Because it's really impossible for it to change. Have you seen these pictures?"

Fear makes his stomach felt cold until he can feel it tightens. It's as if he was watching a laboratory on fire as James grab his Samsung tablet from his bag.

A laboratory containing the new medicines he work hard for to developed, medicines which made him sleepless and cried for. Everything he had worked hard for... Everything he had ever dreamed of and wanted, burning in front of him.

James opened his tablet and show him the screen. It reveals Zee with a lean woman.

Zee was darkly handsome in tuxedo and the woman in his arms looked delicate in her champage sheath gown.

"It was last Sunday. Ninetieth birthday celebration of Wang Taeyon. That's Wang Ara, great grand niece of Taeyon. It's a very private affair. It was taken in Pattaya. The pictures leaked just now because of tight security. They said that Zee spent the whole Sunday and stayed until late Monday on the island with Ara. The rumors of them getting married soon are now buzzing all over."

Everything burned and crashed before his eyes.
His hand trembles as he get the glass of water and drink it.

Sunday. So he went there last Sunday? That's the reason why Zee said they can't see each other that time. They saw each other again during Harit's bakehop opening. Zee went there. Zee had been with that woman in those two days.