Arthit's POV
Finally, I'm feeling better. It's been two days since I returned home from the hospital. Kongpob has been taking care of me, and I can't thank him enough for his support during this time. I feel guilty for putting him through all this trouble.
He hasn't even been to the office until today. But I insisted that he go back to work. I can't bear to see his work suffering because of me. So here I am, alone in the house. What should I do? Maybe some cleaning. I glance around the house and realize it's already spotless. Of course, Kongpob is a neat freak. He can't stand any mess for even a minute. It would be a disaster for him.
So, what should I do now? I ponder for a moment before an idea pops into my mind. I should call Wad. He might have some information about the office. I haven't been to work for the past five days, so I'm completely out of the loop. I pick up my phone and dial his number. He answers after the third ring.
"Hello, Wad." His voice perks up immediately.
"Hi, Arthit. How are you? I was so worried when Kongpob called me to let me know about your absence. Are you feeling better now?" I chuckle at his stream of words.
"Hold on, Wad. I'm fine now. I've been discharged already. I called to get an update on the office situation. I'm sure it's been chaotic. And who's managing my position now?"
"Well, yes, it's been quite busy here. There's a new girl who's taken over your responsibilities. From what I've heard, Mr. Tin mentioned that she's going to be in that role permanently. I'm not sure about the details, but you might want to talk to him and clarify things."
"Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks, Wad."
"Anytime, bud. Just take care of yourself. I'll come to visit you soon."
"You better, Wad. It's been ages since we saw each other."
"Definitely, I'll make a plan to visit you soon."
"Alright, Wad. I'll talk to you later. Thanks, and bye."
"Yeah, bye, Arthit."
I feel a mixture of confusion and intrigue. Mr. Tin apparently appointed a new assistant without any prior notice. It's strange, especially since I've been absent for only five days due to my health condition. Kongpob informed me that he had already informed the higher-ups about my situation, and they had approved my leave. But this unexpected change in the office hierarchy leaves me puzzled. I need answers from Mr. Tin, and if his explanation isn't satisfactory, I'm ready to challenge this decision.
Ugh, this is frustrating. I try to collect my thoughts and dial Mr. Tin's number. He doesn't answer immediately, which infuriates me. But I'm not one to give up easily, so I call again. After two rings, he picks up the call.
"Sawasdee khrap, sir."
"Sawasdee, Arthit. How are you feeling now?"
"I'm better, but not quite. Sir, I heard that the company hired someone to replace me and transferred me without any formal notice or announcement. This doesn't align with the company's procedures. How can this happen? I haven't done anything wrong, and I don't deserve this. You can't—" I find myself rambling on, but he cuts me off.
"Oh, Arthit, can you let me explain? We haven't terminated your employment, and we have no intention of doing so. We've just decided to transfer you to another branch."
"Sorry, did I hear 'transfer'? I didn't receive any transfer notice. What's going on? I can't make any sense of this."
"Listen, Arthit, don't get worked up. It's just a matter of time. We'll be sending you the notice soon. This decision was made yesterday by our new CEO, and you're going to be transferred to the head office."
"Alright, alright. I get it. If there's a transfer, where's the official notice? I don't understand anything right now."
"Arthit, don't worry. The official notice will be sent. Just bear with us for a bit. And by the way, Dan isn't the CEO anymore. Our new partner acquired the company two days ago and has taken over as CEO. You can't easily access him. I'm sorry, I won't be able to assist you much in this."
What the hell! I must be in a daze. I've been away from the company for just five days, and suddenly the whole world seems to have turned upside down. I feel like I've been transported to a new planet where I'm completely clueless about everything. I feel like a clueless fool who's missed everything that's been happening around him.
"What the... alright, so it's like this. Tell me who this new CEO is, and I'll talk to him. Please, do me this favor. I need to meet him. Please, help me arrange a meeting."
"Yes, I can do that. He's in the office now, overseeing the final settlement of the company. However, he won't be here for long. You should hurry if you want to meet him. I'll set up a meeting for you." I let out a sigh of relief. I'm not entirely relieved, but at least I'll have a chance to discuss this matter face-to-face. Who knows what will happen?
"Thank you, thank you so much, sir. I'll be there within half an hour."
"Alright, see you in the office then."
I hang up the call and rush to get dressed. I decide to take a cab to the office. Kongpob has been quite adamant about not letting me drive so soon after being discharged from the hospital. He's given me strict instructions about what to do and what not to do. According to him, I'm supposed to be resting today. But here I am, secretly going to the office. Please don't tell him. I'll be home before him, so everything should be fine, right? I can't risk losing my job; I have to talk to this new a*shole CEO. How could he do this?
This is so frustrating. Ugghhh
I'll confront this new CEO, whoever he is. He can't just turn my world upside down like this. I was lost in my thoughts, feeling my emotions running wild, when I suddenly realized I was standing in front of the office building. I exit the cab, pay the driver, and head to the building's entrance. Inside the elevator, I press the button for my floor. As I step out onto the floor, I spot Wad. He looks surprised to see me since I'm not supposed to be here; I'm meant to be resting at home, according to those who know I was discharged only two days ago. I quickly share the situation with him, we exchange a few words, and I rush to knock on P' Tin's office door. He calls me in.
"Arthit, you're here. That's good, but I didn't manage to arrange a meeting with him. He's swamped with meetings and canceled all his appointments for today."
"But I'm already here. You know how important this is to me. I can't wait any longer. I won't back off now. I need to talk to him." I turn to get outside of P Tin's office. I heard him calling my name but I didn't listen. My future is on stake. I can't wait for anything.
I know the way to his office, so I stride purposefully towards it. A girl tries to stop me outside his office, but I ignore her. She might be his secretary, but it doesn't matter—I'm determined to meet the CEO. No one can stop me. I brush past her and push the office door open. And to my utter shock, I'm met with a room of silence. He breaks the silence by addressing me. He stands up from his chair and approaches me as he speaks.
"What are you doing here?" Before I can utter a word, his secretary enters the room. Kongpob pauses, looking at her. She starts apologizing profusely.
"I'm so sorry, sir. I tried to stop him, but he just walked past me. He didn't listen when I said you weren't available. He barged in. I'm really sorry, sir. I tried my best to stop him." She seems genuinely scared about what might happen next.
"It's okay, Kwanjai. You can go. It's not your fault. No one can stop him once he sets his mind on something. So don't worry, it's not your fault." He reassures her, and she nods in understanding before leaving us alone. I stand there, slightly dumbfounded, as Kongpob addresses me again.
"And one more thing. Don't ever try to stop him from entering my office in the future. If it happens again, you'll be fired." He says this sternly, and I find myself looking dumbly at the situation. She gulps visibly and nods before leaving the room quietly.
"Sure thing sir. It will never happen."
"Good and tell everyone in the company he is my fiance. He can come anytime and can do anything what he wants. If someone ever try to do offend him in any way or hurt him, they'll answer me."
She was shocked. I can see that, because her eyes were like balls bulging out. I was shocked too. Because he never introduced me to anyone as his fiance. She didn't said anything but nod and leave the office silently.After all this I gain some energy to open my mouth.
"Kongpob, what in the hell world are you doing here?" Kongpob finally turns to me and says in a cold yet somewhat threatening tone
Before I can respond, he shifts gears and continues, "First, tell me why you're here. You're supposed to be on bed rest today. And, for the love of god, who gave you the idea to come here without letting me know?"
"I...I'm here to meet the CEO. He transferred me to another company and hired someone to take my place without any official notice or announcement. How can he do this? I won't accept it. So I'm here to talk to him."
Kongpob pauses for a moment, then moves on to the next topic. "Well, there are two things. First, you can't just go around like this in your condition. What if something happened to you on the way here? You're definitely getting punished for this."
I start whining, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Nooo, you can't do that. I explained why I'm here. It's a valid reason. You can't punish me."
"No arguments about this. It's final—you'll be punished when we get home. And stop whining. It was dangerous for you to come here alone. Wait, did you drive here? Don't tell me you drove." I start whining again.
"Koooong, stop it. I didn't drive, okay? I know you wouldn't let me drive in this condition."
"Wow, you're smart, sweetheart. But apparently not smart enough to not come here." He says it with sarcasm, which just annoys me even more. Ugghhh, he can be so irritating sometimes.
"Let's forget that. The second thing is, I'm the CEO of this company now."
At this point, I start questioning reality. Am I dreaming? Yes, I must be dreaming. There's no way this is real. I'm still lying in bed, asleep. But to make sure, I pinch myself hard on my left arm. The pain is real, and I yelp loudly. I shut my eyes, feeling the pain, then open them again. But Kongpob is running toward me, taking my pinched arm and gently rubbing it. He scolds me in concern.
"Are you out of your mind? Why on earth are you pinching yourself?"
"I...I thought I was dreaming. Am I dreaming?" I'm genuinely confused.
"What should i do with you love?" He pushed me a little and kissed my forehead.
"You are mean." He envolaped me and tighten his arms around me.
"Oh am I?"
"Yes, you are so mean. You threw me out of this company and hired someone else on my place. I hate you. You are mean, soooo mean. I'll complain about this to father. He'll punish you." He chuckles and hugs me tightly, my arms still between us. He releases me slightly, looks at me with affection, and kisses my forehead. I hug him back, and then I let out my frustration by smacking his chest repeatedly. When I don't stop, he grabs my wrists, holding them against his chest.
"I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. " I repeat these words several times, my frustration evident.
He tells me with a bit more seriousness, "Love, listen to me. It's for your own good. I can't leave you alone in your condition. And this could happen again. I can't risk anything, so I bought the company."
"But what about my position in the company now?"
"You'll work for me from now on."
"Yeah, right. You just kicked me out. How am I supposed to work for you?"
"You'll be my personal assistant. You'll join when you've fully recovered. You're being transferred to my own company. You won't work here. You'll work wherever I am. I won't leave you alone anywhere—neither here nor at home. You'll be with me 24/7. And there's no arguing about this either." He seals my lips with his own, and when he finally releases me, I'm left breathless.
"This isn't fair. None of this is fair. I'm going to complain to father. To Mae and Por." I'm feeling a mix of emotions, including frustration and helplessness.
He chuckles once more. "Feel free to complain to everyone. Basically, this decision was my father's idea, and your parents agreed. It's already been decided by the whole family that it's best for you to work with me. And if you're worried about your future, don't be. You'll be working with the largest company in the country, so no one will be able to question your position. So, calm your mind and give it some rest."
"You're all so mean to me." I mutter, my frustration still lingering.
"We love you too, kitten."
"But I hate you all."
"We love you even more." Despite his irritating nature, there's an undeniable care in his actions. That's why he's doing all this. He bought a whole company just to make sure I'd be transferred to be with him all the time, so he can take care of me. I can't deny that I need his attention and care.
He hugs me tightly, and for a few moments, we're lost in the embrace.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Did you just call your secretary 'sweetheart'?"
"Kwanjai means sweetheart in Thai. It's Kongpob's secretary 's name."
At first, he looks surprised, but then he bursts into laughter as if there's no tomorrow.
"Oh god, this is hilarious. Do you know how adorable you are?"
"Huh?"
"My secretary's name is Kwanjai, love."
I tilt my head a little, starting to catch on.
"Oh."
I just say "oh" in understanding. He continues to look at me, shaking his head, before responding.
"Don't let anyone see this side of you. Promise me. Never."
"What side?"
"Never mind, love. Anyway, I'm not leaving you alone anywhere anymore. I love you."
I don't need to ask anything else; I simply respond, "I love you too."
"Shall we head home?"
"Let's go home."