Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Sky wongravee

“You’re always saying this bastard is two steps ahead,” Nani said, his voice steady yet carrying an urgency that set my teeth on edge. His eyes locked onto mine, unyielding. “Why don’t we plan something ahead to lure him out?”

The room felt too quiet. Too still. My chest tightened, and I couldn’t stop the heat that flared through me. I think i know what he wants to say.

“No,” I said flatly, my voice cutting through the air. “Absolutely not.”

He didn’t flinch. His determination was a wall I couldn’t break through, though I tried. “Sky—”

“No.” I stepped closer to him, my voice low and hard, laced with every ounce of authority I could muster.

"Sky...here me out first" he said half pleading, but his eyes show how determined he is.

"No! Dont even thinking about it. You want to suggest that we put you—the one person Hong has been trying to get his hands on—front and center? That’s your plan?”

“Yes,” he said, his tone calm but unshakable. “Controlled bait. We’ll be the ones in control this time.”

I froze, staring at him. For a moment, I couldn’t find the words. My pulse thundered in my ears as his words replayed in my mind.

Controlled bait.

The two words made me want to throw something, scream, fight against the very idea of it. “Are you insane?” I finally bit out. “You think you can control him? That we can keep you safe while dangling you in front of him like a goddamn prize? Do you have any idea who we’re dealing with?”

“He’s already coming for me,” Nani countered, his voice sharp but level. “We both know it. Every step you take to protect me, he uses it against you. You said it yourself—he’s playing us because he knows you too damn well. But he doesn’t know me. He doesn’t know what I’ll do. That’s why this can work.”

I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair as I paced away from him. “No,” I said again, my voice strained. “This is not up for discussion.”

Win’s voice broke through the charged silence. “Boss, maybe we should—”

I rounded on him, the force of my glare enough to make even Win hesitate. “Don’t,” I said sharply. “Don’t you dare encourage this.”

Win met my eyes, his own calm and steady, but there was a flicker of something there—something I wasn’t ready to face. “We need to be realistic, Boss. Hong isn’t going to stop. He’s always ahead of us because we’re playing defense. This is our chance to change the game.”

I pointed a finger at him, my chest heaving with the effort to keep my temper in check. “And you think putting Nani in harm’s way is the answer?”

“We can get him off guard,” Dew chips in, his voice quiet but firm. “It’s the one element we have that he can’t predict.”

I turned on my head, my voice rising. “You think that makes it worth the risk? You think I’m going to sit here and let you treat him like a tool, like a chess piece, when this son of bitch is out there waiting for any excuse to rip him apart?”

“Sky.” Nani’s voice was soft, but it cut through my fury like a blade.

I turned to him, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. “Don’t,” I said, my voice shaking with barely-contained fear. “Don’t ask me to do this. You don’t understand what you’re asking.”

He stepped closer, his eyes never leaving mine. “I do understand,” he said, his voice steady despite the tremor I could hear beneath it. “I understand that this is dangerous. I understand that you’re scared. But I can’t keep hiding, Sky. I can’t keep living like this—locked away, waiting for the next attack. It’s not a life. And it’s not fair to you, or to anyone else who’s put themselves in danger for me.”

His words hit me like a blow to the chest. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. All I could see was the possibility of losing him—of Hong taking him from me, breaking him, destroying him.

“You don’t get it,” I said quietly, my voice rough. “Hong… he doesn’t just kill people. He breaks them. He’ll use every weakness, every fear, every hope you have against you. You think you can stand up to him, but you don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“Then stop protecting me from the truth!” he shouted, his voice cracking. “Stop treating me like I’m made of glass. I’m not a child. I know the risks, and I’m willing to take them. But I need you to trust me. I need you to believe that I can do this.”

His words shook something loose inside me, a fissure in the armor I’d spent years building. I wanted to argue, to shout, to tell him he was wrong. But I couldn’t. Because deep down, I knew he was right.

Win stepped forward again, his tone measured. “We don’t have to throw him to the wolves, Boss. We plan this carefully. We control the location, the timing, the circumstances. We don’t give them a single advantage. And we make damn sure Nani is never out of our sight.”

Dew nodded, his face grim but determined. “We can’t keep running. This is the only way to end it.”

I turned away from them, my back to the room as I stared out the window. My hands trembled at my sides, and I clenched them into fists to stop the shaking.

They were right. I knew that. But the thought of putting Nani in harm’s way—of seeing him hurt, or worse—made my chest feel like it was collapsing in on itself.

“Sky,” Nani said again, his voice softer now. “This the best way, trust me.”

I closed my eyes, my jaw tightening.

“I need time to think,” I said finally, my voice tight and strained.

Nani stepped back, his face falling slightly. “We don’t have time.”

“I need time,” I repeated, turning to face him. My voice softened, but my tone left no room for argument. “This isn’t a decision I can make lightly. Give me that, at least.”

He stared at me for a long moment, his shoulders sagging slightly. “Alright,” he said quietly.

I watched him leave followed by Dew and Win. The sound of the door closing behind them echoing in the silence.

The room felt colder without him in it.

I turned back to the window, staring out at the darkening sky. My reflection stared back at me, and for the first time, I didn’t recognize the man I saw.

I know i need to put and end on this. I cant keep doging and hiding. But Hong already messed up my judgment and my peace.

And now he was threatening to take the one thing I couldn’t bear to lose.

I would make my decision. But no matter what, one thing was certain.

This bastard would not win against me.

------

Hong

The world looks so small from above.

I stood at the edge of the rooftop, the city sprawling beneath me like a living, breathing organism. People scurried like ants, lost in their routines, their meaningless little lives. None of them ever looked up. None of them ever wondered who was watching.

That was their mistake.

And I loved them for it.

I turned away from the edge, my boots crunching against the gravel as I walked back toward the center of the rooftop. My men stood in a loose formation, their postures stiff, their eyes trained on me. They knew better than to speak unless spoken to.

Control. It was the foundation of everything.

One of my men stepped forward, holding a thin folder. “The latest report,” he said, his voice carefully neutral.

I took the folder, flipping it open without looking at him.

Sky wongravee.

Just seeing his name made my pulse quicken. Sky, the man who thought he could erase me. The man who thought he could bury his mistakes and walk away unscathed.

But you can’t bury a shadow.

I flipped through the photographs and notes my men had compiled, my smile widening as I reached the last page.

Doctor Nani hirunkit.

There he was, captured mid-stride in the mansion’s garden, his face half-turned toward the camera. He looked so… ordinary. Soft. Gentle. A man who didn’t belong in Sky’s world.

And yet, he was there. He become the center of Sky life. What a mistake.

I lingered on the photograph, tracing a finger over his face. “The doctor,” I murmured. “Sky’s Achilles’ heel.”

One of my men cleared his throat nervously. “What’s the next move?”

I smiled, tossing the folder onto the table. “Patience,” I said. “Sky’s greatest strength is his discipline. He won’t make the first move unless he’s certain he’ll win. And that’s where we’ll strike.”

Another man frowned slightly. “But if we wait too long—”

“Patience,” I repeated, my voice cold. “He thinks he’s keeping the doctor safe. Let him. The longer he waits, the more desperate he’ll become. And desperation? That’s when people make mistakes.”

I picked up the photograph again, holding it up to the light.

“It’s not about killing him,” I said softly. “Not yet. It’s about making Sky watch. Making him realize that no matter how hard he tries, he’ll never keep him safe.”

I turned to my men, my smile sharp and wicked. “Reach out to our contacts. Find out who’s still loyal to Sky, who’s wavering, and who’s ready to turn. Sky’s empire will crumble. And when it does…”

I trailed off, my gaze returning to the photograph.

“Love,” I murmured, almost to myself. “It’s the easiest thing to destroy.”