Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Nani hirunkit

The garden stretched endlessly in front of me, all lush greenery and perfectly arranged blooms—a picture of serenity, meticulously crafted. The pond shimmered under the afternoon sun, soft ripples scattering gold and silver light. Birds chirped somewhere in the distance, their melody the only sound in the quiet.

It should’ve been peaceful. It should’ve been enough to calm my restless mind.

But it wasn’t.

I scuffed the toe of my shoe into the dirt by the pond, grinding it into the soft earth until the grass tore away beneath me. Around me, everything was perfect—polished, precise, and controlled. It was everything my life wasn’t. My world was motion and chaos. This world was still, suffocatingly so.

It had been three days since I arrived here. Three days of wandering the halls of this mansion, pacing like a caged animal. Three days of silence from Sky.

I thought I would’ve welcomed that. No Sky meant no cryptic demands, no domineering commands, no strange blend of anger and protectiveness that left me spinning. But his absence didn’t feel like relief. It felt like… waiting.

And I hated it.

I missed the hospital. The hum of fluorescent lights, the rush of voices calling for meds, charts, or sutures. There, I had a purpose. Here, I was nothing but a guest—or a prisoner, depending on how generous I was feeling.

Worse, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Sky.

Why hadn’t he spoken to me since I arrived? Was he avoiding me? Had he finally realized I didn’t belong here? Or, worse, had something happened to him?

The thought sent a jolt through me, one I tried to shove down. I shouldn’t care. I didn’t want to care. But the memory of him—his sharp dark eyes, his calm fury, the blood on his side as he barked orders to keep us safe—stuck in my mind like a splinter I couldn’t dislodge.

You don’t care, I told myself firmly, kicking a pebble into the water. The small splash felt satisfying for all of two seconds. He’s the one who dragged you into this. You owe him nothing.

But that didn’t explain why I found myself glancing toward the mansion, wondering if the sound of footsteps in the hall would be his.

“Pathetic,” I muttered under my breath.

---

The sharp sound of my name shattered my thoughts.

“Doc!”

I turned, startled, to see Dew and Mark running toward me, their expressions tight with panic. Dew, normally so relaxed, was pale, his hair disheveled. Mark, usually unreadable, had his lips pressed into a grim line.

“There you are,” Dew panted, doubling over as he caught his breath. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“What’s going on?” I asked, frowning.

Mark cut in, his tone clipped. “Boss is furious. He thought you were missing. Why didn’t you tell anyone where you were going?”

I blinked, thrown by the intensity in their voices. “I wasn’t aware I needed permission to take a walk,” I replied sharply.

Dew winced, his hands rising in a placating gesture. “It’s not about permission, Doc. It’s about safety. You know that.”

“Do I?” I shot back, my frustration bubbling over. “Because your boss hasn’t said a word to me since I got here. All I know is that I’m stuck in this place like some kind of prisoner while he does… whatever it is he does!”

“Doc, calm down,” Dew said, his voice soft but strained. “You don’t understand—”

“No,” I interrupted, my voice rising. “I don’t understand. Because no one tells me anything! He drags me here, locks me in this gilded cage, and then ignores me? I’m not part of this world, Dew. I don’t want to be part of this world!”

Dew exchanged a nervous glance with Mark, but neither of them answered.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered, spinning on my heel. “If your boss has a problem with me taking a walk, he can tell me himself.”

---

Sky wongravee

The study door slammed shut, the sound reverberating off the walls like a gunshot.

“You lost him,” I said coldly, my gaze locked on Dew and Mark.

Dew shifted uncomfortably, his usual charm nowhere to be found. “We didn’t lose him, Sky. He was in the garden. He’s fine.”

“Fine?” My voice was low, deadly. “He left the house without protection. You were supposed to be watching him.”

Mark stepped forward, his expression tight. “We checked the house first. He wasn’t in any danger, boss. He was—”

“That’s not the point,” I snapped, cutting him off.

They didn’t understand. They hadn’t seen the footage of the man following Nani last week, trailing him just long enough to make my blood run cold. They didn’t know how close I’d come to ordering that man’s immediate execution just for looking at him.

Nani was a liability. A risk I hadn’t planned for. But he was mine to protect, and that made him untouchable.

“Get out,” I said finally, my voice low.

“Sky—” Dew began, but I turned sharply to glare at him.

“Out,” I repeated.

The door clicked shut behind them, and the silence left in their wake felt deafening.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to calm the anger simmering in my chest. But it wasn’t just anger. It was fear.

Nani didn’t understand the danger he was in. He didn’t know how many eyes were already on him, watching, waiting for the chance to use him against me.

I’d stayed away these past few days to give him space. To let him adjust. But I realized now that was a mistake.

Nani didn’t need space. He needed me to make him understand.

---

Nani hirunkit

The door to my room flew open, and I spun around, startled.

“Nani.”

Sky’s voice rang out like a whip, sharp and commanding.

I froze, my hand still gripping the back of the chair. His eyes blazed, a fury in them that made the air feel heavier, tighter.

“Do you have any idea what you just did?” he demanded, stepping inside and slamming the door behind him.

I squared my shoulders, trying to steady my breathing. “I took a walk,” I said evenly. “I wasn’t aware that it was a crime.”

“It is when you don’t tell anyone where you’re going,” he snapped. “You left the house without protection. Do you have any idea what could’ve happened?”

“Nothing happened,” I shot back, my voice rising. “I was in the garden, Sky. Not in the middle of a war zone.”

“You might as well have been,” he growled, stepping closer.

I blinked, startled by the venom in his tone.

“You don’t get it,” he said, his voice dropping into something darker, more dangerous. “This isn’t your world. It’s mine. And in my world, one wrong move can get you killed.”

“Then maybe you should’ve left me out of your world,” I said, my voice trembling with anger. “Maybe you shouldn’t have dragged me into this if you think I can’t handle it.”

Sky’s expression softened for a fraction of a second, but his voice remained firm. “I didn’t want to drag you into this,” he said quietly. “But now that you’re here, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Even if it means keeping you on a leash.”

“I’m not your prisoner,” I snapped.

“No,” he said softly, his gaze locking onto mine. “But you are mine to protect. Whether you like it or not.”

-----

The slam of door echoed down the hallway, leaving the space between us even more suffocating than before. I sat on the edge of the bed, my heart still racing from the confrontation. His words played on a loop in my head, rattling me.

"You are mine to protect. Whether you like it or not."

The heat of his anger, the intensity in his eyes—it was too much. It left me feeling torn between rage and something far more dangerous.

I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to scream at him or…

I groaned, rubbing my hands over my face. I couldn’t think like that. Not now. Not when I was still trying to reconcile the fact that my life no longer belonged to me—not fully, anyway. Sky had all but admitted that his grip on me wasn’t going to loosen anytime soon.

And the worst part? Some small, stupid part of me didn’t want it to.

I stood abruptly, pacing the length of the room, my anger simmering just beneath the surface. The truth was, he wasn’t wrong. I didn’t understand his world, not entirely. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t fight to stand my ground.

If Sky thought I’d let him box me in forever, he had another thing coming.

---

Sky wongravee

I slammed the door to my office harder than necessary, the sound reverberating down the corridor. My chest heaved with restrained anger as I strode to my desk, unbutton my shirt as if it was the source of my frustrations.

“Idiot,” I muttered under my breath, though I wasn’t sure if I was talking about Nani or myself.

The argument had rattled me more than I wanted to admit. Seeing him standing there, defiant and unyielding, had stirred something in me—a volatile mix of emotions I couldn’t afford to entertain.

I wanted to protect him. But he didn’t understand what that meant.

What could’ve happened if someone had gotten to him first?

The thought sent a fresh wave of rage coursing through me, but this time, it was directed inward. I should’ve prepared for this. Should’ve anticipated his stubbornness, his need for control over his own life.

But instead, I’d lashed out, barking orders like the tyrant he already thought I was.

The sound of my office phone ringing jolted me out of my thoughts. I snatched it off the desk, my voice clipped. “What?”

“Boss,” Win’s voice came through, steady but tinged with urgency. “You need to get down here. Now.”

I froze, the anger in my chest giving way to something colder. “What is it?”

“It’s about the Hansel Group,” he said grimly. “You’re going to want to hear this in person.”

I didn’t waste time asking questions. “I’m on my way.”

Hanging up, I grabbed my jacket and stalked out of the office, my mind already shifting gears. Whatever Win had to say, it wasn’t going to be good.

And if it had anything to do with Nani, God help whoever was behind it.

---

By the time I entered the conference room, the tension was thick enough to choke on. Win and Dew were already there, waiting for me.

I didn’t sit. I couldn’t. My nerves were already wound too tightly from the confrontation with Nani, and whatever this was, I knew it would only make things worse.

Win stepped forward, his usual calm demeanor replaced with a sharp edge. “We’ve got a problem, Boss,” he said, sliding a file across the table toward me.

I opened it, my eyes scanning the contents quickly.

The Hansel Group. Emery. Territorial disputes. At first glance, it seemed like standard business. But as I read further, the pieces began to fall into place.

This wasn’t just business.

My grip on the file tightened. “Who’s behind this?” I demanded.

Win hesitated.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” I snapped, my voice low and dangerous.

Win exhaled, crossing his arms. “We don’t have definitive proof yet, but it’s not just about the Hansel Group. This is about leverage. Whoever’s behind this… they’re targeting Nani.”

The name hit me like a punch to the gut. My jaw clenched, and I felt a familiar rage bubbling to the surface.

“Explain,” I ordered.

Win nodded toward Dew, who stepped forward, his expression grim. “The ambush on Nani and me wasn’t random,” Dew said. “It was calculated. They wanted to send a message, and now we’re seeing the fallout. The Hansel Group and Emery are just pawns in a larger game.”

“And the endgame?” I asked, my voice was cold.

Win’s gaze didn’t waver. “To make you vulnerable. To make you lose control.”

My fist slammed onto the table, making Dew flinch a little.

“Not going to happen,” I growled.

---

Nani hirunkit

The muffled sound of Sky’s voice carried through the door, sharp and commanding. I didn’t need to hear the words to know he was angry. Again.

I sighed, leaning back against the headboard of my bed. Whatever was happening in that meeting, it was clear it was more important than making amends for our earlier fight.

Part of me understood. Sky’s world was dangerous, unpredictable, and built on control. But that didn’t make it easier to swallow.

He said he trusted me, but did he really?

I stared out the window, the faint glow of the city lights flickering in the distance. Somewhere out there, danger was waiting for us. For him. For me.

And whether I liked it or not, I was part of this now.