Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Pond’s POV

The morning after leaving Phuwin’s house felt like a blur. My mind replayed the moments we shared—the warmth of his arms, the sound of his soft laughter, and the way he clung to me like I was his entire world. I wanted to stay in that bubble of comfort and love, but reality didn’t wait.

The moment I arrived at the office, everything shifted. My steps faltered as I pushed open the door to my private office and saw her sitting there—Mina.

She looked almost the same as I remembered—poised, confident, with that ever-familiar air of entitlement. But what caught me off guard was her presence itself. The last time we spoke, she was planning to move to Vietnam indefinitely.

“Pond!” she exclaimed, springing to her feet as though she had been waiting for me all morning. Her eyes sparkled with an excitement that made me uneasy.

Before I could say anything, she ran toward me and threw her arms around my neck in an almost suffocating hug. My entire body went rigid. I didn’t return the embrace, my arms awkwardly hanging by my sides, but she didn’t seem to care.

“Mina,” I said, my tone sharp enough to hint at my discomfort, “what are you doing here?”

She pulled back slightly but kept her hands on my shoulders, looking up at me with a radiant smile. “I missed you so much,” she said, as though that explained everything.

“Mina, you’re supposed to be in Vietnam. What’s going on?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady despite the growing tension.

She laughed lightly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I came back. I missed everything about this place my family, my friends, the memories… and, of course, you.”

Her words made my stomach tighten, but nothing could have prepared me for what she said next.

“And I’m also planning to marry you.”

The air seemed to leave the room. My thoughts crashed to a halt, and all I could do was stare at her in disbelief.

“What?” I finally managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper.

“You heard me, Pond,” she said confidently, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I want to marry you. My family has already discussed it with your father, and he agrees. It’s the perfect match.”

I clenched my jaw, struggling to keep my emotions in check. “Mina,” I began slowly, “we’ve talked about this before. You know I don’t feel that way about you. I don’t want to marry you.”

She took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest, her expression hardening. “So what? Feelings don’t matter. This is bigger than you and me, Pond. It’s about our families, our businesses. And whether you like it or not, this is happening.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. Mina’s father wasn’t just powerful—he was my father’s employer, a man with enough influence to destroy our company and everything my family had worked for. Saying no wasn’t just difficult it was dangerous.

“Mina,” I said through gritted teeth, “you can’t force me into this. Marriage isn’t just some business deal.”

She smirked, a cold, calculated expression that made my skin crawl. “That’s where you’re wrong, Pond. This is a business deal. And if you’re smart, you’ll play along.”

I took a step back, my hands curling into fists at my sides. I wanted to argue, to tell her how absurd and selfish she was being, but I knew it would fall on deaf ears. Mina wasn’t here to listen she was here to get what she wanted.

“Let’s not do this now,” I said finally, my voice tight with barely suppressed anger. “I have work to do.”

I turned and walked past her to my desk, but I could feel her gaze burning into my back.

“Think about it, Pond,” she said, her voice softer now but no less insistent. “This is what’s best for everyone.”

She left after that, her footsteps echoing down the hallway. But her words stayed with me, gnawing at the edges of my thoughts.

As I sat at my desk, staring blankly at the papers in front of me, my mind was consumed by a single thought Phuwin. How could I face him after this? How could I tell him that someone else was trying to claim me, that my family might force me into a future I didn’t want?

The weight of it all felt unbearable, but one thing was clear I couldn’t let Mina win. I couldn’t let anyone take away what I had with Phuwin.

But the question remained: How?

-To be continued▪︎