The Heiress and The Starlet: A Dinner Table Revelation

The Kwong household was rarely quiet, but tonight, it was a rare moment of peace.

A family dinner.

A warm meal.

No chaos.

No fighting.

Lingling was sipping her tea.

Orm was cutting into her steak.

The twins were miraculously behaving.

It was nice.

Calm.

Almost... suspiciously calm.

And then—

Norrawan casually set down her fork and smiled.

"I think I want to be an actress."

Lingling choked on her tea.

Sirilak, mid-bite, slowly turned her head.

Orm, unfazed, just raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Or maybe a model," Norrawan continued, swirling her drink. "I mean, I have the height, right?"

Lingling blinked rapidly.

"You want to enter the entertainment industry?"

"Yeah!" Norrawan beamed. "I think it would be fun!"

Lingling's soul left her body.

Fun.

She had said fun.

Lingling glanced at Orm, expecting her to shut this down immediately.

Instead—

Orm smiled proudly.

"That's a great idea, baby!"

Lingling nearly had a stroke.

"ORM!"

"What?!" Orm blinked innocently. "It's her dream!"

Lingling clutched her temples. "The entertainment industry is a battlefield! A nightmare! It's unpredictable, full of risks, and—"

"Exciting," Norrawan finished, grinning.

Lingling exhaled aggressively.

"But sweetheart, you're too beautiful. The world is going to be too much for you. They're going to—"

"Fall in love with her?" Sirilak muttered, unimpressed.

Norrawan laughed.

"Exactly! Mama, I mean, look at me." She gestured at herself confidently.

"I was born for this."

She wasn't wrong.

She had Orm's height, Lingling's sharp features, and the kind of natural elegance that made people turn their heads.

She was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.

And Lingling hated every second of it.

She turned to Sirilak. "Do you hear this?"

Sirilak, calm as ever, finished her sip of water and shrugged.

"It's fine."

Lingling's eye twitched.

"Fine?"

Sirilak nodded. "If she wants to do it, I'll handle the contracts."

Lingling nearly fainted.

"YOU'LL WHAT?!"

"Someone has to make sure she doesn't get scammed," Sirilak said matter-of-factly.

"She's too trusting."

"HEY!" Norrawan protested.

Sirilak raised an eyebrow.

"How many times have you almost fallen for a pyramid scheme?"

"...That's not important."

Lingling groaned. "I should have seen this coming."

Orm giggled.

Sirilak tilted her head slightly.

"And what about you, Lilak?" Orm asked, leaning in.

Sirilak smirked, resting her chin on her hand.

"World domination."

Silence.

Orm smiled. "That's my girl."

Lingling dropped her fork.

"I—excuse me?!"

Sirilak gestured vaguely.

"I'll probably take over the company."

Lingling nearly wept.

Her legacy.

Her perfect, ruthless legacy.

Sirilak continued, completely composed.

"But I have bigger plans. Expanding the empire, branching into international markets, establishing dominance in AI and tech, possibly politics—"

Lingling wiped away a proud tear.

"My daughter."

Norrawan rolled her eyes. "I knew you'd get all soft about this."

Sirilak smirked. "The world isn't ready."

"Understatement," Lingling muttered.

Norrawan leaned back, stretching. "So, in summary, I'll be rich and famous and Lilak will be rich and powerful."

Sirilak nodded. "Correct even though we are already rich."

Orm clapped her hands. "I love this for both of you!"

Lingling groaned, massaging her temples. "I am too young for this much stress."

Sirilak smirked. "Then retire early. I'll take over when I turn eighteen."

Lingling choked.

Norrawan laughed. "Ooooh, Mom's panicking now!"

Lingling pointed at Sirilak.

"YOU ARE FIFTEEN. YOU ARE NOT TAKING OVER THE COMPANY."

"Yet."

"Sirilak."

Orm leaned over, whispering dramatically.

"Babe, you created a monster."

Lingling exhaled aggressively. "I KNOW."

Sirilak sipped her water, completely unaffected.

Norrawan grinned and leaned against her sister.

"Well, at least I know you'll keep me safe in the industry."

Sirilak gave her a flat look.

"Obviously. No one gets close to you without my approval."

Lingling narrowed her eyes.

"You're not shooing away potential suitors already, are you?"

Sirilak smirked.

"I don't have to. I just stare at them."

Norrawan giggled.

"It's true! Lilak doesn't even have to say anything! Boys just get scared and run away!"

Lingling buried her face in her hands.

"You are fifteen."

Sirilak shrugged. "The weak should fear the strong."

Orm, laughing into her hand: "God, she really is your child, babe."

Lingling sighed.

Norrawan smiled sweetly.

"So? Can I be an actress?"

Lingling groaned.

"Do I even have a say?"

Sirilak answered immediately.

"No."

Orm burst into laughter.

Lingling, accepting defeat, pushed her plate away.

"I need a drink."

Orm kissed her cheek. "I'll get you some tea, my love."

Sirilak and Norrawan high-fived.

Lingling glared at them.

"You two are dangerous."

Norrawan winked.

"Born this way."

It started off innocently enough.

Norrawan, always full of energy and adventure, had decided she wanted to help out at her Mama's café after school.

"Mama, I wanna try working here!"

Orm, ever the supportive mother, had immediately agreed.

Lingling had not.

"Absolutely not. She is a child."

"Babe, it's just for fun."

"And when she decides she wants to go on a spontaneous 'adventure' in the middle of her shift?"

Orm had laughed it off.

She should have listened.

Because within five minutes of stepping behind the counter, Norrawan had taken over.

She wasn't just serving customers.

She was charming them.

Effortlessly.

A customer walked up to the counter.

"Oh my, such a beautiful young lady! Are you the owner's daughter?"

Norrawan flipped her hair, grinning.

"Obviously."

The woman chuckled. "And how do you like working here?"

Norrawan shrugged. "It's fun! But, you know, I don't actually have to work. I'm rich."

Orm nearly dropped the coffee she was making.

"Norrawan!"

The woman laughed. "Oh, how cute!"

Norrawan leaned on the counter, smiling mischievously.

"I know."

By the time Orm turned around, Norrawan was effortlessly making conversation with the customers.

Flirty. Witty. Full of sassy one-liners.

A literal mini-Orm.

Orm sighed.

Lingling was going to lose her mind.

While Norrawan thrived in the café, Sirilak did what she always did—

She found a quiet corner, sat down, and observed.

She wasn't bothering anyone.

She wasn't helping.

She was just existing.

Composed. Untouchable.

Like a small CEO in training.

Occasionally, Orm would glance at her.

"Lilak, you okay?"

Sirilak, sipping her tea, nodded once.

"Yes, Mama."

"You sure you don't wanna help?"

Sirilak raised an eyebrow.

"Do I look like I belong behind a counter?"

Orm sighed.

Lingling had cloned herself.

Despite being a mother of two teenagers, Orm was still as beautiful as ever.

She aged like fine wine.

She was elegant, graceful, and still had that effortless charm.

Which meant, occasionally, she still got flirted with.

And today was one of those days.

A man—probably in his early 30s—walked in and immediately zeroed in on Orm.

Big mistake.

He leaned on the counter, smiling.

"You know, I've been coming here a lot, and I have to say, the coffee isn't the only thing that's sweet."

Norrawan immediately gagged.

Orm, always polite, simply smiled. "Thank you. What would you like to order?"

The man grinned.

"Maybe your number?"

Before Orm could respond—

Sirilak put her book down.

She stood up.

She walked over.

She stopped right beside Orm.

And then—

She stared at the man.

Not rudely.

Not aggressively.

Just... stared.

Expressionless.

Like Lingling during a hostile takeover.

Orm blinked. "Lilak?"

The man, sensing the sudden shift in atmosphere, let out a nervous chuckle.

"Oh, is this your little sister?"

Sirilak's stare intensified.

Orm coughed. "This is my daughter."

The man stiffened. "Oh."

Sirilak tilted her head slightly.

"Are you done speaking?"

The man blinked. "Uh—"

Sirilak cut him off.

"Because I suggest you finish your order and leave."

Orm had to turn away to stop herself from laughing.

Norrawan grinned.

"Ohhhh, you're in trouble."

The man cleared his throat.

"I was just trying to be friendly—"

Sirilak tilted her head.

"Unnecessary."

The man's face twitched.

"You know, you're a little—"

"Dangerous?" Sirilak finished for him, smiling coldly.

The man immediately backed away.

"On second thought, I'm not thirsty anymore."

And just like that, he left.

Norrawan burst out laughing.

"OH MY GOD, LILAK! THAT WAS COLD."

Orm, still covering her mouth, finally spoke.

"Baby, that was a little intense."

Sirilak picked up her book again.

"It was efficient."

Norrawan wiped away a tear.

"Mama, you're never getting flirted with again. Ever."

Orm sighed.

Lingling was going to be so proud.

That evening, after dinner, Norrawan excitedly recounted the whole story to Lingling.

Lingling, who had been casually eating dessert, stopped.

Slowly put her spoon down.

Turned to Sirilak.

Sirilak stared back, unfazed.

Lingling exhaled, smiling proudly.

"I have never been more proud of you in my life."

Orm groaned.

Norrawan cackled.

Sirilak simply sipped her tea.

Another successful day.