Part 6

Tawan stalked into her makeshift security room and paced like a caged lioness.

She should have known better.

Most people understood the imperative of keeping themselves safe. Even celebrities.

Not Ira Suwannathat. Oh no. Self-preservation never seemed to enter her pretty head.

Tawan stopped in front of the window and ripped open the curtains. Sunlight poured in, illuminating the steady stream of famous faces now piling into cars and heading for the exit. Hell, some of those people probably had their own stalkers and social media armies. This was a security breach of epic proportions, and Ira had treated it like a teenager throwing a party the second her parents left for the weekend.

Tawan clenched her jaw. She couldn't afford to let Ira get under her skin like this. She had a job to do, a future contract on the line, and—most importantly—a woman's life to protect.

No matter how infuriating that woman was.

She forced herself to focus. Next steps. Get all the extra bodies off the property. Sweep the location for stragglers. Check for any signs of intrusion into sensitive areas. Above all, resist the urge to throttle Ira.

Tawan's sharp gaze swept over the scene outside. The partygoers were laughing as they got into their cars, oblivious to the potential danger they could have invited in. Some of them were half-drunk. All of them were liabilities. Every single one was now a potential suspect.

One of them might even be the stalker.

She exhaled through her nose, frustration bubbling. She had to report this. Immediately. The breach was too severe to ignore, and the fallout was almost certainly already brewing on social media.

Her phone buzzed with an incoming text from Nene, likely confirming the last of the guests had left. Tawan ignored it for now and prepared to call Tan, Ira's manager. She couldn't believe this was her reality—gone less than a day, and Ira had turned Kate's villa into a circus.

She adjusted the phone on the stand Kate used for streaming and started the video call. If Tan reacted as he should, her carefully laid plans for a future contract might crumble.

But there was no use delaying the inevitable.

Tan answered on the second ring. He wore a casual button-up, and the faint sound of classical music played in the background. He looked relaxed—until he saw her expression.

"Tawan." His tone sharpened. "What's wrong? Is Ira okay?"

"She's secure," Tawan said, her voice even. Her dark eyes flicked to the monitor, where Ira was in the driveway, cheerfully waving goodbye to the last of her guests. "For now."

Tan's brows furrowed. "What happened?"

"She threw a party." Tawan's tone was clipped. She tried again, more deliberately. "She invited half of Bangkok's A-list over for pool volleyball. The safe house location is compromised."

Tan sighed, his shoulders sagging, but his expression showed no surprise. "I warned her this would happen. She promised me she'd behave."

"She didn't." Tawan's lips pressed into a tight line. "And now we're dealing with the aftermath. She's put herself—and everyone else—at risk."

Tan pinched the bridge of his nose. "What do you recommend?"

"Locking this down immediately," Tawan said. "I'll sweep the property and verify nothing else was breached. Then we need to reinforce security. She can't keep doing this."

"She's stubborn," Tan admitted. "But you're right. Take the lead on this. I'll back you up."

Tawan gave a sharp nod, her jaw set. She ended the call and stared at the monitor for a moment longer.

Ira Suwannathat was a hurricane of charm and chaos, and keeping her safe might be the most challenging assignment Tawan had ever taken.

Somehow, that made Tawan feel less embarrassed. With that out of the way, frustration bubbled back to the surface.

"What's the status? Do we need to move to plan B?" Tan asked with the resigned tone of a man well-acquainted with celebrities and their chaos-filled lives.

Tawan relaxed, slightly. A man about to fire someone didn't usually plan next steps with the person they were supposedly dismissing. "We'll conduct a full sweep as soon as the last guest is off the property, but protocol dictates we shift to a new location at the very least."

She injected the word guest with all the frustration she'd felt when stepping onto the patio and seeing her protectee playing volleyball while perched on a stranger's shoulders. "Not that it will do any good if she pulls a stunt like this every time I take a few hours off."

Tawan glanced at the monitor. Nene stood near the front steps, watching the last car disappear down the drive. She should have known better. Nene had been left in charge to ensure Ira Suwannathat didn't do exactly this, and she'd failed.

The worst part was that Nene knew she should have stopped it. It was written all over her face. But she hadn't done it. She'd let Ira walk all over her.

She'd put her protectee at risk.

There was no greater failure in Tawan's book.

Nene had potential—Tawan could see the spark—but her inability to say no to Ira made her a liability.

And now, there Nene was, standing on the steps like a guilty puppy, when they were still in crisis mode. She should be watching Ira directly, not gazing wistfully down the driveway.

Tawan scanned the camera feeds.

Her principal was nowhere to be seen.

Great.

Now neither one of them knew where Ira was.

"Something else going on?" Tan asked, his tone sharper now.

"It's quiet. For now." Tawan's gaze flicked to the pool on the screen. It was calm and still, as though nothing had happened, but her mind replayed the scene from earlier—her protectee, perched on a stranger's shoulders, laughing as though life had no consequences.

She exhaled sharply and focused back on the task at hand. "We'll work on identifying everyone who was here. I'm sending photos to Zhen Wei for a deeper analysis, but there are gaps in our visuals. Some areas of the house don't have cameras. We'll focus on anyone who gave Ira too much attention, but frankly, that includes nearly everyone."

"If you send me the photos, I'll coordinate with Morgan to see if we can ID anyone from her circles. It might speed things up," Tan offered.

"Understood." Tawan fired off a quick email to Wei. They'd dig through the chaos Ira had unleashed, but Tawan didn't expect much to come of it. The guest list was overwhelming.

"She made herself bait today and doesn't even realize it," Tawan said, exasperation leaking into her voice. "She hasn't shown the slightest interest in protecting herself. I warned you this would be a problem, Tan. I told you from the start: I can't protect someone who doesn't want to be protected."

"And I told you she'd be a challenge," Tan replied with the same calm patience he'd used during their first meeting. "You said you were up for it."

"Challenge is one thing. Recklessness is another."

"I'm not reckless!" Ira's voice rang out behind her.

Tawan turned to face her with an incredulous look, shifting slightly so Tan could still see the conversation on the video feed. Ira stood there, wearing a barely-there red swimsuit under a sheer white cover-up that did nothing to obscure her figure. It was distracting as hell, which only fueled Tawan's irritation.

Ira glared at her. "What's your problem, Warden?"

Tawan didn't rise to the bait. "Your actions were reckless."

She glanced over her shoulder to Tan. "It clearly never crossed her mind that she might have invited her stalker into her safe house today."

"I didn't invite a stalker. I invited my friends." Ira crossed her arms, defiant. "Nobody here would hurt me."

"Right." Tawan's snort of disbelief was loud and deliberate.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ira demanded, eyes narrowing.

"I bet you didn't even know their names when they walked through the door."

Ira shrugged, but the defensive twitch in her shoulder gave her away.

Somehow, that made Tawan feel less embarrassed. With that out of the way, frustration bubbled back to the top.

"What's the status? Do we need to move to Plan B?" Tan asked, his tone carrying the resigned weight of a man who spent his career surrounded by celebrities and their constant escapades.

Tawan relaxed slightly. A man about to fire someone didn't usually plan next steps with the person they were considering letting go. "We'll do a full sweep as soon as the last guest is off the property, but protocol dictates we shift to a new location at the very least."

She emphasized the word guest, her irritation simmering at the memory of seeing Ira Suwannathat treating her safe house like a social club.

"Not that it will do any good if she pulls a stunt like this every time I take a few hours off," she added with exasperation.

Her brown eyes flicked to the monitor, where Nene stood on the front step watching the last car leave the driveway. Nene should have been watching Ira directly, ensuring her safety, instead of monitoring the gate. The lack of proper vigilance grated on Tawan's nerves.

This failure couldn't happen again.

Tawan scanned the cameras again. Ira was nowhere to be seen on any of the active feeds. Her irritation deepened. "She's not on camera. Nene isn't watching her either. This isn't acceptable."

"Do you need me to step in?" Tan asked after a brief pause.

"It's under control," Tawan replied, her voice steady despite the storm inside her. "We'll start identifying the party attendees and cross-checking for anything suspicious, but I can tell you now, there's no good visual data for a lot of them. Many parts of the house aren't under surveillance, thanks to the layout."

Tan sighed. "If you send me the photos, I'll try to identify anyone I recognize from the industry. Some of these people likely overlap with Kate and Phong circles. It might save you some time."

Tawan nodded curtly. "I'll send over what we've got."

She fired off a quick message to Zhen Wei, asking him to filter through the security footage and compile clear images of everyone who had been at the party. It was an overwhelming task, but a necessary one.

"She made herself bait today," Tawan said, keeping her voice measured. "And I don't think she even realizes it. She hasn't shown the slightest interest in her own safety."

"I warned you she'd be difficult," Tan said patiently. "You said you were ready for the challenge."

"A challenge is one thing. Recklessness is another."

"I'm not reckless," Ira's voice snapped from behind.

Tawan turned, standing tall but shifting to the side so Tan could see the conversation. Ira stood in the doorway, She wore a flimsy transparent shirt over the red scraps of fabric that passed for a swimsuit, which did nothing to hide anything. It was distracting as hell, which only added to her frustration.

"Your actions today were reckless, Ms. Suwannathat," Tawan said, her tone sharp.

Ira folded her arms, glaring. "I invited my friends. Not my stalker."

"You don't even know half their names," Tawan shot back, her calm veneer cracking. "For all you know, you opened the door for the very person we're trying to protect you from."

Her shoulder twitched as if she were shrugging off that accusation.

Satisfaction that she was right only ramped up Tawan's irritation. For all Ira knew, the man she'd been riding on in the pool could have been the stalker.

"Those weren't friends, Ira," Tawan said, her tone sharp with frustration. "Those were party favors."

"Excuse me?" Ira's dumbfounded expression might have been comical if Tawan weren't so furious.

"This little shindig of yours is probably plastered all over social media by now. Do you understand what that means?"

"I—"

"He's stalking you." Tawan bulldozed over whatever Ira had been about to say, her voice low and tense, vibrating with barely restrained anger. "That means he's watching everything you do. He's scouring the internet for any trace of you. And now, he knows where you are."

Tawan stepped closer to Ira as she spoke, her need to make her point overriding her usual restraint. She'd dealt with people like this before—people who didn't realize the danger they were in until it was too late.

Not this time.

"No, he doesn't," Ira managed to say, but her voice came out shaky and uncertain.

"It's only a matter of time before he shows up outside that gate. And from there, how long do you think it'll take him to figure out how to get in? What do you suppose he'll do then, Ira? Leave another note? Or do you think he'll escalate? Take something? Or worse—take you?"

Ira's lips parted in protest, but no words came out.

"You might as well put up a giant neon sign that says, 'Victim here, come on in!'" Tawan's voice dripped with exasperation.

"Jesus," Tan muttered over the phone.

"That's—" Ira swallowed hard. Her gaze darted to the security feeds, then back to Tawan. "That's not going to happen. This place is secure. Nene and Maenisa made sure of that."

"Maenisa can't keep someone out if you invite them in. For all you know, the stalker already sauntered in while you were doing shots by the pool."

"No." Ira rubbed her arms as though she'd suddenly grown cold. "No way he was here. He would have said something. Wouldn't he?"

"He might have," Tawan said, her tone clipped. "How would you know? Stalkers don't wear name tags. And here's a fun fact: in most cases, the stalker is someone the victim already knows. Someone they've met. It could've been the guy you were clinging to in the pool today."

"Thirakorn?" Ira's brows shot up, incredulous. "He's not a stalker. He's—"

"He could be both," Tawan interrupted without missing a beat. "While you were busy playing in the pool, your stalker could have been scoping out the place. He might know the security layout, the codes—hell, he could have stolen your underwear."

Ira's cheeks flushed, whether from anger, embarrassment, or both, Tawan couldn't tell. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" Tawan arched a brow. "You didn't even know half the people at your own party, did you?"

"I did!" Ira protested, but the slight twitch of her shoulders betrayed her uncertainty.

"Yeah? Name them."

Ira's jaw tightened, and she shifted her weight uncomfortably.

"Exactly," Tawan said, her voice hard. "While you're playing games, I'm out here trying to protect you. Do you know how dangerous it is for us to defend someone who refuses to take their own safety seriously? If the guy gets in here, it won't just be you who pays the price. It'll be me. It'll be Nene. It'll be the entire team that's here to keep you safe. But I guess to you we're all disposable. So long as you get to have a good time, who cares about us, right? We're just the hired help."

"That's not fair," Ira said, her voice shaky. Her eyes dropped to the floor, but Tawan didn't let up.

"No, it's not," Tawan agreed, her voice steely. "It's incredibly unfair that we risk our lives for someone who can't even stay out of her own way."

Ira's head snapped up, her dark amber eyes burning with defiance and hurt. Her eyes told Tawan was the biggest asshole she'd ever met.

She might be right. Tawan had to be if she was going to keep Ira safe. She was sure everyone else in Ira's orbit bent to her will like she was a high-powered magnet. She'd already knocked all sense out of Nene's head, at the very least.

"What do you want from me?" Ira slapped a hand on her chest. "I'm not the bad guy here!"

"Neither am I," Tawan countered, her voice cool but firm. "I'm the one trying to protect you. Remember?"

"Protect me from what? Living? Nothing has happened! Some wacko left a note—that's it. He hasn't attacked me. He hasn't shot at me. Maybe he'll leave another note." She wiggled her fingers in mock fear. "Ooooh, scary."

Ira's sharp gaze bounced between Tawan and Tan, the frustration and defiance clear in her stance. "How much longer do you expect me to live like this? How much longer do I have to put my life on hold for a maybe?"

"Until the threat is gone," Tawan said evenly.

Ira's attitude reeked of someone who'd never truly faced fear. She had no idea how lucky she was.

Lucky. Privileged. Naive.

"Okay," Tan said firmly, his voice cutting through the tension. He scrubbed his face with both hands before taking a sip from a glass that hadn't been there when the call started. Tawan had a strong suspicion it was scotch. "Let's move past this. What's done is done. What's our next move?"

Ira set her jaw but kept quiet. She could listen, it seemed, so long as the message came from someone like Daddy Tan.

Tawan filed that thought away. She couldn't keep running to Tan every time Ira misbehaved. Tan had trusted her to lead this operation. If she couldn't handle Ira, she might as well bow out and stick to working with business executives.

No. Damn it, she wasn't going to let Miss Diva Suwannathat get the best of her.

She straightened her shoulders and steeled her resolve. This was her mission. Her unit. Her call.

"We need to move," she said firmly.

"Move?" Ira repeated, her voice rising an octave.

"Yes. Move." Tawan pushed past the objection written all over Ira's face. "We need to leave Bangkok as soon as possible."

Tan nodded, his face full of agreement and understanding. "Where to? She sold her penthouse, and I assume the Chiang Mai would be a bad idea. It's public and not easy to secure. How about Ying and Prigkhing's island? That might be remote enough."

"We can't go anywhere connected to anyone in the family or her circle of...friends. We need to get off the grid completely. By tomorrow at the latest."

"No," Ira said, her tone firm.

Tawan turned to face her. "Like it or not, this is what happens when you invite a bunch of strangers over for a splash in the pool during a hostile situation."

She tossed her hair over her shoulder and put her hands on her hips, radiating the same commanding presence she had on stage. Gone was the bubbly persona—this was the woman who had built her career on sheer determination.

"I'm not leaving Bangkok," Ira said, her voice full of conviction. "I have a VIP concert in two weeks. There's no point in moving somewhere when I'd just have to come back. Plus, I have rehearsals."

"We can probably reschedule that," Tan said, though he didn't sound thrilled about the idea.

"No," Ira said sharply, crossing her arms. Her dark amber eyes burned with determination. "Ying never reschedules her performances, and neither do I."

"You can't do a show right now," Tawan said, her tone firm. Images of the chaos at such an event filled her mind—thousands of people, multiple entry points, and the near impossibility of total security. "He knows you're going to be there. He'll be ready for it. I can't guarantee your safety in a situation like that."

"Gee, Tawan, I thought you were a specialist. Anexpert." Ira's voice dripped with sarcasm, and she stretched the word out mockingly. "Surely, you can handle one small show at a tiny venue like The Rox. It's not like it's Impact Arena."

Tawan gritted her teeth. "I'm a security specialist, not a magician," she said, keeping her tone steady despite the frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "That place is a logistical nightmare. It's open, has too many access points, and we know your stalker has already scoped it out. Allowing him a second chance would be reckless. It's out."

Ira's lips pressed into a thin line, her jaw tightening in defiance.

Tawan had to throw her some kind of bone or she'd never see reason. "Why don't you do the show virtual?"

They could control a studio situation, and the stalker wouldn't expect it.

Ira's brows furrowed like Tawan had just started speaking in a foreign language. "Virtual?"

"Yeah. Give the show in a studio and broadcast it."

"Interesting," Tan said, nodding thoughtfully.

"No," Ira cut in sharply. "Hell no. These people paid to see us live. In person. There's no way I'm telling them they have to watch me from home. They can do that now for free." She looked from Tawan to Tan, her expression resolute. "They're coming for the shared experience. They're expecting Kate and me to be there. I'm not canceling, and I'm not going virtual."

"These people would rather miss a show if it meant you were alive at the end of the day," Tawan countered. "Wouldn't they? Surely, they don't want you to risk your life for them."

"Don't be ridiculous," Ira snapped. "Nobody's dying."

"Ira..." Tan began, his voice calm but cautious.

"No." She shook her head hard enough to make her blonde hair swing. "I agreed to let you lock me away, even though nothing actually happened, even though I think this is all one giant overreaction, because I saw how upset my sisters were. But this is where I draw the line."

She turned to Tawan, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You obviously think what I do is silly and pointless and... and... unimportant. But it isn't unimportant to those people. I made a promise. I'm not going back on my word. Not for you. Not for some lame guy who left a stupid letter. Not for anybody."

She started pacing toward the door, her movements sharp and deliberate, but stopped when she reached it. She glanced back over her shoulder, her dark amber eyes challenging Tawan.

"I'm staying here until after the concert. Then maybe I'll move to a new location."

"Definitely," Tawan said, her voice firm.

"Maybe," Ira shot back, her gaze locked on Tawan. "And, Tawan, if you try to get in my way on this, you'll see just how uncooperative I can be."

Her bare feet slapped against the tile floor of the hall as she stalked away, leaving Tawan standing there, frustration and determination warring in her chest.

Tawan stared at the empty space where Ira had stood. The room felt hollow now, far too quiet. How could one woman fill a space so completely that her absence left a vacuum?

Tan cleared his throat. "That... could have gone better."

Tawan closed her eyes and took in a steadying breath. The whole day could have gone better. She'd made a tactical error.

She'd trusted that Ira Suwannathat had an interest in her own safety.

She'd trusted that Nene would have her back while she was gone.

She'd trusted that the security team would too.

Trust could really bite you in the ass sometimes.

She waited a few beats to make sure she had her temper in check before turning back to Tan. "I shouldn't have left her alone."

"She was hardly alone," Tan said with a rueful twitch of his lips.

Tawan thought of the scene she'd walked in on—a buffet of every name and face in Bangkok's entertainment scene. She didn't follow celebrity gossip much, but even she recognized a few of the stars casually lounging by the pool. "Nobody should have made it past the front gate. I'll have a training session to correct that mistake. It won't happen again."

Tan covered a half cough with another sip of whatever he was drinking. "Yes, it will."

Tawan rubbed the back of her neck, where several knots had developed over the past few hours. "Not if I'm onsite, it won't."

"You have to sleep sometime. Besides, she's right about one thing—she's not a prisoner."

"No. She's not. But you know a concert is a really bad idea right now."

"Yes, but we're doing it anyway." Tan raised a hand to stop Tawan before she could object. "I've heard your take on this, but Ira has a point too. She has a job to do, just like you. More importantly, she—and we—made a promise to those people who bought tickets. We have to honor our commitment, even if it means a little extra work behind the scenes."

"A little?" Tawan raised an eyebrow at that.

"I realize the venue isn't ideal," Tan said, his fingers tapping steadily on the keyboard. "I'm sending a note to accounting. They'll arrange funds for you. Hire whoever you need."

"Budget?" Tawan asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tan gave her a patient look. "Try not to bankrupt me. The point is, there's no Suwannathat legacy without Ira doing her job. We'll work on convincing her about relocation after the concert. Maybe Ying or Wisanu can chime in—get her to see reason. Can you keep the house secure until then?"

Tawan considered it for a moment. "It's a solid setup here. At least it's familiar territory. We'll lock it down tighter and bring in another team. Hopefully, that'll be enough. But from now on, she'll have to party alone."